The National tribune., 1896-12-31
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
Cold Frames.

The use of a cold frame adds very materi-
ally to the lengthening out of the vegetable
season, aud may be made a continuous
source of enjoyment. Anyone handy with
tools can easily construct frame, says the
american A0riculturist. This should be six
feet wide, and may be of any length de-
sired. For ordinary family use frame Of
four sashes, that is IL feet in length, will be
sufficient. OF course, for market-gardeniug
purposes the extent is almost unlimited.
The best location for such frame is where
there is an eastern or southeastern exposure
and shelter from the north and northwest
winds. Common hemlock boards will an
swer for the frame. Before placing this in
position the soil should be dug out to the
depth of 10 or IL inches. Then posts are to
be driven at each corner, and the boards
nailed to these, SO that one-half of their
wild ID is above the level Of the surface. The
rear board should be two or three inches
higher than the front one, in order to give
sufficient slope to the sashes. Three feet
from e cad there should be a cross-piece
about two inches wide to strengthen the
side boards and to serve as support for the
sashes. The space from which the soil has
been dug out should now be filled in with
the best and richest garden soil obtainable.
The frame is now ready to receive cabbage,
caulfower, and lettuce plants for early
Spring transplanting. The usual number
put under one sash is from 800 to 400. If
the weather should be dry, and the sun hot
at midday, the plants may have to be shaded,
and watered once or twice. After they have
once taken root there is very little trouble
with them. The sashes should be raised on
all warm, sunshiny days, and we'll covered
when the weather is cold. Thus treated
lettuce plants will be ready for planting in
hotbeds in January or February, and the
cabbage and eauliAower in the open ground
as soon as the season opens. After the
plants have been taken out the frame may
be transformed into a b0tbed, or it may bs
| used to good advantage for transplanting to-
matoes. egg-plants, peppers, etc, out of a
separate hotbed where the plants have been
started. The cost of construction is but
trifing, and sashes ready for use can be pro-
cured at small cost.
Frozen Combs.
When the comb becomes frozen Or frosted
there will be an end to the laying of all
hens so afflicted until the injured member
heals, which may require one or two
moaths. Combs usually become frozen at
| night, when the birds are on the roost, and
! it happens more frequently when there is a
small flow of air from crack or naiEhole
| than when the birds are exposed to a large
| volume of air. The prevention is TO provide
| warm houses at night and windbreaks of
| some kind during the day. Should q comb
| become frozen anoiut it with ichthyol once
| day.
Electric Lights In Hothouses.
F. w. Rane, of the New Hampshire Sta
| ton, has announced the result of an expert
ment to test the effect of incandescent cleo
| trio light upon dollhouse vegetables. II was
| found that eight incandescent lights, Is
candle power, running from to IL o'clock
six days a week, seems to have no effect
upon cress, but to accelerate the growth Of
| the other plants tested to the following dis
| tances from the lights: Caulihower, 20 feet !;
Grand Rapids lettuce, 10 feet; Rawson's
Forcipg-house lettuce, feet inches, and
| spinach, Is feet inches The extra hight
of the plants was, however, at the expense
of stockiness in the case of lettuce and cauli-
| flower. Spinach is plant which is greatly
affected by the light. In one instant cleo
| tric light for 80 nights resulted in differ
ence of II inches on the average.
| A'Cheap Chicken Coop.
! It is well to utilize the leisure of Winter
| in preparing for the rush of work that al
ways comes when Spring opens. One such
preparation is the preparing of the needed
chicken coops for the broods to be Matched
out during the Spring months A simple
arrangement is shown In the cut. Empty