The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-10-20


beating down upon them when the sois
is bare of moisture completes their
destruction. They revive a little al
night time, and try to renew the battle
with sun and drought, but day after
day they are wilted down until they
are scorched to the very heart.
THE VALUE OF A MULCH.
A mulch is considered one Of the best
protectors of plants in hot weather.
This consists simply of some coarse
material such as leaves. straw or litter.
placed around the base of the stalks
so the moisture cannot be sucked up
by the hot sun. In time the sun pene-
trates below the mulch and destroys
the plants, but plants protected with
good mulch will survive for weeks
where others not protected will die in
few days. The canvas-coyered field
is thus protected very much as the
single plant is by mulch. The sun
cannot reach down and suck up all the
moisture. When it rains the canvas
covering is rolled up and the ground
is allowed to get soaked with the rain
water. Then in hot weather the COW
ering is replaced and the surface moist
ure is retained for weeks.
The effect of the canvas protection in
this way can hardly be overestimated.
The experimental gardens have demon-
strated that in the dryest seasons or
binary tender crops can be raised with
out trouble. Not only this, but seeds
can be planted in the field as a second
crop in July and August, and they
will terminate and the young plants
show no sign of being withered up by
the excessive heat The temperature
under the covering is ordinarily just
right for young plants. If supplied
with moisture they will thrive as well
as in May or June. There are many
second crops of vegetables which mar
ket gardeners would like to raise for
early fall, but owing to the difficulties
of raising them successfully from seed
in midsummer they are not planted.
PROTECTION FROM THE SUN.
When summer comes the plants are
protected in the same way from the
hot SUM-. Most plants will do better
in.summer if exposed to its direct rays
only part of the day. 1t, has been
found that the rays of the morning
sun are better for growing plants than
those Of midday OF afternoon. Usual
~ the canvas is put over the plants
in the middle of the day from about
eleven until three or four in the af-
ternOon. If the days are cloudy the
canvas is not put down at all.
In small gardens canvas and muslin
covers are also employed to protect
the plants in different ways Night
caps of muslin are made which can
be clapped over tomato vines or flowers
in the evening and removed in the
morning. These caps are made of light
wooden OF wire frames with I'M
bleached muslin stretched over them.
They are especially used for small
plants which get an early spring start.
One person can cover an i.cre of plants
with these caps in much less than an
hour. They are made SO that they fit
snugly into each other and in this
way they can be stacked conveniently
near the plants or slowed away in the
winter in small space. They should
last four or five seasons. and the cost
should not be more than few cents
each.
The disadvantage of this system is
that it is slow work to cover and I'M
cover large acreages of plants, but ON
small gardens, where only an acre or
two are cultivated, the night caps are
better than the full canvas protection
which rolls up and down by means of
ropes. Flower growers use the muslin
caps for their sensitive plants. and
many amateur flower growers have
also adopted the system, obtaining.
thereby early annual flowers which
would not otherwise thrive we'll mill,
very late in the season.
A small strip of muslin is TINS a.
great boon in the hands Of the small
flower grower. By stretching this
across the garden where seedlings
have been planted, the right conditions
OF temperature and moisture can no
maintained in the soil and above If 70,
suit any plants. The fresh air and
wind can blow under the strip of INNS.
lin and supply the plants with all the
oxygen they need, The sun also shines
dimly through the thin muslin. provid-
ing the plants with the right degree Of
light.
The value of these for flower raising
has been demonstrated at several of
the State experiment stations, where IL
was found that violets. pansies ninl,s
and >other flowers increased the size
of their flowers each season under
their protecting cover. A good many
Towering plants thrive better in semi.
shade' and others which have always
been planted in open, SUNNY nIaces
nave shown better results under the
muslin strips than elsewhere. The ax.
periments being conducted now win
probably show that most flowers 70
quire protection from the midday sum.
mer's sun, Even tropical plants in
greenhouses do better with some slight
shade, and so gardeners paint the glass
top of their hothouses to MODIFY .ha
suns rays.-New York Times.
1t Is said that nina.tnnthr a 4,