The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-01-12

II was perhaps with great deal of
expectation that l and others tested
the new plan of growing vegetables
under cloth tent, says the Practical
Farmer. My own trials were not ex-
tensive. it is true; celery was the par
ticular crop grown under cloth, and
this only under a simple cloth covered
frame in A-shape, the ends being left
open, besides a lot of lettuce grown in
common cold frame covered with
cheese cloth. The lettuce was dis
appointment. 1t was not equal by
good deal to the lettuce grown under
glass, or later on in open ground. The
celery under the cloth covering grew
faster. larger than in open, but it was
by no means exempt from blight at
tacks as l had hoped Altogether the
results were disappointing. 1t is re-
ported that gardener of Hartford
county, Connecticut. planted cucum-
bers and melons in his tobacco tent
He obtained a good growth of vine
and that was about all. The cucum-
bers blossomed. Some grew one-hal1
or three-quarters of an inch long and
then shriveled up. This might have
been due to the flowers not being pol
lenized in the natural way through the
agency of bees. When the doors of
the tent were opened, the bees came
in freely, and after that some cucum-
bers grew large enough for small pic
kles. Strawberries are said to have
been grown under cloth on Long ISL
and with great success, the fruit ma
turing two weeks earlier than in the
open. But bees must be allowed free
entrance. Some wild dandelions along
the edges just inside the tent made an
| enormous growth. It appears that the
| cloth used for covering is good only
| for one season. When there is a fair
breeze stirring there is not much diff
| ference between temperature inside
| and outside. On a still day II is diff
| ferent. A tent will afford protection
| from an ordinary white frost, but not
| from a heavy frost.
| Another Hartford county tobacco
| grower planted cucumbers. watermel-
| ons and tomatoes under such a tent
| The vines grew better inside than out
| side, but yielded hardly any fruit and
the little that set shriveled UP. The
tomato wives grew large, but the
| fruit that set and ripened was very
small due, probably to the absence
OF bees, etc. Still another gardener of
| that same vicinity reports that the
cloth tent did not protect melon and
other vines grown under 1t from mil
dew. The consensus of opinion of most
people who have thus far given in
| their reports seems to be that fruits
and vegetables can be raised to Just
as good advantage in open ground.
with equal care, as under cloth.
All this l regret to hear. have
had hopes for great results from the
new plan. But these reports are in
teresting to many of us just at this
time, in view of the fact that some
genius offers a contrivance consisting
of hood of muslin supported by a
cross of wires fastened to a sheet iron
ring, and promises wonderful results
from it's use as a miniature "hotbed.'
The contrivance, undoubtedly. will be
of great service as a protector for
small plants, vines, etc, against in
sect attacks and possibly from Ill eff
fects of very light frost, but that is
about all that can reasonably be ex-
pected from it.