The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-07-01


ing influences of modern
scientific colleges and experiment de-
partments of the States and National
government. and it is estimated that
the yield per acre to-day has been
more than doubled through the i'm
proVement of plants and seeds by selec-
ton and careful cultivation. But n
movement more interesting in its re-
suits than either Of these is that de-
voted to the production OF plants un-
der cover. Hothouse plants have long
Deen raised, ard the glass-covCred
farms have steadily increased in size
ana numbers in the past ten years. 1t
mas many times been predicted that
most of the market gardens of the
near future will be entirely covered
with glass, ard that while the products
Of the Southern farms in winter may
supply the tables Of the poor with their
fruits ana vegetables. the nearby
Siass-cove:ed market gardens will fur.
nish the middle and upper classes with
fresh goods all through the cold
weather.
Notifications OF the dollhouse or
greenhouse are the cold frames which
prolonS the growing seascn late into
autumn and cut of n good slice of
spring. By means of the cold frames
or giass-covcrcd beds. with no heat
supplied Ctho" than that derived from
the sun and the warmth of the earth
aad FERTILIZER used, seeds of hardy
plants can he started in March. and
lettuce, radshcs and many similar
plants can be kept growing until the
first snowsto"m OF early winter. There
are thousands of acres Of land covered
with these glass sashCs, and every sea.
son hundreds OF tons OF fresh vege-
tables come from under them to s,p-
ply city tables.
y good many cultiyatcd plants re,
Guire very little protection TO help them
to endure the cold of spring and fall.
The early and late rrosts which do so
much damage to crops will often ruin
market gardeners profits for the sea.
son. In order to limit this chance o.
loss as much as possible all sorts of
methods have been resorted to. In
California and Florida. where the fruit
crop is so important. the growers tried
smudges of smoke for many years to
prevent injury by cold waves but this
was only partly successful Then the
experiment OF covering the croDs tenn
porarily with canvas was made. and
this has now become the most com-
mon method of wardng off frosts.
The canvas tents used for this pur-
pose. especially in the orange and olive
groves, are constructed so that they
can he put up and removed on short
notice. Regular wagons with all the
parIphernalia necessary to erect the
poles and tents are owned ny the large
orange growers. Some 0? the tents are
put up and kept in the orchard until
the fruit is ripe. The sides and tops OF
the tents are opened in the daytime.
but they stand ready for instant use
should cold wave approach. It is
estimated that tens of thousands OF
boxes of oranges have been saved in
California and Florida in the last few
years by the use OF canvas used in
this or similar way.
EXPERIMENTS IN CONNECTICUT
The next move 10 raise crops under
canvas was made in Connecticut. Up
In the tobacco growing regions of the
Nutmeg State nearly all kinds of good
tobacco could be raised except the fine
Sumatra wrapping leaf tobacco. For
one reason and another this always |
proved failure, and the importations |
of Sumatra leaf continued on n lar~e |
scale. The finest Sumatra leaf seeds |
were brought to this country and |
planted in Connecticut, bat they would |
not produce plants with leaves any
thing like those raised under the Equa-
tor on the other side Of the globe.
Some scientists from the Department
of Agriculture had n theory that If |
the season for growing was prolonged,
and the proper degree of warmth and !
moisture could be obtained. there was
no good reason why Connecticut soil
should not produce sumatra leaf as
fine as any other country.
a snail tobacco farm was covered
with fine canvas and the Sumatra seed
planted under it. BY regulating the
moisture and temperature N this way.
1t was found that Connecticut Sumatra
leaf tobacco could be raised
equal to any imported. Even the dell
cately shaded spots, wnlch Were al
ways the distinguishing marks of su-
mntra leaf, can be produced on the
Connecticut tent-ralsed leaves. So i'm
portant has this discovery proved that
a new industry in raising Sumatra
wrappers has grown up in Connecticut.
The imports OF Sumatla leaf have con.
sequently fallen off nearly one.half,
and the tobacco growers OF the Nut.
meg State are covering more and more
Of their land with canvas.
But what las been accomplished IN
the orange groves and tobacco fields
with canvas promises likewise 10 prove
Of widespread yalge In our ordinary
gardens ana fields. CGnvas-coye-ed
gardens are becoming pOQuiar wber-
ever tried. and they are likely to make
changes in the methods of general
gardening THAI viii mean n saving OF
great SUES TO the cornt:y. The DE-
struction OF crops by frost. heat,
drought. and insects Is SO enormous
every year that vast amounts are in
volved. All the resources of the De-
partment OF Agriculture and the many
State colleges OF agriculture are en-
listed In the cause OF minimizing the
-