Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1908-03-27
Milford Grange.

crimson Clover will be the topic
next Saturday at Milford Grange. with
Charles Barker as leader. On Thursday,
April End, the Kent County Pomona
Grange will meet at Camden and a
number Of important questions such as
"Soil Improvements, +" Farmers Tele-
phones, +" General Spraying" "Pack
ages" and Tomatoes" will be dis
cussed.
On Saturday last the subject of
"Sweet Potato Seed Beds" was opened
/ by Samuel Armour. While there are
various sorts Mr. Armour thinks the
hollow bed as well as any and he likes
it on the south side Ofa thicket. 1t can
be made with logs, boards or bricks.
Bricks are the most lasting. 1t takes
about $500 bricks for q bed 12x4O feet.
Make Is inch wall, then drop to 8
inch and this leaves a jsmb to put the
poles on. At the furnace end dig pit
and run the flue to the further end.
Mr.. Armour found the heat broke tile
near the furnace, so used brick. He
puts two rows Of pillars under the bed
to hold the weight. While the fue
trench should be 12x15 inches deep at
the furnace it comes to the top Of the
ground at the opposite end. The flue
must be tight so the heat can only
come out through the bed. After the
poles are placed and covered with litter,
put on three inches Of sand, then bed
the potatoes and put three inches more
of sand over them. Cover the bed
thick with clover chat or pine needles
putting on thickest at the end opposite
the furnace Some make a solid bed,
having the flues run through and put
ting dirt on solid, so level off the bot.
tom, set bricks on end leaving six inch
spaces, and cover with bricks so having
q net work Of flues. With these it is
hard to regulate the heat but one fire
lay is sufficient and five beds Of this
sort can be run with the fuel required
or one with the open flue. Ifthe heat
IAN be controlled this is as cheap bed
rs can be put down and will last for
Years.
Many use a manure hOt-bed which
Mr.. Armour thinks uncertain. VIM.
2 Hopkins started with a manure hot
,ed years ago and never had a better
ne but gave it up because it was too
expensive. Black rot may come with
my kind Of 3 seed bed. J. J. Rosa i
kinks the solid seed bed with floor
overed with galvanized pipes one !.
neh to one and one half inch in size
nd heated with hot water the ideal t
ed. This gives even beat all over,
ast long time and costs very little to :
IN H. r. Lemex thought failure of
manure seed beds was caused by the I
tier used. That plenty Of straw and n
O corn stalks in the manure and this :,
-ell packed down and watered would
i've plenty Of lasting heat. With the
manure two feet deep after packing,
ne heat will last four weeks. MedfOrd
Dnes thought the manure should be
ell packed fifteen to twenty inches
eep and have five inches of sand on
p. r. E. Hazard uses the manure
ed bed successfully. Puts in the bot
M coarse corn stalks, then eighteen
ches Of manure, saturates with cold
alter and pounds with maui Covers
KIT with sand and puts in potatoes
d three inches Of sand on top and
fishes with eighteen inches Of pine
edles well weighted down. Watch
e heat if too warm open uptOp cover
3. In some parts growers dig up the
lund, put boards around, bed down
2 potatoes. cover with muslin oiled
ice and get fine plants Mr.. Pitcher
lows the plan Of r. E Hazard and
YER had a failure. Mr.. Rosa uses
yes from shade trees to cover potato
Is and Mr.. Hopkins uses marsh hay.
ne growers put potatoes on in heap
/ rake them off even and do not
ce any by hand and they do as well
hose planted the other way.
u manure beds the plants are liable to
" too large unless set out promptly.
fire beds when the proper size is
ched stop the heat and water and
plants cease to grow. The general
MON seemed to be that on no account
uld the plants be set out when the
I'd was east unless one wished to re.
the field.