The Ordway new era., 1909-01-29
fABM NOTES

''S"y opcaNihH, u ibb Dcu IS C'iN-
cred with glass-any old windows will
do IA cold frame has canvas instead
OF glass, but both are similarly con.
structed. South side OF building or
tight board fence is the best location.
Dig two feet deep size OF your bed
which should be, say, 6x16 or 5xlO
AS needed. Save the top soil by itself
Throw the dirt on ends. Fill In now
with fresh horse manure that has
plenty Of straw mixed with it-about
is inches deep after being thoroughly
tramped down. Now wet it. up
thoroughly and cover 4 to 8 inches
deep with the soil you saved, which
should be most thoroughly pulveriZed
Have omitted to construct ends and
sides of our frame before filling. In
each corner of bed, drive sharpened
2x4 far enough into the ground to
make IL strong, and one on sides half
way between, say five feet apart.
Beginning an inch below surface OF
ground, nail your boards to the stakes,
on outside, tying middle stakes to.
gether with a lX4 stay. Have front
side 6 inches above ground and back
side, or north side, 81 feet high and
ends according to need. Cover now
with l0-ounce duck, mailing the canvas
with lath on north side closely to keep
out all wind. Nail the south edge tn
a straight pole as long as the bed or
inches longer. This pole should be
about the size OF an ordinary curtain
pole-a strip of board lx3 will do II
YOU can't get round one. Now you
can roll your canvas up any time you
want to sun the bed, and unroll at
night easily. This prevents tearing
of cover by winds OF March and April,
as well as breaking down plants by
the Hopping cloth. Now after you
have banked up the dirt all around
ends and sides to one inch of top.
tramping 1t firmly, you are ready for
your seeds. The bed must not be filed
until you are ready to sow your seeds
and care must be taken not to let the
bed get too hot and burn the plants
tho first two weeks is the critical
time.
II you are planning patch OF onions
aud expect to follow the "New Onion
Culture" now is the time for seed
ing in hot bed, so as to be ready To
transplant in March or April. II
you expect to grow from seed drilled
in field, the middle OF February is
time enough for seeding.
Sometime in March is early enough
for the tomato bed, but II you want
to enjoy fresh, crisp lettuce all winter
and spring you can do so from your
own hot bed. Under glass in mid
winter is better, but not necessary, II
you will only put on an extra burlap
cover at night, or during a cold snap.
Large beet sacks ripped open and
sewed together are cheap and do as
well as anything for this.) A bed nf
lettuce 6 X l6 feet we'll cared for, will
produce delicacy for your own table.
and enough tn supply grocery trade.
buying all your tea, coffee, sugar,
etc. Our merchants are ready to
patronize the homegrown article. and
there is no reason especially during
March and April why our grocers
should be shipping in lettuce, for the
financial credit OF the Pueblo dagos.
/ will not wander Off now on the
health topic, as tempted to do, but
leave it for my readers to "ruminate"
over.
Can't answer the several questions
you have so kindly asked me OF late,
In this letter, but will try and do SO
next week; but one seems OF so i'm
mediate Importance that will do so
now. "Would you irrigate now?"-
same old question. Answer, Irrigate
alfalfa even IL 1t freezes sheet Of ice
every night an inch thick.-if six
inches thick 1t will do no damage.
When it thaws the water will soak In
slowly. Irrigate also any ground al
ready plowed, but not ground that
you hone to plow this Spring. Ground
wet now will be dry enough for oat
drilling in February or early March,
barring all unusual freaks Of the
weather.
1l,t IN -, NJ tl,ia N pfYipo