The Holly chieftain., 1909-04-02
GROWING EARLY PLANTS.
How One Farmer Manages His Hot
Eed-Uses a Lamp.

To grow early plants. tomatoes. pep
pers, cabbage. or anything on small
scale for family use, requires as much
time and attention as if grown in lar
ger quantities, as a hotbei of some
sort is Indispensable. To reduce the
expense and labor TO the minimum,
where a limited amount is required or
the family garden, have a plan that
is economical and has proved very
sa ssfactory, explains writer in the
Indiana Farmer. l take ar ordinary
store box about two feet square and
If not perfectly tight l line it with
heavy paper, carpet lining 1t good.
About six inches below the open top
on the inside nail strips on opposite
sides. then make a box OF size to
exactly fit into the larger box. resting
on the strips, and of depth of two
inches. Into this shallow box the soil
it put in which the seed is sown. The
bottom heat is from lamp beneath
the seed box 1t it is desired door
may be made in the side OF the box
to facilitate filling and regulating the
lamp. This, however, is not necessary.
as the seed box may be lifted out
and the lamp reached. sow the seed
about the middle of March. ! use
frame and glass to exactly fit the box.
This is hinged at the back 10 the box
and can be raised to admit air. In
this shallow box all the plan1s may be
grown that any family will iced. BY
the middle of April or in about
month after sowing, the plants Will be
ready to transplant. We now take
larger box made exactly as the former.
except that the strips upon which the
plant box rests must be ten inches
below the top and instead OF the shall
low seed box, We lay boards across
resting on the strips making tight
floor. We now get tin cans OF uni
form size, corn cans are about the
right size. These can be found usu-
ally where they have been thrown
away. We put them in fire. when
the top and bottom will come off. They
should come apart at the side, but
where scanned together can be cut
with a pair of shears. We put about
an inch Of soil in the plant box. A
string is tied around The cans to hold
them together. Set them close to-
gether in the box on the soil, and fill.
The interstices between the cans are
also filled with soil. We plant toma-
to or other plant il each can. 1t is
now SO late that glass covering may
be dispensed with and cloth cover
used. We make our frame strips,
one by two inches, TO exactly fit the
top of the box, and stretch couple
of strings, or wire. across the frame,
to support the cloth. On this frame we
tack unbleached muslin and paint 1T
with linseed oil, in which little resin
has been dissolved by boiling.
The temperature in the al chamber
below the plants should be about 80.
but little variation from this will
do no harm. Raising the box slightly
at the back will give slant to shed the
rain and to better catch the suns rays.
Water and air are indispensable and
must be left to the judgment Of the
operator. We cover the box at night
and on severe days with an old carpet
or horse blanket. In this box 1t will
be necessary to have a door at one
side, large enough to admit lamp.
If well grown by the middle
Of May the plants will be large and
stocky, we have had them in bloom.
We usually pinch the top of tomatoes.
as this will cause them to throw out
laterals and make better plants. AS
soon as the ground is warm and all
danger of frost is passed, the plants
should be transplanted to the garden.
Having the ground prepared, take a
trowel or shingle and slip under each
can, carefully placing them on car
rier and remove to the garden. Dig
hole of depth to correspond with
the can, hold the hand under it to
retain the SOIL draw the earth around
it, cut the string. and lift the can on,
and you will not disturb root or
check the growth. If it is desired
where only small number of plants
are wanted the seed box may be con-
verted into plant box,