Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1913-09-26

tilizer that will compare with gooo
we'll rotted barnyard manure. Chick
en-, pigeon and sheep manures rank
high as fertilizers. The manure from
fowls is especially adapted for drop
ping In the hills or rows Of plants.
Market gardeners frequently apply
$500 pounds OF high grade fertilizer
per acre each year
Many of the garden seeds lose their
vitality after one years time.
Throughout the northern states 1t In
desirable to start plants of certain
crops before the danger OF frost has
passed The simplest method Of start
lug q limited number OF early plants
Is by means of shallow box placed
In south window of the dwelling.
After the plants appear the box should
be turned each day to prevent the
plants drawing toward the light.
The most common method OF start
Ing early plants in the north Is by
means OF a hotbed. In the north the
hotbed should be started I'm February
Or early In March. 1t is desirable to
have "a supply of straw or loose ma
nure on hand to throw over the bed
N case of extremely cold weather.
During bright days the hotbed will
heat very quickly from the sunshine on
the glass, and it will be necessary to
ventilate during the early morning by
slightly raising the sash on the oppo-
site side from the wind. Care should
be taken In ventilating to protect the
plants from a draft of cold air. To.
ward evening close the sash.
Hotbeds should be watered on bright
days and In the morning only. After
watering, the bed should be well ven
tilated
In the north the use Of the cold
frame is for hardening Off plants that
have been started In the hotbed, pre-
pnratory to setting them in the garden.
In the south the cold frame Ia made to
take the place of the hotbed In start
ing early plants.
Good soil for seed bed, a specially
prepared place for starting plants, con-
sists Of one part OF well rotted manure,
two parts Of good garden loan or rot
ted sods and one part of sharp, fine
sand. The manure should be thorough
ly rotted, but 1t should not have been
exposed to the weather and the
strength leached out Of 1t. The addi-
ton Of leaf mold or peat will tend to
make the soil better adapted for seed
bed purposes. Mix all the ingredients
together In heap, stirring well with
shovel, after which the soil should be
sifted and placed in boxes or In the bed
ready for sowing the seed.
Weed seeds and the spores of fun
gous diseases may be killed by placing
the soil In pans and baking It for an
hour In hot oven.
No definite rule can be given for the
depth to which seeds should be plant.
ed. In all cases the depth should he
uniform. The seed bed should be nei-
Their dry nor too wet.
Plants grown In house, hotbed or
cold frame will require to be hardened
of before planting I'm the garden
Hardening Off is usually accomplished
by ventilating freely and by reducing
the amount Of water applied to the
plant bed. The plant bed should not
become too dry.
Some plants require protection from
the direct rays OF the sun In summer
or from cold In winter, and there are
many that need special protection
while they are quite small. Seedlings
OF many of the garden crops are un-
able to force their way through the
crust formed on the soil after heavy
rains, and 1t is necessary either to
break the crust with steel rake or
soften IL by watering.
For protecting plants from cold in
winter several kinds of materials are
used, such as boards cloth, pine
boughs, straw, manure or leaves.
There are number of crops OF trop-
zeal nature that may be grown far
north, provided they are properly pro
tected during the winter.
Several of the annual crops can he
matured much earlier In the spring if
they are planted in the autumn and
protected during the winter. A mulch
of manure. straw or leaves forms
good protection, but care should be
taken that the mulch does not contain
seeds.
Frequent shallow cultivation should
be employed for most garden crops,
and during dry weather the depth
should not exceed two inches. BY
keeping the surface soil we'll stirred
what is termed dust mulch" Is
formed, and, while this layer of fine.
ly divided soil will become quite dry,
1t prevents the escape OF moisture
through the pores OF the soil. A mulch
consisting Of fine manure. clippings