The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-27
WITH THE FARMERS
BY Prof. w. F. MASSEY

cannot be too liberal in tho fertilla.
ton OF n garden If YOU want good
crops OF vegetables FIFTY loads OF
manure ard a ton of tobacco stems an
acre viii DO none too heavy. To as
certain the acidity OF the soil get tho
blu" !ltmus paper Mix up some or tho
soil INTO u paste with water and pat
tho paper into it, and let It remain
half an hour. and II il turns pink ic
shows That tho soil is acid
IN fac'. in Il very acid soil 1t viii
turn pink in a fCw minutes. You can
sprinkle d little alr-slaked lime in
whicli n small quantity of salt Is miN-
cd. in line between the rows of let
tuco to check the sraii=. There is n
lttlo green caterpillar that is often
Troublesome i'm lettuce. nave de-
stroycd these 10y spraying with an arr
ticic called aphine, witch is sold by
Sc"dsmen. and J :ather think it viii
destrc% the SOW bugs and water hugs.
t'ruits for the Eastcrn shore.
NORTHAMPTON County; owing to poov
h"lp. have quit general farming and
am Interested in poultry. and lave runs
for the chickens about six In numbe".
on an acre AMI Il half. Now / want
TO Plant these runs IN small fruits and
fruit trees. mainly trees want
peaches, plums. cherries. apples and
grIpa vines, aud strawoerries anil
raspherrics. am Il widow. trying tn
make good. and have hard time do
Gus kinds Of fruit suited TO this sec
ton. want the best Of strawberries
and other small fruits for family use
! suppose that YOU intend TO plant
other and beside tho aero and a hale
occnpied by the poultry runs, for YOU
cannot nlant Strawberries in these
runs. since tho chickens would get all
OF them 'rhor an acre and a hale
/ Will give LITTLE room for all the differ
/ cnt fruits that YOU want But I will
Civ. YOU 4 list of the KINDS that Will
suit Your section. and YOU Will have 10
J determine how many you need For
peaches, the best early ono Is tho
Greensboro. then Mountain Rose Car
/ man, Champion. Elbcrtn and RAY.
Pluns. .Nbundancc Burbank. Red June
and Shropshire Damson. For cherries
plant the sour cherries, which will do
better with you than the sweet ones.
! The Montmorcncy IL as good AS any
of these: and the low trees will mako
good shelters for tho chickens Ot
apples, YOU can plant Yellow Trans
parcnt RCD Astrakan, Williams,
( honnm. Fall Cheese and Eastern Shore
Maiden Blush. Pcars the I<ieffer for
canning, and Sec;:cl Anjou and Bart
I lett. Grapes, Concord, Delaware and
Niagara. Strawberries. Chcsapcake
and for fall bearing, the superb Get
! the plants from the nearest good
nursery.
I huiiufnS Small Greenhouse.
Il want TO build u small greenhouse
! in which 10 start plants for spring
! have lot of hotbcd sashes. Can
not / use these for the roof" Yos.
YOU can make a very good greenhouse
f; with the siN-foOt sashes. Make tho
sides ten feet apart. Shcathe the sides
and cover with building paper and
weather board outside OF these to
mako tight wall. Then set up :.
ridge pole cut on the sides to lit tho
slope OF the Sashcs. Set the ridge
pole six fcet nigh. Then each alter
nate par Of sashes viii make rnftcrs
ana the intermediate pair should Ire
hinged at the gutter. so that they c;tti
be raised for Vcntiiatton
Build benches on caoh side about
four feet wide, so as to leave !. two
foot walk in the middle. which can be
sunkcn slightly To give more heal
room AZ the north end OF the house
I YOU Will need pit and q shed over it
Tor tn" heating apparatus. The best
/ heating is done with hot water run
through piping. You can get n little
cylindrical boiler such as is used for
heating bath water. and run . line OF
/ iWo-inch Pipe overhead from an eX-
panSion tank in the shed. TO the far
end OF tho house, and then drop it
into four lines OF pipe under each side
bench bac elk TO the boiler Such a house
nave the saSheS ana the house to be
lftN rect long, and the boiler and
pring viii cost rather more IF you
! do not need NIFTY feet. thcn half the
money Will make Il house half tn.
length and furnish the heating appara
tus. have little house only tel,
feet long for my garden plants, amt
heat II and my office with little boil
err and piping that cost $40 though
tho plumber charged SID To install il,
and ii gives me all the heat T need IN
the little greenhouse and the Office
TOO, the office being room l0Xl6 feet.
To work such house to advantage
YOU must have plenty Of sashes ia
cold frames outside FOR transpla ntine.
the plants for hardening them off for
setting In the ope. ground. fnd
that in my little place with a bench
only ten feet long + can start plants
enough 10 need forty sashes on the
frames. small greenhouse is far
better place TO start plants than q
hot bed. Tor il is more comfortable to
F, work inside than TO stoop over a hot
bed In the outer weather, and take the
risk OF the declining heat. for You can
/ maintain a regular temperature In tho
house. With my little boiler T can MI
II zap with coal at bed time, and then
go TO bed and let IL run. and II has the
house all right in the morning. pro-
vded l get the piping hot all around
before putting the fire 10 keep. You
can make cheaper heating apparatus
10y building "A brick furnace at the end
OF the house and running tiuc through
like q tobacco barn. but that is a con-
stant source OF bother and uncertain
in the heating, as in cold weather one
end of the house will be too hot in
order TO have tho othor end warm
enough