Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1913-05-01

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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 n hotbed. In the north the
hotbed should be started in February
or early in March. 1t is desirable to
have supply Of straw or loose ma
nure on hand to throw over the bed
in case of extremely cold weather.
During bright days the hotbed will
heat very quickly from the sunshine OF
the glass, and it will be necessary t
venti!ate during the early morning by
slightly raising the sash on the oppo
site side from the wind. Care should
be taken in ventllating 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-
paratory to setting them in the garden
In the south the cold frame Is made ia
take the place of the hotbed in start
Ing early plants.
Good soil for seed bed, 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 beer
exposed to the weather and tho
strength leached out of it. The addi
tion of leaf mold or peat will tend t.
make the soil better adapted for seet
bed purposes. Mix all the ingredient.
together in heap, stirring well with ,
shovel, after which the soil should bt
slfted and placed In boxes or in the bet
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 1t for al
hour In Il hot oven.
No definite rule can be given for tn,
depth to which seeds should be plant
ed. in all cases the depth should bt
uniform. The seed bed should be nei
ther dry nor too wet.
Plants grown In a house, hotbed O.
cold frame will require to be hardened
off before planting In the garden
Hardening off is usually accomplished
by ventilating freely and by reducing
the amount of water applied to tn
plant bed. The plant bed should no
become too dry.
Some plants require protection iron
the direct rays of the sun In summe
or from cold In winter and there ar
many that need special protection
While they. are quite small. Seeding
Of many Of the garden crops are un
able to force their way through tn
crust formed on the soil after heav,
rains, and 1t is necessary either +
break the crust with a steel rake o
soften it by watering.
For protecting plants from cold Il
winter several kinds of materials ar
used, such as boards, cloth, pin
boughs, straw, manure or leaves
There are number OF crops Of a trop
ical nature that may be grown ia
north, provided they are properly pre-
tected during the winter.
Several of the annual crops can b
matured much earlier in the spring 1
they are planted in the autumn an,
protected during the winter. A mule
of manure, straw or leaves forms
good protection. but care should b
taken that the mulch does not contai
seeds.
Frequent shallow cultivation shoul
be employed for most garden crop
and during dry weather the dept
should not exceed two inches. r
keeping the surface soil we'll stlrre
what Is termed q dust mulch"
formed, and, while this layer OF fin,
ly divided soil will become quite DIR!
1t prevents the escape Of molstuI
through the pores Of the soil. A mule
consisting Of fine manure, clipping
from the lawn or any similar materia
spread to distance of ten or twely
inches around the plants, will presery
the moisture, but the mulch should NJ
be so heavy as to exclude the air.
A crust forming over the soil after
rain or watering is detrimental
plant growth aud should be broken U
as soon us the land can be worked. I