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This illustrates an electric hotbed, equipped rith an air thermostat.
The cable can be placed beneath the soil as illustrated or on surface.
Making groring conditions to order is a
common rich of farmers. Of course, in
nearly all instances it is impossible, but
by preparing a hotbed in rhich to grow
seedlings, this desired condition car. be
made a reality—for the germination period
of certain plants, at least.
By snending a little time and money for a
hotbed for such plants as cabbage, lettuce
tomatoes, celery and others the groring
season -ill be lengthened and an earlier
harvest is possible.
Electrically heated hotbeds are more con
venient and efficient than most others.
Kits containing a thermostat, soil cable,
and directions for installation are avail
able at most garden equipment stores. They
are r.ot expensive, nor is the use of elect
ricitv prohibitive in cost as the 500-T?att
units only use from 1-i to 2 kilomatt-hours
ner day.
The hotbed should be placed in a spox
rhere it rill obtain a maximum amount of
sunshine, rhere it is protected from cold
rind, near a rater supply, and rhere there
is good drainage.
Standard hotbed sash are 3x6 in size. It
is a good idea to obtain the sash and
build the frame of the hotbed to fit, run
ning its north '"all up to about 24 inches
and its south rail to 12 inches.
The soil cable can be placed about 4 inch
es bclor the surface of the seedbed or on
top of the soil botreen the rors. If the
latter is done, press the cable its orn
thickness into the soil.
During cold reather the spaces betreen the
loops of the heating elements near the
edge of the hotbed should be decreased to
compensate for ] oss of neat, from the frame
It is also recommended the<' 'bout one
tniro if the hoaxing a Laments be left on
the -:_rfcce of th-j soil, or i.i the air at
the edge of the frame to maintain the air
temperature above the danger point. To
save heat it is recommended that a six to
eight inch cinder fill be used about the
frame, and that a blanket be used to cover
the sash during the night.
HCW MUCH SI LACE
Imagine a cor eating 110 pounds of grass sil
■age in one day’. That's the claim of a man
l-ho has large Kolsteins. He feeds all the
silage his cors rail eat.
Grass silage is a good milk maker. The dair
men rho use it have herd averages of from
400 to 500 pounds of butterfat. The grass
silage urogram of Washington dairymen un
questionably ras a big factor in making
that state's dairy herd improvement assoc
iations the nation's leader in per cor but
terfat production for the last tro years.
HEALTHY FLOCKS IMPORTANT
Poultry owners make money by keeping their
flocks in good health, for death losses add
about two cents a dozen to the cost of pro
ducing eggs.
New stock should be from properly pullorum
tested sources. Culling hens at the end of
their first laying year and keeping only pui
lets helps prevent transmission of setcipal
diseases. Sanitation and quarantine meas
ures are important in keeping do-Ti disease.
HEAT WAVE M CODERS
Radiant heat is now being used for Brooders.
It operates by heat in the form of ir.fra-red
waves radiating from a relatively warm sur
face, such as a floor, and passing through
the air at high speeds. TThen the waves hit
cooler objects, a chick for example, they
are converted into heat.
r,rifch this system 1500 chicks can be run’
without partitions, guards, or dividers.