24 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



growth, that a good sandy loam rich in decayed vegetable matter is 

 far better than a heavier soil. We want a soil, rich in plant food, one 

 that will warm up quickly in the spring, and one that can be readily 

 worked soon after a rain without injury. 



For certain crops such as tomatoes, peppers, early cauliflower, and 

 cabbage it is quite necessary that we grow our plants 'in hotbeds of some 

 sort. Especially is this so if we are after the early prices for our 

 products which are almost always higher then than later in the season. 

 It may spell success or failure for one in the business. 



Hotbeds are almost an absolute necessity to one in the vegetable busi- 

 ness in this section of the state when catering to the northern resort 

 trade. They need not be an elaborate affair but simply one in which the 

 grower may start his plants early preparatory to transplanting the same 

 into the cold frames or field. The greatest difficulty we have found with 

 the ordinary hotbed where extra early plants were wanted was the 

 damage from cold winds when transplanting and caring for the plants 

 during the month of April. 



To overcome this danger we constructed a long structure ll'x42' even 

 span and used our same 3'x6' sash on this frame-work . This width 

 left a wide bed on each side with room to walk through center under 

 the peak. We dug a small cellar at north end of structure 12'xl2' by 

 8' in depth which was used as a workroom for transplanting. This 

 cellar also contained a large brick arch which furnished the heat that 

 was carried through under the two beds and out at the south end of 

 the building. While the heat was not as uniform as in the old style hot- 

 bed, yet the plants had all the sunlight available and the transplanting 

 could be done at just the proper time regardless of the weather outside. 



Good seed is one of the prime essentials in successful vegetable grow- 

 ing. It should be fresh, strong in its germinating qualities, and of 

 the proper varieties to satisfy the needs of your customers. 



My experience in this northern section of the state has been that the 

 extra early to medium varieties of vegetables will yield far better 

 profits than the later varieties. This might not hold true were one 

 selling on the open market as the later varieties usually outyield the 

 earlier ones and the work of growing the plants is much less. In buy- 

 ing seed it is essential that we secure the best obtainable. When ,your 

 seedsman comes to know that you want only the best and that you are 

 willing to pay the additional cost to secure the same he will make a 

 special effort to satisfy your wants. For this reason it pays one to 

 select a good reliable seed firm and stick by them from year to year in 

 the purchase of seeds. 



The choice of varieties is a local matter. One must become an ex- 

 perimenter as well as a grower if he would succeed. He must test out 

 his varieties under certain given conditions with some given purpose 

 in mind that certain varieties may be selected that best fulfill the given 

 local requirements as to soil, climate, and markets to be reached. 



The matter of having good plants is one of the prime essentials of 

 successful vegetable growing. Plants should be strong and stocky 

 when transplanting from a hotbed or coldframe. Those plants which 

 have been transplanted from two to three times receive but a slight 

 check when transplanted to the open field as compared to the soft 

 slender plants which are grown closely together and have poor root 

 systems. 



