BENCHES VS. BOXES. 159 
warm and light enough for winter tomatoes, but a crop 
may be had by late May or June. 
In comparing benches and boxes, Munson* obtained 
the better results from the latter. The experiments were 
made in a broken-span house (Fig. 51, page 158) ‘‘ 20x50 
feet, and about 11 feet high at the ridge. The central 
bed is supplied with six 2-inch hot water pipes, the flow 
being carried overhead to the further end of the house. 
Each year a dozen or more plants of each of several 
varieties have been grown in boxes, while duplicate lots 
have been grown in open beds. These beds were 2% to 
3 feet wide and 8 inches deep. They were built across 
the central bench, and thus received the same bottom 
heat as the boxes.’’ ‘‘In almost every instance the better 
results were obtained from the boxes. With one or two 
exceptions, the first fruits were matured from one to thir- 
teen days earlier; the weight of the crop was greater, 
and the individual fruits averaged larger. The average 
results for the whole time may be summarized as follows :”’ 
i = as 
= = = 
5 EB 2S 
Varieties and treatment. 5 3 ae 7 
5 bi = 
a aA 2 = 
Eo =O Due 
5 A, Ores >Od 
Z s < 
Golden Queen— 
BOX ee. a chaste tac he Aste Uoucse eats 9.8 1.84 3.0 
LONE ee etee ins Ect hag ethno s ogra eve auen es go Test 2.2 
Ithaca— 
BONG oiy ce tush ancy Bie eG Le ae a en TES 1.73 2.5 
BCC Bearer om crete aaa hee a Roe 10.3 ep tl 2.1 
Long Keeper— 
OXSe Ie aieen ks Stes eens. 6a eee 10.9 2.01 3-0 
BeG@ee wee a eee fg. Oh oe 8.9 I.19 2.3 
Lorillard— 
BOK ere eee heron eae colle. 6 Se. eas rey th Ye) 2.3 
BeGstagr.teg oe esse OE On ae ane B77 | Les ro) 
* Rept. of Maine Exp. Sta. for 1894. 
