ARID AGRICULTURE. 409 



frost is water. If there is frost indication, run 

 water through the furrows in the garden or 

 orchard and the latent heat it will give out is 

 often an effectual saving of the crop. A simple 

 and effective prevention of damage from light 

 frosts is to thoroughly sprinkle the plants with a 

 sprinkling pot or spray pump. It takes much 

 frost to freeze plants when they are wet. We 

 have seen water freeze into solid sheets of ice on 

 the leaves of sweet potatoes and tomatoes with- 

 out injuring the plants in the least. Usually, if 

 plants can be saved at the time of the first fall 

 frost, their time of usefulness is extended some 

 Aveeks. When the garden does freeze, save all 

 the green tomatoes, cantaloupe and other prod- 

 ucts by piling them up in piles or putting 

 under a shed. They will go on ripening and 

 those not used by the family make excellent feed 

 for the cows and pigs, and other stock. If sweet 

 potato vines are frosted, cut them off at once at 

 top of ground. The roots may be left for later 

 digging. 



Much may be done in places which have a 

 season too short for certain tender vegetables. A 

 good melon crop may be matured by protecting 

 early planted hills during cold days, or at night 

 with glass-covered boxes. Place a common sheet 

 of window pane, 12x14 inches in size, at an 

 angle of forty-five degrees, on top of a box made 

 of one-inch boards, and set over the melon hills 



MAKING THE 



