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 n 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 : " 



*Rept. of Maine Exp. Sta. for 



