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GLEANlKGS IN BEE CllLTUKE. 



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larly for people who have spare hours, and 

 times when they have not much to do. 



Some of the things I describe cost consid- 

 erable money, I know ; but I do not intend 

 to recommend things that will not ultimate- 

 ly save money in the end, or save health, 

 which is more than money. It is now^ to- 

 ward the middle of January, and the weath- 

 er is such that many of you doubtless think 

 ordinarily there is not much to be done out- 

 doors. However, we should try to improve 

 all weather suitable for oiitdoor work •, and 

 when you can not work outdoors, let us 

 work inside. As a general thing, I believe 

 it pays to have one or more thermometers 

 about your premises. By watching the 

 thermometers you can tell how the weather 

 is turning, and make your plans accordingly. 

 A thermometer is also needed in the cellar, 

 to tell when your fruit and vegetables are at 

 the proper temperature. By opening the 

 doors and windows you can keep many 

 things about as safely as they are kept in 

 the cold-storage rooms ; that is, keep them 

 just as near freezing as you can, and not 

 have them freeze. Apples will frequently 

 begin to rot badly during mild spells in the 

 winter, where, by the simple use of a ther- 

 mometer, and keeping tlie matter in mind 

 so as to close the doors and windows, a 

 cellar full of apples might have been kept 

 entirely frre from rot. Friend Terry takes 

 advantage of this in keeping his seed pota- 

 toes so they will neither rot nor sprout. 

 Suppose you decide by the thermometer 

 that it is too cold, or the roads are too bad, 

 or that there is nothing outdoors that can be 

 done profitably ; or may be it is after dark 

 during these short Avinter days that you 

 have unoccupied time on your hands— what 

 shall we do? We will do this: Learn how to 

 make seeds grow. Have you ever tried mak- 

 ing things grow? Very likely you"Yiave. May 

 be you are one of these people who can 

 make every thing grow that you get your 

 hands on. The chances are against it, how- 

 ever, because there are not many such peo- 

 ple. You can learn how to do it, however, 

 just as surely as you can learn the multipli- 

 cation-table. 



MAKING THINGS GROW. 



If you haven't good seed, the first thing is 

 to get some. If you have seeds of lettuce 

 that have produced just such heads as you 

 wanted in former years, use that. If you 

 haven't, get a five-cent paper of one kind, 

 or have different kinds, if you think proper. 

 Last season I had niiieteen kinds of lettuce 

 growing in one bed, and the experiment 



was worth to me certainly all it cost. There 

 is one advantage in commencing with seeds 

 in the middle of January, because you can 

 have them nicely tested indoors before it is 

 time to work in the open air. May be you 

 have only a window, or two or three win- 

 dows, in which to raise plants. If you have 

 a little greenhouse, cold frame, or hotbed, 

 all tltfe better ; or if you have not these lat- 

 ter appliances, you can start the seeds be- 

 fore the window noAv, and get some sash 

 and make preparations for them while they 

 are getting larger. Whatever you do, econ- 

 omize your space and make use of every bit 

 of sunshine. If you learn to use economy in 

 managing a square yard of sunshine, you 

 will be prepared to use economy when you 

 get outdoors on an eighth of an acre, a whole 

 acre, or many aci-es. It seems to me every 

 farmer will be a better farmer for having at 

 some time in his life had practice with a 

 single square yard of earth, and tried to see 

 how much he could make that yard produce. 

 The first thing needed is boxes to hold your 

 earth. I would have these boxes uniform, 

 and all just alike, even if it does cost some 

 time and trouble. Here is a picture of one 

 of them. 



A BOX FOR RAISING PLANTS TO SET BEFORE THE 

 WINDOW. 



To have them light to handle I would 

 have them made of f pine, except the ends, 

 which are made I. The bottom is made of 

 two pieces — not necessarily, but they are 

 better so, because then each piece can be 

 nailed into the side-boards, making the box 

 strong, even though the bottom is all thin 

 stuff. For drainage, the two pieces that 

 form the bottom should be, say, i inch apart. 

 Then I would have a dozen | holes bored as 

 shown in the cut. The box is Si feet long, 

 15 inches wide, and 4i inches deep, outside 

 measurements. Should you make a little 

 greenhouse or cold frame, these boxes will 

 be just right to set on the benches ; or if you 

 have the benches filled with earth, Si 

 feet is about as far as you can reach over 

 while standing in the path. More of this 

 anon. 



SOIL TO rUT IN THE BOXES. 



Much depends upon this, and the basis of 

 it should be good well-rotted stable manure. 

 I would rather have this than bone dust. 



