32 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK 



course, my readers will understand that pots, dirt- 

 bands, or similar ideas, are only necessary in the case 

 of plants that are difficult to transplant in the ordi- 

 nary way. Tomato, cabbage, etc., will endure con- 

 siderable root disturbance and rough handling; but 

 melons, etc., will not.) 



GROWING PLANTS UNDER CLOTH. In some parts 

 of the South, truckers are able to grow many early 

 vegetables, etc., with only the slight protection af- 

 forded by cotton cloth, stretched over wooden 

 frames. This, in a very mild climate, can perhaps 

 take the place of glass for some purposes. In a 

 North Carolina state bulletin, however, W. F. Massey 

 discourages the idea that cloth is cheaper to use than 

 glass in that state. He says : "Cloth is, in the long 

 run, far more expensive than glass ; also, when the 

 difference between the crops is considered, it is the 

 more costly from the start, because of the less profit 

 that can be had from it ; and in severe spells it is 

 almost out of the question to prevent serious damage, 

 which would not be the case with glass-covered 

 frames." (Some extensive southern growers get 

 around the latter danger by installing a steam or hot- 

 water outfit, and running pipes through a long series 

 of cloth-covered frames. J. B.) 



MATS TO PROTECT FRAMES. The cold nights 

 would be destructive to the plants if given no other 

 protection than the sash. Some gardeners rely 

 mainly on wooden shutters, but these are not so warm 

 as mats, and can not be placed on the frames nor 

 be removed so rapidly. Mats of various materials, 

 such as burlap or rubber cloth packed with cotton or 

 waste material, have been placed on the market by 

 dealers, but some gardeners ' make mats from rye 

 straw, which are just as serviceable at must less cost. 



