352 [Assembly j 



■ I 

 The Chairman. — I have saved my vines by dusting them with \ 



air-slacked lime and plaster, mixed in equal quanties. j 



Prof, Mapes. — A dusting of snuff or charcoal dust is generally 

 effectual . 



Mr. Stillman. — I tried that, but it did no good. I only stopped 



the ravages of the bugs by pulling up the vines and throwing i 



them, bugs and all, into the fire. j 



j 



The subject for the first Tuesday of December is, " the best ] 

 manner of preparing fuel, including the proper time to cut it, and 



wood compared with coal;" and also, "the best manner of con- ' 



structing an ice-house." i 



Prof. Mapes on the subject of cold frames, said : This subject i 

 is pretty generally understood, but there may be some members 

 present not accustomed to the use of cold frames in the place of j 

 hot beds. 



It is usual in the spring to raise cabbage, cauliflower, and other i 

 plants, in hot beds, but when these are started very early, it is , 

 difiicult to take care of the beds, as too much heat will destroy ; 

 the plants, and even an ordinary quantity will very often give a i 

 weakly plant. j 



The market gardeners now pursue a different course — they use • 



cold frames ; these have no glasses, and are made of a board twelve ; 



inches high along the rear of the frame, and three inches high in j 



front. j 



The plants are raised from the seed in the fall or late summer. 

 When three inches high, they are pricked out in these cold frames, 

 where they are covered during the winter with shutters without ] 

 glass. The object of these shutters is not to prevent them from | 

 freezing, for that you cannot prevent, but it is to prevent frequent 

 freezings and thawings. When the w'eather is mild, and the plants 

 are not frozen, the shutters are removed to give air and to prevent 

 their damping off. These plants may be put out in early spring 

 without any fear of being injured by frost. I have had plants 



