MAINE AGRICULTURAI, EXPERIMENT STATION. qi 



Length 9 ft. 3 inches 



Depth 2 ft. 6 inches 



Height 6 ft. 



The place of shelves in this closet is taken by large, square 

 green-house flats made of 7-8-inch stufT. These flats have the 

 following dimensions : — 



Length 2 ft. 5 inches (inside) 



Breadth 2 ft. 5 inches (inside) 



Depth 2 inches (inside) 



The length of the closet is such as just to accommodate three 

 tiers of these flats, which slide on supports so that they can be 

 moved in or out or turned around to suit the convenience of the 

 operator, and the needs of the sprouting grain. These fiats set 

 15 inches apart (i. e., vertically). There can be accommodated 

 four rows of flats, three in a row% in the closet at one time. 

 A number of holes are bored in the bottom of each one of the 

 flats in order to drain off the surface moisture which comes with 

 the wetting of the oats. 



The arrangement of the sprouting closet and the fl.ats is 

 shown in Figs. 9 and 10. 



The advantage of the closet arrangement described is that it 

 enables one to control the three necessar}'- factors of heat, mois- 

 ture and light, quite completely. In this closet it is easily pos- 

 sible to maintain a temperature which does not run at any time 

 below 70 degrees. The closet being perfectly tight it is possi- 

 ble to saturate the air with moisture c[uite easily and virtually 

 convert the whole space into a great moist chamber. With this 

 arrangement one is able to grow oats from 4 to 6 inches high 

 in one week's time. The only difliculty with which one has to 

 contend is the matter of mould. There is always a tendency 

 for the oats to mould in the sprouting process. The only way 

 in which it has been found possible to control this mould is by 

 thoroughly cleaning the flats after each time when they are used, 

 After a flat has been emptied it is thoroughly scrubbed with a 

 50 per cent, solution of formalin (that is, equal parts of com- 

 mercial formalin and water). Enough formalin is used to soak 



