102 VEGETABLE FORCING 
Journal, comments as follows about the use of hot water 
in sterilizing soils: 
“We have some progressive growers who have done good work 
with hot water and are becoming advocates of this method when 
properly used. The plan is to force the water into the soil under 
pressure, with more or less live steam combined with the water. A 
gas pipe about 4 feet long is placed on the end of a hose and the 
pipe is forced into the soil to a depth of 6 or 8 inches. This puts 
the water down quite deep where the heat is held and warms the 
soil downward as well as upward. This necessitates very thorough 
work, the pipes being forced into the soil every inch or two back 
and forth across the beds and thus thoroughly saturating the soil 
with boiling water. The ground seems to be heated to a depth of 
10 or 12 inches and cucumber growers have succeeded in eliminating 
trouble from nematodes very much more successfully by this method 
than by any other. Sterilizing for other common diseases of let- 
tuce, cucumbers and tomatoes is easy compared with nematode de- 
struction.” 
