January, 191C 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



237 



Making Hotbed Mats at Home 



ALTHOUGH there are a number of different 

 makes of hotbed mats (made of various mater- 

 ials) now on the market, I find, after several years' 

 trials of such, that we get better results and longer 

 service from an unpretentious home-made straw 

 mat than from any other kind; and the past two 

 years we have used them exclusively. They are 

 not only sufficiently warm, but are both less expen- 

 sive and more durable than any of the several ready- 

 made kinds we have tried. These home-made mats 

 are neither original with us nor a new contrivance; 

 yet, while in attendance at a gardeners' convention 

 recently, I found that but a small percent of those 

 present were familiar with these mats, while less 

 than half of them knew how to make them. In my 

 hotbed work I ha x 'e found them much more all- 

 around-satisfactory than any other kind, and I 

 believe many other gardeners would have a like ex- 

 perience once they use them. 



They may be of any length and width desired, 

 but we make them 4.5 feet wide by 7 feet long. For 

 this width five strands of heavy warp, or "uprights," 

 are used. Each is ten inches apart from the others, 

 while the two outside ones are 7 inches from the 

 side edge of the mat. These "uprights" are of the 

 tarred string known as "marline," and are drawn 

 tight between an upper and lower row of nails (five 

 in a row), the distance between the two sets being 

 two inches more than the desired length of finished 

 mat. 



Beginning at the bottom, handfuls one inch in 

 diameter of rye straw are laid against the uprights 

 and secured by light-weight tarred cords by taking 

 a single turn (half-hitch) around each of the up- 

 rights and the straw, continuing in this way until 

 the mat is completed. The straw should be laid 

 butts to the outside and tops overlapping; the longer 

 and straighter the straw the more substantial and 

 uniform the result. 



We make the mats on a weaving frame consisting 

 of two 5-foot, and two 8-foot strips of 2-inch board 

 nailed together to form a rectangle; but one can 

 ' ' weave ' ' these mats without such a frame by simply 

 driving the two sets of nails in a beam or siding of 

 building. But with the frame it is possible to have 

 the work either horizontal or upright which is an ad- 

 vantage as it allows the worker to somewhat avoid 

 tiring, by changing his position. We make them 

 during stormy days and at other odd times through- 

 out the year. It takes a man from two and a half 

 to four hours to make a mat 45 x 7 ft., depending on 

 the kind of straw and the experience of the man at 

 the work. We like this size best, two such mats 

 covering three sashes, and they are not so unhandy 

 in handling as the single sash, or the one-piece triple 

 sash sizes. By having them seven feet long it is 

 possible to overlap six inches at top and bottom, 

 which are really the points most necessary to protect 

 from frost. 



Material other than rye straw may be success- 

 fully used, such as oat or wheat straw, or the sedge 

 grass from marshes or salt meadows. It is import- 

 ant, however, that the mats be made of as light- 

 weight material as it is possible to secure, as their 

 weight when wet is a factor in the labor of handling 

 them. We find that with ordinary good usage these 

 home-made mats last eight to ten years; we still 

 have in use the two trial ones we made eight years 

 ago, and they seem good for a few seasons longer. 



New York. G. B. 



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£fijr Your Garden: 

 Going To Water It 

 TheSameOldWay? 



ARE you going to do the annual 

 hose-holding act; watering too 

 much in some spots — too little in 

 others; to say nothing of packing 

 the soil, and rough treatment given 

 the plants? 



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Give up that old timey way, and buy one of our Com- 

 plete Portable Lines, that will water your garden, it you 

 want it to, all at once. 



Easy to set up, easy to take down; or you can leave it up 

 permanently. Can attach it right to your garden hose. 

 Throws water in so fine a spray that it will not injure small 

 plants, and does not pack soil. Simple in construction. 

 Ought to last a quarter of a century- 

 Solves once for all the everlasting watering problem, and 



increases returns surprisingly. When you consider that 

 most vegetables and fruits are 80 per cent water, you see 

 why. 



Complete 50 foot line costs but $11.75, and waters 2,500 

 square feet. Can be furnished in any length. If remittance 

 accompanies order, we prepay freight East of the Missis- 

 sippi. Send for Booklet, fully describing Complete Porta- 

 ble, Line and also telling how to water acres all at once. 



THE SKINNER 

 IRRIGATION CO 



•S 



KINNER 



YS T E M 



219 Water Street 

 Troy, Ohio 



OF I R R I e A. T I O N 



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TRADEMARK 23 Oak Street Dansville. New York 



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Specialists in Dahlias, Gladiolas, 



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One Lovers Lane Spencer, Ind. 



Spring Spraying Insures 

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TNSURE your blossoms, berries, fruit 

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 and blotch. 



Deming 



SPRAY 

 PUMPS 



in all types and sizes for the 

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THE DEMING COMPANY, 231 Depot St., Salem, Ohio 



The "Handy Suc- 

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