48 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



September, 1918 



the other means of heating 

 as outlined in last month's 

 Garden Magazine. 



Vegetables in the green- 

 house require very little 

 heat, and in Fact ninety per 

 cent, of the trouble with 

 these crops under glass can 

 be attributed to over-heat- 

 ing. A temperature of 50 

 at night is ample for all 

 vegetables, with the excep- 

 tion of tomatoes, cucum- 

 bers, bush ;limas, eggplant 

 and peppers, which require 

 6o°. With proper manage- 

 ment it will only be neces- 

 sary to heat the green- 

 house for four months for 

 the growing of these crops. 

 This is not always steady 

 and will sometimes be bro- 

 ken by mild spells at which 

 time it will be possible to 

 use the other heating me- 

 diums, thus saving coal. In 

 mild spells it will suffice to 

 build a good wood fire in 

 the afternoon, getting the 

 water hot even to the return 

 pipes. In most cases this 



will radiate enough heat to maintain the tem- 

 perature throughout the night. Where kerosene 

 is used the heaters are put in operation in the 

 late afternoon, just leaving a "chink" open for 

 ventilation. 



Comparatively few logs of wood are necessary 

 to raise the temperature of the water to a con- 

 siderable degree, and when the body of water 

 once becomes heated to the proper degree and is 

 circulating freely through the houses, it takes 

 considerable time for it to cool. 



In extreme cases where wood is quite plentiful, 

 it would not be beyond the point of reasoning to 

 operate a greenhouse entirely with wood fuel. 

 This is no serious hardship; simply more frequent 

 and closer application. 



Young cauliflower plants arc transplanted into the benches 

 and give profitable return! (or the bpace 



France has already demonstrated the adaptability of even the maimed soldier for practical garden work 



INHERE are certain disadvantages connected 

 -"■ with the use of oil heaters. They consume 

 a large amount of the oxygen. They are, to a 

 certain extent, a very poor substitute for our 

 present methods of heating greenhouses, but 

 it is easily possible to secure good results by 

 using these burners. 



A No. 3 Perfection Smokeless Oil Heater 

 (costing about #6.00), or one similar in size, will 

 consume practically one gallon of kerosene in 

 twelve hours. Four of these heaters will main- 

 tain a growing temperature in a greenhouse 

 eighteen by twenty-five feet. The fuel con- 

 sumed per night would cost about sixty cents, 

 based on zero temperature, which of course, is by 

 no means continuous. We may assume that 

 from ten to twelve dollars per month would run 

 a greenhouse eighteen by twenty-five feet, with 

 a proportionate reduction if more than one unit 

 is heated. 



It will be necessary to thoroughly clean the 

 heaters each day to be certain that they will not 

 smoke, as anything of this kind is injurious to 

 the plants. The heaters are seldom used during 

 the day as the sun furnishes enough heat to 

 supply the greenhouses. It is also a good plan 

 to ventilate freely during the day, so that the air 

 is kept sweet by constant changing. If this 

 is not done the growing condition will be unfav- 

 orable because of the consumption of oxygen. 



[" AST month it was advised to sow bush 

 ' limas, peppers, eggplant, bush beans, to- 

 matoes, and cucumbers. The bush limas to be 

 sown in rows, crosswise of the bench where they 

 are to remain permanently through the winter. 

 Bush beans should be handled in nearly the 

 same manner, except that as they are "croppers" 

 room must be left for subsequent sowings. The 

 eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers, 

 which should have been started in tins or boxes, 

 should now be put in small pots and shaded for 

 several days after which admit full sunlight. 

 When they are thoroughly rooted in the small 

 pots, they can be transplanted into larger ones 

 from which, some time the latter part of this 

 month, they may be benched. It sometimes 

 makes better arrangements to keep the eggplants 

 and peppers in pots about nine or ten inches in 

 size, and they can be shifted from one place to 

 another. Tomatoes should be planted in hills 

 composed of one pailful of good wholesome 



growing soil. They should 

 be immediately supported 

 by light stakes. 



'TPHE cool vegetables, such 

 -*- as cauliflower, beets, 

 carrots, parsley, peas, let- 

 tuce, onions, cress, radishes, 

 spinach (both types), Swiss 

 chard, and turnips (night 

 temperature of 50°) 

 should be started at 

 this time. These vegeta- 

 bles have been grown suc- 

 cessfully in manure heated 

 hotbeds, simply by pro- 

 tecting them with leaves 

 and litter during severe 

 weather. Carrots, beets, 

 radishes, turnips, Swiss 

 chard, parsley, and New 

 Zealand spinach, are in this 

 group. The last three men- 

 tioned can be moved from 

 the open garden by taking 

 care in transplanting. The 

 other vegetables are to be 

 sown in seed pans, and 

 transplanted when large 

 enough to handle into well 

 prepared boxes and set 

 about two inches apart. When about three 

 or four inches high they may be transplanted 

 into benches where they are to finish. Sow for 

 succession at intervals of about three weeks. 



Some of the space beneath the benches should 

 be devoted to mushrooms. The droppings 

 should be gathered, care being exercised that the 

 material does not burn. This is best accom- 

 plished by constant turning. When the heat 

 has started to recede and reached ninety degrees, 

 the bed can be made ready. About one foot of 

 the droppings are placed under the benches and 

 firmed thoroughly with a brick. They should 

 be observed closely for several days and if the 

 heat does not rise above one hundred and ten 

 degrees, it will not be necessary to disturb it. 



Cucumbers do not transplant well so they are sown in pots 

 where they are not disturbed 



