THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



91 



George Hole and Corner Club, No. 1, at its 

 February meeting, 1854, of which I was then 

 a member. If you think them worthy of no- 

 tice, you may make them public. Being a 

 farmer of limited means, I was unwilling to 

 risk a larger outlay for manures than is shown 

 below; nevertheless, small as it is, it maybe 

 •f some benefit to the farming community. 

 Very respectfully, yours, 



John Batte. 

 Prince George, Jan. 11, 1855. 



EXPERIMENT 

 To Test the Relative Value of Superphosphate of Lime 

 and Peruvian Guano applied to Oats; also, the 

 Relative Value of Different Quantities of Manure 

 as well as Thick and Thin Seeding of Oats, made 

 by John Batte , by order of the Hole and Corner 

 Club, No. 1, of Prince George County. 



No. 1.— Quarter acre, 8£ lbs. seed 13| 



cents, 50 lbs. superphos. at $45 per 



2000 lbs. $1 12J cents 



Yield 176 lbs. oats at S'l 25 per 100 



lbs < 



Deduct cost of seed and superphos. 



Profit of No. 1 _ 



No. 2. — Quarter acre, 8| lbs. seed 13| 



cents, 50 lbs. Peruvian guano, at 



$55 per 2000 lbs. $1 37|. 



Yield 389 lbs. of oats, at $1 25 ... . 5 34 

 Deduct cost of seed and guano .... 1 51 { 



Profit of No. 2 



No. 3. — Quarter acre, 8h lbs. seed, at 



13| cents, 25 lbs. guano, at $55 ner 



2000 lbs. 03| cents 



Yield 256 lbs. oats, at $1 25 3 2C 



Deduct cost of seed and guano .... 82 



Profit of No. 3 



No. 4.— Quarter acre, 5| lbs. seed, at 9i 



cents, 25 lbs. guano, at $55 per 



2000 lbs, 68$ .: 



Yield 275 lbs. oats, at $1 25 3 44 



Deduct cost of seed and guano 7£ 



Profit of No. 4 



M 26j 



20 



26^ 



I 614 



78 



2 66 



I would here state that these experiments 

 were made on a spring fallow, after oats. 



J. B. 



MAKING HOT-BEDS. 



That ail may know how to get up a cheap 

 hot-bed, we will point out an inexpensive plan 

 to such as may object to glass frames on the 

 score of expense. To such we will remark, 

 that the glass may be very advantageously sub- 

 stituted by cotton cloth, which will be found 

 on trial to be a very effective conductor of light 

 and heat. 



For moat families a hot-bed 12 feet long the 

 width of the border will answer. The border 

 should have a warm southern exposure. Such 

 a ixauao can bo made by any person who can 

 •ail planks together. The back of the frame 



hould be twice as high as the front, say the 

 back 9 feet high, the front 4 feet 6 inches high. 

 A few inches space should be left behind the 

 back for the insertion of horse-dung to raise 

 the heat — a top or frame must be made to 

 stretch the cotton cover Gver, to be attached 

 by hinges for the convenience, of being raised 

 up to give air to the plants. The cotton is to 

 be oiled when tacked on — yellow pine is the 

 best plank to use for the purpose. 



The hot-bed can either be made on the sur- 

 face, or by sinking the frame a few inches. 

 The manure should be horse-dung, and it should 

 be turned over, shaken and well mixed with a 

 dung fork as being put in on the bed; every 

 now and then beat it down with the back of 

 the fork, continue this process until the dung 

 is about 4 feet in depth in the frame, when it 

 must be left to settle down 6 or 7 inches, which 

 it will do in 8 or 10 days. When the dung is 

 put in, lower down the frame to raise the heat. 

 When the heat is sufficiently raised, then put 

 on 4 or 5 inches of dry mould or earth, rake 

 it smooth and even, and then your hot-bed will 

 be fit to receive any seed that you desire to 

 sow upon it. When the bed is first made, fill 

 up the space behind it with horse dung. 



Time of Sowing the Seeds. — Nearly all 

 kinds of plants are ready to set out in from 6 

 to 8 weeks from the time of sowing, and by 

 keeping this fact in mind you can very easily 

 regulate the time of sowing your seed, making 

 the time when in your locality the plants may 

 be safely set out, the governing point as to the 

 time of sowing the seeds. As an average of 

 time, it would, perhaps, be best to allow but six 

 weeks for the growth of the plants. 



Management of the Hot-Bed. — On every 

 good day in mild weather, the sash should be 

 raised a few inches in mid-day, to admit air 

 and graduate heat. Of nights and in cold, 

 bad weather in the day time, the hot-bed should 

 bo covered with matting: or straw. — Am. Far. 



BIBLE BONES. 



An old man once said, " For a long period 1 

 puzzled myself about the difficulties of the 

 Scripture, until at last I came to the resolu- 

 tion that reading the Bible was like eating fish. 

 When I find a difficulty, I lay it aside and 

 call it a bone. Why should I choke on the 

 bone, when there is so much nutritious meat 

 for me ? Some day, perhaps I may find that 

 even the bone may afford me nourishment." 

 • Would that there were less of picking of 

 bones, and more of feasting on the substantial 

 food with which Infinite Love has spread the 

 spiritual board ! — Parish Visitor. 



