16 



J. STECKLER SEED CO., LTD., ALMANAC AND 



THE HOT BED. 



Owing- to the open winters in the South, 

 hot-beds are not so much used as in the 

 North, except to raise such tender plants 

 as Eg-grplants, Tomatoes and Peppers. 

 There is little forcing- of vegetables done 

 here, except as regards Cucumbers and 

 Lettuce; and if we do not have any hard 

 frosts, the latter does better in the open 

 ground than under glass. To make a hot 

 bed is a very simple thing-. Any one who 

 has the use of tools can make the wooden 

 frame, the sashes can be obtained from any 

 sash factory. We consider a wooden frame 

 from 5 to 6 feet wide and 10 feet 6 inches 

 long- a very good size. It should be at 

 least 6 inches higher at the back than in 

 the front, and covered by three sashes 

 31/^x5 feet. The manure ought not to be 

 more than a month old; it should^be thrown 

 together in a heap, and when commencing 

 to heat, be worked over with a fork, and 

 the long- and short manure evenly mixed. 

 In this State the ground is generally low, 

 and to retain the heat of the manure for 

 a long- time, it is best to put the manure 

 on top of the ground — that is, make a bank 

 two feet longer and two feet wider than 



the frame. Keep the edges straight and 

 the corners firm; when thrown up about 

 eighteen inches trample the manure down 

 to six or eight inches, then put another 

 layer of eighteen inches and trample down 

 again; place thereon the frame and sash 

 and fill in six inches of good earth. After 

 about five days stir the ground to kill the 

 weeds which may have come up, then sow 

 tlie seeds. In lower Louisiana the ground 

 is too wet to dig- out eighteen inches deep. 

 Throw in the manure and trample down as 

 recommended in the North, by a few hard 

 rains, such as we frequently have in win- 

 ter, the manure would become so soaked 

 beneath the ground that the heat would be 

 gone. Another advantage when the frame 

 is put above the ground is that it will go 

 down with the manure gradually, and there 

 remains alays the same space between the 

 glass and the ground. If the g-round 

 is dug- out and the manure put into the 

 frame, the ground will sink so low after 

 a short time that the sun will have little 

 effect upon it and the plants will become 

 spindly. 



Number of Plants or Trees to the Acre at Given Distances. 



Distance Apart. No. Plants. 

 1/2 foot 174,240 



1 foot 43,560 



11/2 feet 19,360 



2 feet 10,890 



2y2 feet 6,969 



3 feet by 1 foot 14,520 



3 feet by 2 feet 7,260 



3 feet by 3 feet 4,840 



4 feet by 1 foot 10,888 



4 feet by 2 feet 5,444 



4 feet by 3 feet 3,629 



4 feet by 4 feet 2,722 



5 feet by 4 feet 1,742 



Distance Apart. No. Plants. 



6 feet 1,210 



7 feet 889 



8 feet 680 



9 feet 573 



10 feet : 435 



11 feet 360 



12 feet 302 



15 feet 193 



18 feet : 134 



20 feet 108 



25 feet 69 



30 feet 49 



Standard Weight of Seeds. 





Per Bush. 





Per Bush 



Alfalfa Clover 



60 lbs. 



Grass Seed, Timothy 



45 lbs 



Alsike Clover .- 



60 " 



Grass Seed, Hungarian Millet .. 



50 " 



Barley 



48 " 



Grass Seed, Johnson 



25 " 



Beans, all varieties except Lima or 



Grass Seed, Meadow Oat 



14 " 



Butter 



60 " 



Grass Seed, Rescue 



14 " 



Beans, Lima or Butter 



L 56 " 



Hemp Seed 



44 " 



Broom Corn 



46 " 



Irish Potatoes, heaped measure.. 



60 " 



Buckwheat 



48 " 



Millet, German and Italian 



50 " 



Canary Seed 



60 " 



Mustard 



58 " 



Castor Beans 



46 " 



Oats 



32 " 



Clover Seed, Red 



60 " 



Osage Orange 



33 " 



Clover Seed, White 



60 " 



Onions 



54 " 



Clover Seed, Crimson 



60 " 



Onion Sets 



32 " 



Clover Seed, Japan 



25 " . 



Peas, Cow 



60 " 



Clover Seed, Burr, recleaned 



60 " 



Peas, English, smooth seed. 



60 " 



Corn, shelled,- Adams 



50 " 



Peas, English, wrinkled 



56 " 



Corn, shelled. Sugar, measured 





Rape Seed 



50 "' 



about 



42 " 



Rye Seed (for forage) 



56 " 



Corn, shelled, Field 



56 " 



Radish Seed 



50 " 



Corn on ear 



70 " 



Sweet Potatoes 



56 " 



Flax Seed 



56 " 



Sorg-hum 



50 " 



Grass Seed, English Rye 



20 " 



Sunflower, Russian 



24 " 



Grass Seed, Italian Rye 



20 " 



Teosinte 



50 " 



Grass Seed, Meadow Fescue 



15 " 



Turnip 



58 " 



Grass Seed, Orchard 



14 " 



Vetch 



60 " 



Grass Seed, Kentucky Blue 



21 " 



Wheat 



60 " 



The Oldest, the Newest, the Best Seed House in the South. 



