42 
THE GARDE N M A G A Z I N E 
February, 1917 
G UIDANCE and assistance in the selection of plants, trees, vines, and 
flowering shrubs best suited to your soil and to your landscape problem; 
definite and accurate information as to what to plant and when and 
where and how; hints that will help you obtain desired results in the shortest 
possible time; suggestions that will save you many a failure and disappointment 
and — if you wish it — actual landscape service, planning, and planting. 
This is the offering of the Wagner Park Nurseries. Our Catalogue tells about it 
in detad. Shows the pictures and gives the life-story of Wagner Plants that 
Grow. We believe that there is no catalogue of greater value to the garden 
lover. A copy will be sent you free on request. 
Write to-day for catalogue 46 
The Wagner Park Nurseries 
Box 911, Sidney, Ohio 
Cooperation for the Garden Lover 
IRISES EXCLUSIVELY 
The most complete collection in America 
Catalogue on Request 
ERITH N. SHOUP 
The Gardens Dayton, Ohio 
ection at Last 
Our Improved Excelsior Tomato 
is the largest, sturdiest, most prolific home-garden 
variety. Rich, red fruits ripen early and till 
frost. Meat solid, delicious, nearly seedless. 
While they last we will send full-size packet for 10 c. 
Our beautiful 1917 catalogue of Pure and Sure 
Seeds, etc., is FREE. Write TO-DAY. 
ST. LOUIS SEED CO., 411 G, St. Louu, Mo. 
Gardening Made Easy 
We used to think that a garden meant a lot of 
hard work. But modern invention has taken the 
backache and drudgery out of gardening, yet has 
left all the satisfaction — the joy of working among 
growing things. A few minutes’ brisk exercise 
daily will insure an abundance of delicious veg- 
etables for the home table. 
IRON ACE 
GARDEN 
TOOLS 
do the work ten times faster than the old-fashioned tools, and do 
it better! Will sow accurately and at even depth, cover the 
seed, firm the soil, cultivate, weed, ridge and level the soil, all 
as fast as you care to walk. Strongly-built, servicable tools — 
the result of 80 years’ farm and factory experience. We also 
make a large line of cultivating, spraying and potato ma- 
chinery. Write for booklet: “Gardening with Modern 
Tools’’ to-day! 
BATEMAN MFG. COMPANY, crenloch 2 ; n. j 
A Hot Water Hot Bed 
A/fAN'Y starting the usual style of hotbed 
find the work more of an undertaking 
than they anticipated, and when finished the 
result is often disappointing. 
We raise many plants each season in cold- 
frames; but one year wishing to have some 
extra early, decided to try hotbeds, and to 
avoid any uncertainty that might attend the 
use of manure, experimented successfully with 
two beds, each six feet by nine feet, heated by 
hot water, and had little trouble in regulating 
the temperature, which might not have been 
the case with manure, the heat of which stead- 
ily declines from the start. 
For a frame six by nine feet, excavate a 
bed running east and west, eight by eleven feet 
and one foot deep with level smooth bottom. 
Build a frame of one-inch lumber 6 ft. wide by 
9 ft. long; 1 8 inches high one side, 2 ft. 6 in. 
high on the other, and sloping at ends from 
back to front which gives the proper incline 
for the sashes. 
This is to be set in the excavated bed so as to 
leave a space of one foot all round; but before 
doing so cover the bottom of the bed with fine 
wire netting to extend three inches beyond 
edges of the frame when set, to exclude 
gophers, etc.; drive 2 rows of one inch by two 
inch stakes, two feet apart, and equal dis- 
tances apart lengthwise with frame, and pro- 
jecting five inches above ground; set stakes the 
narrow width across the bed. 
Get any good make of large size incubator 
lamp and tank, and pipe enough to extend 
within two feet pf end of frame and return at 
right angles two feet apart, back to tank. 
Set lamp on a level foundation outside end 
of frame, through which cut holes, or make 
suitable opening for pipe, which bend if neces- 
sary, to allow it to set level on tops of stakes to 
which it should be secured. 
Box in the lamp and space enough to work 
when attending to lamp, etc., and roof in any 
suitable way to protect against weather. 
Now fill in Frame and other open parts with 
soil to six inches above pipe, level up smooth 
and even, and nail or screw cross pieces on 
frame for sashes to rest on. 
Light up the lamp, and in a few hours test 
the temperature of bed with sashes on, also 
off; use a good incubator thermometer and 
regulate with it and the sashes, according to 
weather conditions; a little experimenting will 
show what is needed. 
A good thermostat regulator can be 
arranged to set over centre of bed if desired, 
the same as used in an incubator. 
We fitted one of our beds with lengths of 
one and one-fourth inch pipe having one-fourth 
inch holes drilled alternately six inches apart 
on the sides for sub-irrigating. 
These were placed across the bed and had 
one end turned up above the soil and the other 
closed; and were bent at right angles to return 
two feet apart. 
Water was poured in through a funnel, also 
clear solutions of fertilizer, which in combina- 
tion with the warmth from the hot water 
system formed an ideal condition for the 
finest kind of plant growth. 
One great advantage of this bed is that it can 
be used either as a hot bed or cold frame at any 
time without change of construction. The 
first cost is the greatest; but as it will give 
good service for several seasons if properly con- 
structed and fitted, it will be found cheaper and 
much more economical of time and labor than 
the average manure bed. 
W’elch Bros. 
Write to the Readers' Sendee for suggestions about garden furniture 
