linn. 
THE RUR ADv NEW-YORXEK. 
A CHEAP HOTHOUSE. 
E mergency work.—L ast spring 
I was so employed that I could not 
do any work for myself at the time I 
should have been preparing my hotbeds. 
On March 17 I was free to begin my own 
work. As I like to plant my early cab¬ 
bage and tomato seed about March 15 I 
was at a loss to know what to do. I had 
no manure suitable.for my hotbeds, and 
the roads were in such a very bad condi¬ 
tion that it was impracticable to think 
of hauling it from town as I had done. 
Then if I could get the manure it would 
take several days to get the heat prop¬ 
erly started. I had no experience with 
hothouse construction or management, 
but got a few hints from a practical hot¬ 
house man, and set to work. 
Material and Methods. —I got some 
discarded railroad ties for the hauling 
and built a wall about two feet high 
around a space eight by ‘-'0 feet, leaving 
an opening for the door. It was a rough 
job, and the only fastenings used -were 
a 2x4 spiked around on the top. This 
I was careful to have straight and level. 
I then dug a trench through the centre 
20 inches wide and 2feet deep, from 
the door to within three feet of the op¬ 
posite end, for an alley, throwing the dirt 
outside the wall. I also dug a space 
three feet square in one corner next the 
door for a furnace, which was built of 
stone and plastered with clay, with an 
old stove door with a slide in front to 
control the draft. The excavating fur¬ 
nished almost earth enough to bank the 
wall to the top all around. 
Heating. —The flue was of seven-inch 
chimney tile, which is the same as the 
sewer tile except that it was made of 
fire clay. The flue was laid along one 
side, across the end. back along the 
opposite side and through the wall with 
the chimney about 10 feet high standing 
outside. I used three seven-inch stove 
pipe elbows to make the turns, and all 
joints were plastered with clay. I 
thought of using concrete, but did not 
wish to wait for it to s^t. as speed was 
the first consideration. 
Placing Sasii. — I placed the sash on 
the south side with a two-foot raise and 
those on the north were set the narrow 
way, giving a six-foot slope on the south 
and three feet four inches on the north. 
All the frames required was a 2x4 along 
the comb and some lxo-inch strips for 
sash bars. There was a space two by 
three feet directly over the furnace 
covered with boards. The gable ends 
were boarded in with old lumber, and 
the benches, also of refuse lumber, were 
built just high enough to clear the flue. 
The door was set level with the alley, 
with steps outside. As the house was 
built over a tile ditch the drainage was 
provided for. The sashes were not fas¬ 
tened. Those on the south side could be 
slid up or down, or tilted at either end 
for ventilation, which was convenient, as 
we could always ventilate away from the 
wind, and when we wanted to harden 
plants we took them off entirely. 
Laths were nailed on the 2x4s to pre¬ 
vent the sash from slipping. 
Rough But Practical. —It was a 
rough job, but I had both cabbage and 
tomato plants up and growing within 
a week from the day I began it, and I 
did the work all alone, although I did 
some work on it after the plants were up. 
All the new lumber used was the 2x4’a 
and some lx8-inch strips for the sash 
bar 3 . It cost $1.26. The tile for the 
flue cost $4.80, and the three joints of 
stovepipe and three elbows $1.50. The 
pipe was used to complete the chimney, 
as I could not get enough tile without 
waiting. Adding a few cents for nails 
and a pair of hinges the cost outlay for 
the house was a little less than $8, not 
counting the sash which I already had. 
In this little house I grew’ 5,500 cab¬ 
bage plants, about 3,000 tomato plants, 
some celery, lettuce, early flow’er plants, 
etc. When about three inches high the 
cabbage was transplanted into a cold 
frame and tomato plants set in the cab¬ 
bage bench. This house, although thrown 
together in a rush, was more satisfactory 
than the hotbeds. It is much more con¬ 
venient and we have better control. 
Advantages Secured. —I have never 
grown better plants. It required very lit¬ 
tle fuel, and even in sharp freezing weath¬ 
er required no attention at night. From my 
own experience and what I can learn from 
others, I think that the furnace with tile 
or brick flue running around the house 
is more economical both as to construc¬ 
tion and operation, than either steam or 
hot water, and for vegetable plants is 
fully as satisfactory. The walls may be 
built of any rough material as the soil 
banked to the top makes them windproof 
and warm. I do not recommend this kind 
of work for those who can do better, but 
for those not permanently located, or who 
for other reasons do not wish to build a 
permanent house good results may be 
had in a very cheap house. I met only 
two slight objections. The sash set on 
edge leaked during heavy rains, and in 
muggy weather the furnace smoked 
when the fire was first started. With 
three more sash I could have made the 
house two feet wider and put the sash on 
both sides alike. The flue should have 
had at least two feet of rise from the 
furnace to where it left the house, with 
perhaps a joint or two more on the 
chimney, which would prevent the trou¬ 
ble with the smoke. r. v. egrert. 
Pennsylvania. 
Soil for Hotbed. 
F AILING to make a compost pile last 
year, and having on hand a pile of 
sandy soil fin cellar) fresh horse ma¬ 
nure. some horse manure left over from 
last Fall and Summer, hen manure mixed 
with coal ashes, wood ashes, and 100 
pounds of the mixed fertilizer you recom¬ 
mended for strawberries, what would you 
advise to obtain soil enough for the sur¬ 
face of a 6x6 hotbed? I want the soil 
for resetting plants from flats and also 
for starting melons in 4x4 berry boxes. 
New Haven, Ind. tr. tr. 
I would use the fresh horse manure to 
furnish the heat in the hotbed. For the sur¬ 
face I would work up the old well-rotted 
horse manure until it was very fine, then 
mix it with about equal parts of sandy 
25 r 
soil. A very little hen manure may be 
mixed through it, but care must be exer¬ 
cised in using this, because too much will 
burn the roots of the plants and force a 
spindling growth. As a general rule hen 
manure and fertilizers should be avoided 
in the plant bed. If used at all it should 
be on a very small scale as an experiment. 
TRUCKER. JR. 
A Miniature Fruit Farm. 
W E are on a five-acre fruit farm. We 
have about three acres under culti¬ 
vation. and we were able to sell almost 
$400 worth, besides our cellar full for 
Winter. Last year I consider most satis¬ 
factory. as I may go into our cellar any 
day and take down a can of corn, limas, 
asparagus, string beans or tomatoes. I 
may help myself to almost any kind of 
fruit or jelly or root vegetable. Until 
farmers can do this they are not getting 
all there is to be secured. Water-glassed 
eggs made it possible for us to sell our 
fresh ones, so our little farm is not a toy, 
but a real live one. It remains for me to 
plan and market everything, as mv hus¬ 
band is a New York business man. From 
being laughed at I have earned the re¬ 
spect of many, and so many now wish 
they had a lit He farm like it. It has 
brought us many dollars. T have writ¬ 
ten about it and sold the produce in al¬ 
most every way. Last year celery plants 
were profitable; pansies have helped out 
some years. mrs. c. o. deakin. 
New Jersey. 
Sawing With Electric Motor. —Has 
any reader had any experience in using 
an electric motor for sawing wood? 
Does it require the same horsepower mo¬ 
tor as does a gasoline engine, and how 
do they compare in cost of running? 
Connecticut. R. c. i, ester. 
T HE long, wide brack 
of the Caterpillar has 
8 times the bearing 
stirface of a round wheel 
Don’t saj Caterpillar 
■enlettfou mean Holtf 
to* US Pot Oft 
Just as a board 
supports a man 
ovtr a mud-hoU 
so 
The Caterpillar 
Traci 
No wasted power from 
• lipping. No short 
crops from packed soil 
No lost time because 
of soft, wet ground 
The Caterpillar saves 
money for you, be¬ 
cause it works all the 
time, on any job, and 
outwears horses. 
distributee the 
weight of tha 
tractor 
thus 
out, you can tea 
how the trac¬ 
tor runt on a 
double steel rail. 
Tan years’ success be¬ 
hind it. 2000 in use in 
25 countries. Write 
for Catalog AJU 165. 
and ask where you can 
aee one. 
m 
Holt Mfg. Co. 
{Incorporated) 
Peoria, Ill. 
50 Church St.,N. Y. 
Stockton, Cal. 
loor Own Concrete Mixer 
v^-PLANS FREE 
Sond mo jour namo and I’ 11 ootid you, absolutely 
trio, blue-print plans and complete instruc¬ 
tions for building a practical, thoroughly- 
proven home - made concrete mixer. 
Hundreds of othors have used my free 
plans successfully. You Can, too. My 
catalog of gears, etc., also given free. 
Write today-they Como by return mail. 
Georre C. Sheldon, Pre«., S. M. Co., 
Box 5238 Nehawka, Neb, 
Four-cylinder long-stroke motor, 4x5 
inches. Multiple disc, clutch with cork 
i nserts. Gray & Davis large unit electric 
system, Bosch magneto, silent chain 
drive. Center Control. Floating type 
rear axle. 11 6-inch wheel base. Tires, 
34"x4", non-skids on rear wheels. 
$ i075 
ir 
Equipment—Rain vision ventilating 
windshield; silk mohair top with en¬ 
velope; speedometer; one extra demount¬ 
able rim; robe rail; license bracket; horn; 
pump; jack; tools and tire repair outfit. 
Trimmings black and nickel. 
He is a practical man who has 
made a success of his farm. He 
knows machinery. He knows 
engines. He knows motors. He 
knows quality. He knows 
values. To the judgment of the 
practical men we submit Paige 
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Paige Means Efficiency With Economy 
