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(GROWING PAINS continued from page 22) 
Qutside Beds 
’Couple of years ago this bulletin carried an illustra- 
tion and description of a “block bed”. Requests for 
copies have depleted the supply of old bulletins; so 
responding to requests, here it is again with the same 
information. (Following is copied from the old 
bulletin. See page 19 for illustrated cut.) 
A good customer tells us that he just didn’t feel like 
tossing a lot of high-priced peat moss around. Yet 
he did want to grow some Azaleas and Rhododen- 
drons. 
To solve the problem, he set 8x 16” Cement Blocks 
on top of the ground, in rectanglar form, to shape 
up a bed 6’ wide and 50’ long. Coarse ashes were 
filled into the bed to a depth of two or three inches. 
The blocks were placed with the holes up, and the 
holes were filled with soil, as well as the “joints” 
between the blocks. 
Enough stakes were driven into holes in the blocks to 
support a 1 x 8” strip of lumber about 15” above the 
tops of the blocks. Shade lath were placed across 
these strips. Thus he had a low cost, yet substantial 
container to keep the moss from being scattered 
about; and he probably could not have devised a 
better place for growing Azaleas, Rhododendrons, etc. 
The bed was filled to the top with peat, and the plants 
planted in this straight moss where they certainly 
grew well. Looked like a “top” idea. 
+r 
Insecticides 
No tests have been made on any new products during 
1953. PEST-HEX from the Blue Ridge Fruit Ex- 
change, Waynesboro, Penna. is the only thing of this 
kind being used. It has proved so very satisfactory, 
that no effort has been made to search for anything 
new or better. One new advantage: the cost of the 
stuff has come down a little, due to increased sales 
and production. The cost per lb. is more than many 
insecticides or fungicides. Yet, because one applica- 
tion does such a complete job, for which usually 
several applications are necessary, savings in labor 
costs more than offset the difference. 
So far, PEST-HEX has given us complete control on 
every bug and leaf disease encountered here. The 
possible exceptions are scales, and even these 
disappear when we catch them in motion. We use 
it on cuttings in the benches, and on every kind of 
plant we grow. Last summer we had one large lot 
of Azalea cuttings with many leaf rollers. PEST- 
HEX didn’t get down and dig out the bugs, but as 
soon as they got out far enough to increase their 
eating range, they no longer lived. Worked fine. 
23 
