BEES 
The best way to prevent Bees from entering the greenhouse and polli- 
nating the naps, causing florets to drop or shatter, is to screen the vents. 
Some use old Aster cloth or cheese cloth and find it very satisfactory. 
Wire screen is easily applied and need not be too tightly applied, as the 
Bee does not seek out sma! o2enines. | ome SU. cSS has been reported in 
the use of a Parathion sinoxe fumigator—when the Bumble Bee comes In, 
close the vents and use one small smoke bomb to a house and leave the 
vents closed for 5 or 10 minutes, as it is the Bumble Bee that does the 
most damage and he travels very short distances and can soon be 
eradicated. 
SEED GERMINATION 
We recommend the following soil mixture; 1 part good soil, 1 part peat 
and 1 part sand, to which is added a small amount of Super-Phosphate. 
This mixture should then be steam sterilized, then placed in flats, leveled 
and marked in rows and sprinkled from the top and the flats placed 
either in a shallow pan of water or in a conssant water bench. Allow the 
soil to become well soaked, but not muddy, then sow the seeds thinly, 
water lightly to establish good contact with the soil and cover with paper, 
glass and parer or wet burlap to reduce eva_oration. NOTICE — before 
sowing Snap seed treat with Semesan dust, take an amount equal to the 
size of a Tomato seed and place it in the seed envelope and shake well, 
be certain that the seeds are completely covered with the dust. The flats 
must never be allowed to become dry. Remove the cover aS soon as 
germination starts (3 to 8 days). During hot weather place the flats in a 
cool place and you can even stack one on top of the other, however after 
the 3rd day they should be inspected each morning and as soon as the 
white sprout shows, move them into the light. To get even germination 
during the cool months you must remember that Snaps need an even 
temperature and they shouid be placed in such a place. For the Hybrids 
we suggest a minimum temperature of 55° to 60° F., open pollinated 
varieties 55° F' and the Hot Weather varieties 62° to 65° F. In a 12”x20” 
flat limit seeds to ™% packet, as overcrowding produces weak seedlings 
and will help damp-off to start. 
Another method of sowing is to prepare the flat as above, level and 
mark rows and soak flats well, sow seeds in rows or they may be broad- 
cast and covered with just enough screened Gpagnum moss to hide the soil 
isereen the moss by rubbing through a 4” mesh hardware screen, DON’T 
use the dust from bottom of bale, you want the rather “stringy” material) 
then water lightly with a very light spray or syringe. 
Vermiculite is a wonderful germinating medium, however as soon as 
the seedlings appear you should start to feed with a dilute soluable 
fertilizer, as there is no food value in the vermiculite. Continue to feed 
regularly until transplanted from this. 
The brick method also is very successful. Place sterilized mixture of % 
peat and soil on top of bricks that are first placed in a shallow pan of 
water, the soil should be 1” deep on top of the bricks, sow on top of soil 
and use no cover. 
As soon as seedlings appear with any method, feed with a dilute solu- 
able fertilizer (teaspoonful to 1 gal. water) this will hasten growth and 
give sturdier plants. 
