10—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September S, JS62 • Tobacco Bed (Continued from Page 1) on the bed which was 6 feet by 50 feet in size. The film was suppoited on a frame work ot plastic tubing set at right angles to the length of the bed and four feet apart. Flat plastic strips were at tached down the center by bolts to form a support for the lilin. This formed a flat cover about one foot above the bed surlace. Engle reported, “Rain quick ly forced the plastic down on the bed surface where it re mained for several days” On April 24 this frame and plastic film were removed and re placed with a new frame of semi-rigid plastic tubing. Each support was about eight feet long, so that when the ends were forced about four inches Into the soil on either side of the bed. the tube formed a semi-circular arch with the middle about two feet above the bed surface. Similar tubing was then bolted along the center line ot the arches to foim a cen ter line support for the film. Ne\t a pertoiated flat plastic hose of the type widely used for sprinkling lawns and gar dens was tied at about 15 inch intervals to the underside of the center support with the peiforations facing downward toward the bed surface. Miniature Greenhouse Under this system, Bngle said, with the plastic film stretched and held down along both sides with soil, the bed piesented a smooth, neat ap peal ante foi the five weeks it was m place, resembling a small greenhouse, which in yryi supplement A 11L if HORSES OF ALL AGES kj EQBIHSBER Vvif VITAMINS A, D, E and, RIBOFLAVIN Feed ONCE-A-DAY—replacing 1/3 of the total grain ration. Feeding tests conducted during the development of this new Approach to improved nutrition for horses show RED ROSE EQUINADER to be outstanding! This highly palatable lation provides a new high level of nutrition for hunters, jumpers, trotters, pleasure and diaft horses, and ponies—to Improve appetite ana maintain top condition. TRY IT. „ J. FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE ; AND TOP CONDITION r . Buy RED ROSE EQUINADER from these Red Rose Feed Dealers Ammon E. Shelly Brown & Rea R D. 2, Lititz, Pa. Atglen, Pa. Mounfville Feed Service R. D 2, Columbia, Pa. West Willow Farmers Association Willow, Pa. fact it was. The plastic at each end was held down with bricks so that it could be open ed for ventilation as neces sary. During the next five-week period, temperatures in the three beds were taken at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Average soil and air temperatures record ed in the three beds showed that both air and soil tempera tures in the glass covered beds was higher in the morning than in either of the' other two beds. Temperatures In the cloth covered beds were con ststantly lower than either of the other two beds. By after noon, the soil temperature in the plastic covered beds had equaled the glass covered beds and air temperature under the plastic had gone above the temperature in the other two beds. The minimum soil tempera ture recorded was lowest un der the glass and highest un der plastic, with the cloth co\ered bed ranging between the two. The maximum soil temperature recorded was highest under glass with only a slightly lower reading under the plastic and somewhat low er reading under the cloth. Air temperatures of the cloth covered bed at 10 a.m. were about 16 degrees lower than under glass and 12 de grees lower than under plastic. On the average they did not change much between morn- mg and afternoon. When ventilation was re quired every other sash was lifted about four inches and both ends of the plastic cover ed bed were opened fully. The bed was on an east-west axis causing the prevailing wester- A. S. Groff North Queen Street Lancaster, Pa Henry E. Gorber R. D. 1, Elizabethtown, Pa. ly winds* to give reasonable good ventilation evidenced by the disappearance of the moisture film whifch always quickly formed on the inside of the plastic when the bed was closed. No other openings were made in the plastic. Only three irrigations from the plastic hose were needed under the plastic during the five-week period, with a mo derate amount of water being applied each time. Although the plastic was not applied until 11 'days later than the glass, the plants were of equal size at the time the covers were removed on May 21. Scalding Is Problem On the final week end be fore removal of the covers, the plants in the middle section of the plastic covered bed were rather severely scalded, Engle reports. The plants near the ends, being more or less hard ened-off were not injured. On the basis of one season’s results, Engle believes that plastic coveis offer a real po tential as a means of securing tobacco plants for field sett ing a week or even two weeks Corn demands “beef” in a combine Gleaner combines have the rugged construction, the heft, the capacity . > . the power and traction to wade through your heaviest corn . . . even in muddy or icy fields. If your crop can be combined ... the Gleaner combine is the machine that can do it. Take your choice of Gleaner combines A, C, or E everyone has an easily attached com head. Because the cylinder is down at the ear level, feeding is direct to the cylinder. No extra elevating necessary. Fewer parts are required. You save money. Ask us about an eye-opener test on your own farm. Finance for profit. Ask us about Allis-Chalmers ’ time payment plans t ALLIS-CHALMERS <&> SALES & SERVICE L. H. Brubaker Lititz, P». Grumelli Farm Serv. Quarrj ville, Pa. ear,Uey than from L cloth ,coy-j ered beds. It Will ’be neces sary, however, to supply ad-, ditional ventilation, but Engle believes this' could be done by cutting horizontal slits in the plastic on the lee side ol ~the bed about a foot from the top of the arch. He believes the two mil plastic could be reused for two or three seasons if handled carefully. The slits could be closed with masking tape until the ventilation was needed about May 1 in this area. Weed control is an essential with this system, and either steam or chemical steriliza tion should work well Plant Thinner Engle said, "It would pro bably be to the grower’s ad vantage to have one or two of his beds seeded at % or Vs of the usual rate and cov ered with plastic so that he could set out well-grown plants for his first and second plant ings early in the season ” While it does not always fol low that early harvested to bacco is less likely to suffer shedburn, Engle said, late har vested tobacco is more likely ... GLEANER combines have Snavely’s Farm Service New Holland, P». Nissley Farm Service ■Washington Boro, P». Lausch Bros. Equipment Stevens js ■io have this trouble and Co «l« s suffer from early freezes aft« r .it is hung. Engle says he plans to (j t further work on plastic cor. ers with particular emphasu on the ventilation problem but he does believe present n’ formation is enough that farm, ers should try the plastic cot, ers on a bed or so next spring It pays to use natural n. i. POTASH ond CALPHOS Have then spread on your hay and grain fields now. Contact ns for details as these two materials will work well with your present farm program. Brooklawn Fan 1118 Kreider Ave. Lancaster Ph. LO 0-15*0 or see yonr local dealer Big C with 4-row com head. New E with 2-row corn head. G'Eaner is an Alhi Cliilmar* uttUa N. G. Myers & Son Bheems, Pft. it . T 1 L. H. Brubaker Lancaster,, P», it!