284 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



few days later than necessary may mean quite a loss. It pays to get 

 the vegetables on the market at the earliest possible date. Having 

 produced a vegetable of good quality and at the proper time, see 

 that it is put on the market in the most salable condition. Exercise 

 great care in cleaning, grading and packing. Give full measure and 

 see that the quality of the product is uniform throughout the pack- 

 age. Better put the poor on top than at the bottom; but it is still 

 better to place all inferior specimens in separate packages or feed 

 to stock. Do not be afraid to ask a reasonable price for a good arti- 

 cle. Exercise business sense and judgment and you will be respected 

 and patronized. 



EQUIPMENT. 



No large sum of money need be exTjended for equipment more than 

 is found on most farms. Every good farmer is supplied with horse 

 implements necessary to prepare and cultivate the soil and these are 

 all that will be required in the culture of many vegetables. A seed 

 drill and a hand cultivator are useful and necessary tools in growing 

 such vegetables as onions, beets and radishes. Hot beds and cold 

 frames are indispensable in starting early vegetable plants unless 

 a greenhouse is available. 



CONSTRUCTING HOT-BEDS AND COLD FRAMES. 



The pit for the hot-bed should be dug in the fall before the ground 

 is frozen. It should be about two feet deep, six feet wide and long 

 enough to accommodate the number of sash to be used. The pit 

 should run about east and west. The sides should be boarded, the 

 top of the frame being above ground, six inches higher at the upper 

 side than the lower and sloping to the south. If the sash are 3x6 ft. 

 in size, there should be 2x3 cross supports on the frame three feet 

 apart. 



Fresh horse manure, containing considerable litter, should be used 

 to fill the pit. About two weeks before the time when it is desired 

 to sow the seed begin the preparation of the manure. Tramp com- 

 pactly in piles about six feet square and four feet deep. A sheltered 

 place from rain and snow should be used for this work. When the 

 pile of manure is thoroughly heated, which will require probably 

 three or four days, fork it over and make another stack, placing the 

 outer portions of the manure in the interior of the second stack. 

 When the pile is again thoroughly heated, throw into the pit^ tramp 

 firmly and fill to within six inches of the top of the frame. Now 

 place the sash on the frame, and plunge a thermometer into the 

 manure. When the temperature of the manure as indicated by the 



