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KHITOU'S TA£L£. 



ol' wliicli lio t'oiiKl prorurc sccil.'' Tlio result wjus xinsalisfactory, m might have heen 

 exi>vcteil. It is nut well ti» attempt too much at tirst, A lew articles well cultivated ullbrd 

 pleasure ; n lar}je collection poorly cared for is a source of annoyance. 



The present month is the time to get thinps in order, mid as the first work is tlio making 

 of J/(tt-hc(lK. sa.sh, frames, &c., should be made ready. A new suh-joriber, a young friend 

 in Oiiio, requests us to give simple directions for making a hot-bed, ^'■just for family 

 «.«', unless we consider it a matter so well understood that tlie room it occupied would bo 

 wj^sted to most of our readers." The many (juestions we have asked by hundreds of now 

 subscribers, shows us that many are turning their attention to gardening who never gave 

 the subject a thought before, and that the simi)!est directions in the most ordinary practice 

 are eagerly sought for, and really needed. "We therefore comjdy with the rccpiest of our 

 correspondent, giving the system we usually practice, and have before recommended. 



Every one should have a hot-bed, if it were only to forward a few plants for_ the garden. 

 The too prevalent opinion is, that they are expensive and difficult to manage, requiring the 

 skill of the professional gardener. Both suppositious are entirely erroneous. A hot-bed 

 may be constructed by an" man of ordinary ingenuity. A frame of about 12 feet long and 

 G wide, which will allo\v of -i sashes, each 3 feet Avide, will be found large enough fur any 

 family. It should be made of common two-ijich plank — the back about 3 feet high, the 

 front about half that, the ends having a regular slope from back to front. This will give 

 an angle sufficient to throw off rain, and give the full benefit of external heat and light to 

 the plants within. If the beds are narrower, the front must be higher in proportion. The 

 sides and ends are simply nailed to a strong post, four inches square, placed in each corner. 

 For the sash to rest and slide upon, a strip six inches Avide is placed upon the frame, the 

 ends morticed or sunk in the sides of the frame, so as not to cause a projection. The 

 sashes are made m the ordinary way, but without cross bars ; and in glazing, the lights are 

 made to overlap an eighth or quarter of an inch, to exclude rain. Such a frame, costing 

 but a mere trifle beyond the labor, Avill last for years, and furnish all the Cabbage, Tomato, 

 Celery, Caulitlowet, Pepper, Melon, and Cucumber plants needed, with a sprinkling of early 

 Radishes, A.'c. Where so large a frame may not be wanted, an old window may be used for 



sash, and all expense of glazing avoid- 

 ed. The annexed figure will convey 

 an idea to those unaquainted with it. 

 One of the saslies is moved down as 

 in admitting air, and another laid off 

 entirely. 



llot-bcds should occupy a dry situa- 

 tion, where they will not be affected 

 by the lodgment of water during rains 

 or thaws. They should be exposed to 

 the east and south, and be protected by fences or buildings from the north and northwest. 

 Wliere it is intended to merely groAV plants for transplanting to the garden, they may be 

 sunk in the ground to the depth of eighteen inches, and in such a case require not more 

 tlian two feet of manure ; but when forcing and perfecting vegetables is designed, a perma- 

 nent heat must be kept up, and the bed must be made on the surface, so that fresh and 

 warm manure may be added when necessary. A depth of three to four feet of manure 

 will in such cases be wanted. 

 Manure for hot-beds requires some preparation. It sliould be fresh stable manure, placed 



