THE HOTBED AND ITS USES IN VEGETABLE GARDENING. 103 



THE HOTBED AND ITS USES IN VEGETABLE 

 GARDENING. 



C. B. WADDELI,, ST. I.OUIS PARK. 



The first thing to be considered is the location. A gentle slope 

 to the south is preferable to any other, with a windbreak, either 

 natural or artificial, on the north, east and west, but not near enough 

 on the east or west to shade the bed at any time of the day. Very 

 good results can be obtained from a hotbed built on level ground un- 

 til the wet weather comes; then there is no chance for the surplus 

 water to get away, the bed gets sour, and the stuff turns yellow 

 and refuses to grow. Have the ground on which the bed is to be 

 built free "from ice or snow. If the ground is frozen, cover it with 

 two or three inches of dry, cold horse manure. Cover this with at 

 least a foot of warm horse manure, tread well and cover with an- 

 other foot of cold horse manure. This for a bed built in the first 

 part of February ; if later in the season smaller amounts can be 

 used, or if the bed is being built on unfrozen ground less will do. 

 Tread the whole well so that it is quite level and no soft places. 

 On this foundation place the frame. 



The frame in most general use in our part of the country is five 

 feet and two inches wide by sixteen feet long, outside measurement ; 

 twelve inches deep, with three pieces of 2x4, five feet two inches 

 long and four feet apart cut into the sides until level with the top of 

 the frame. Before fastening in those cross pieces it is well to square 

 the frame, or the sash will not fit well. They will look like saw 

 teeth, and there is more danger of leaving holes. Under the middle 

 2x4 put a piece of board five feet long, four to six inches wide edge- 

 wise, the bottom to be level with the bottom of the frame. This will 

 greatly stiffen the frame and hold it in shape. We make the ends 

 of this frame of two inch stuff and the sides of inch stuff. 



Cover this frame with four sash four feet wide by five feet two 

 inches long. Do not use glass larger than eight by ten inches ; in 

 large glass the breakage is much greater. Have glass bedded in 

 putty and lapped about one-quarter of an inch. I have used sash 

 with the glass butted. The breakage in those was much larger. 

 The lap seems to give the glass double strength. The wooden part 

 of the sash should be of two inch stuff. I have seen one and three- 

 eighths inch used, but they are too light and will not stand nearly so 

 much wind when open. 



In the hotbed yard these frames may be placed in rows ; about 

 three frames, or twelve sash, is as many as can be handled conven- 

 iently in one row. Supposing this first row to be on the north side of 



