86 MARKET GARDEKIlifG. 



of the i:)Ost wliicli are above the earth level, the boxes, 

 as it were, standing on stilts, it being desirable to use 

 as little lumber as possible. The excavation is for the 

 purpose of keeping the material and contents of the bed 

 as much removed as possible from frigid air currents, 

 and thus economize manure. 



Into the excavations of eighteen or twenty inches 

 in depth tbrow one foot in thickness of cornstalks, 

 leaves, half rotten straw and coarse manure, these princi- 

 pally for preventing dampness or facilitating drainage ; 

 on top of this coarse strata spread a layer of three to 

 four inches of good horse-stable manure just beginning 

 to ferment, avoiding pig and cow manure, as they do 

 not heat. The manure for hotbeds must be well manip- 

 ulated, that the fermentation may be prolonged, and 

 this is best done by shaking out the manure loosely with 

 forks, and, if exceedingly rich, mixing it with some 

 poorer material, otherwise the fermentation will be too 

 fierce and of too short duration ; indeed, to secure thor- 

 ough mixing, it is well to turn the manure intended for 

 hotbeds at least three times, at intervals of two days, 

 and, when transferring the manure from the pile to the 

 bed, it should be done quickly, that the manure be as 

 little exposed to the chilling influence of the air as 

 possible. 



Tramp the manure down and spread it evenly from 

 end to end and side to side ; when done repeat with a 

 layer of three or four inches, and when this is spread 

 and well tramped down, add a third layer of the shortest 

 and best unfermented manure, as this subsequently will 

 be a feeding ground for plants, the various layers of 

 manure making twelve to fourteen inches in total depth. 

 If the spreading and tramping and quahty of material 

 be not regularly distributed in the bed, it will be irregu- 

 lar and the plants the same. For early beds use the 

 manure liberally. Very late beds can be made without 



