THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



from sun up till sun down, and they appear 

 to send out runners to all the regions round 

 inviting all birds with their families to come 

 and have a good time. 



When the Montmorency cherries come in 

 ten days later the red currants and early 

 raspberries are also ripening, so the birds 

 distribute themselves according to their 

 tastes, so I get about half that grow on fifty 

 trees. These birds ate for me last year at 

 least $75 worth of cherries, saying nothing 

 of strawberries, currants, raspberries and 

 grapes. What benefit are they to the fruit 



grower and gardener that the government 

 should protect them ? In my opinion, none 

 whatever. Who ever knew of a robin eat- 

 ing a potato bug, a cabbage worm, or an 

 aphis ? They live on earth worms till straw- 

 berries ripen, then choice fruit until they 

 leave for the sunny south. I am in hearty 

 accord with the fruit growers of some of the 

 eastern States, " remove all protection, and 

 if you can't shoo them shoot them." 

 A. W. Graham, 



St. Thomas, Ont. 



THE HOTBED IN VEGETABLE GARDENING 



FIRST consider the location. A gentle 

 slope to the south is preferable. A 

 windbreak, either natural or arti- 

 ficial, on the north, east and west, but not 

 near enough on the east and west to shade 

 the bed at any time of the day, is desirable. 

 Very good results can be obtained from a 

 hotbed built on level ground until the wet 

 weather comes ; then, as there is no chance 

 for the surplus water to get away, the bed 

 gets sour, and the stufif turns yellow and re- 

 fuses 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 another 

 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 with no soft places. ' On this 

 foundation place the frame. 



HOW TO make; the frame. 



The frame in most general use in our part 



of the country is 5 feet and 2 inches wide by 



16 feet long, outside measurement; 12 



inches deep, with three pieces of 2x4 ; 5 feet 



2 inches long and 4 feet apart, cut into the 

 sides until level with the top of the frame. 

 Before fastening in these crosspieces it is 

 well to square the frame, or the sash will not 

 fit well. They will look like saw teeth, and 

 there is no danger of leaving holes. Under 

 the middle 2x4 put a piece of board 5 feet 

 long, 4 to 6 inches wide edgewise, the bot- 

 tom 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 2-inch stuff and the sides of inch stuff. 



Cpver this frame with four sash 4 feet 

 wide by 5 feet 2 inches long. Do not use 

 glass larger than 8 x 10 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 witK 

 the glass butted. I'he breakage in those 

 was much larger. The lap seems to give 

 the glass double strength. The wooden 

 part of the sash should be of 2-inch stuff. I 

 have seen i^-inch used, but they are too 

 light and will not stand nearly so much wind 

 when open. 



FUELING THE HOTBED. 



In the hotbed yards these frames may be 

 placed in rows; about three frames, or 12 

 sash, in as many as can be handled conven- 



