64 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



March, 191 1 



What to Groiv and Hoiv to GroAv It* 



A. G. Wolley Dod, Calgary 



THE first work to be done in the 

 spring is to make up a hotbed, al- 

 though seeding plants of all kinds 

 can be procured very cheaply from the 

 florists. It is better to have your own 

 frame, as it can be utilized not only for 

 growing cauliflowers, cabbages, and 

 bedding out plants, but also for raising 

 a few early radishes and lettuces, and 

 after the plants and flowers so grown arc 

 all planted out, a few cucumber seeds 

 should be sown, which, with proper care, 

 will give the grower all the cucumbers 

 he will require until late in the fall. 



The hotbed should be started about 

 the 2oth of March. Those who have a 

 stable will probably have enough manure 

 of their own, but it will well repay those 

 who have not, to procure a few loads and 

 make up a hotbed, which will take up 

 very little room, and the frame can be 

 made quite cheaply with a few boards 

 and storm sashes. The size required is 

 the next consideration. It costs very 

 little more to make a frame of moderate 

 size than a small one ; and I find that one 

 with three windows a very convenient 

 size, as it gives plenty of room for the 

 seedlings, and also when the time comes 

 for the cucumber plants, as these require 

 a eood deal of room. A frame of this size 

 will require from eight to ten loads of 

 manure. 



In choosing the manure for your bed, 

 be careful to choose good, fresh horse 

 dung, which has not too much litter 

 mixed with it. If there is a small per- 

 centage of cow dung mixed with it, it 

 will do no harm, but for choice, horse 

 dung alone is pteferable. 



CHOOSING THE SITE 



In choosing the site for the frame, if 

 possible pick one so that you can have 

 the slooe of the glass either to the west 

 or north, as then rays of the sun will not 

 strike directly on the glass, and also 

 leave room to turn your pile of manure 

 over. Having now chosen your site, 

 have your manure piled loosely in a coni- 

 cal heap, and leave it for a week or ten 

 days. 



If you find in hauling this manure 

 that it is very dry, wet it is you pile it, 

 about an ordinary sized water can of 

 water to a load of manure will be quite 

 enough ; this can be aoplied to the top 

 of the pile after each load has been put 

 on. It is not often necessary to add 

 any water, for, as a rule, there is suffi- 

 cient snow mixed with the manure to make 

 it moist enough. If, however, it is too 

 dry, it will not only not heat properly, 

 but will not retain the heat as long as it 

 would if it were damp. 



After about ten days this pile should 

 be turned over, making a second pile 

 besides the first. In making up this se- 

 cond oile, shake it up well and leave it 



'Extract from a paper read lj«foj-B th« Palfary 



loose. It is during the process of turn- 

 ing and shaking up that you will find 

 whether water must be added. If it is 

 too dry the inside of the pile will have 

 a white appearance and' "will feel dry to 

 the touch. If this is the case add water 

 as before stated. This pile must remain 

 another week or ten days, when it should 

 have heated sufficiently to make up a 

 bed. Measure the length and width of 

 your frame and put some small pegs in 

 the ground where your frame is to be 

 built a foot bigger than the frame each 

 way. For instance, if the frame is six 

 feet by ten feet, your foundation must be 

 eight feet by twelve feet. 



Now turn your pile back to where it 

 originally stood ; but this time, instead 

 of making a loose conical heap, make it 

 the size required for the frame and stamp 

 it down as firmly as possible, taking care 

 to keep the sides as square as possible, 

 or you will find that the top will be too 

 small for the frame. In finally building 

 this up, add a little more water if neces- 

 sary, as before. Having made this bed 

 UD, you can now put the frame in posi- 

 tion, but do not put your lights on yet, 

 as it will have to be left some days yet 

 for the heat to cool off — probably ano- 

 ther week or ten days. After this lapse 

 of time put about six inches of soil in- 

 side and tread it down firmly. If your 

 manure has heated nicely and has not 

 been left too long between the turnings, 

 your frame will be ready for seeding 

 about the 20th of April, which is about 

 the right time for sowing, as then your 

 seedlings will not be too big for trans- 

 planting when the time comes, which 

 will be from the 24th of Mjty to the 15th 

 of June. 



BTHLDING THE FEAMB 



Those who are handy with a hammer 

 and saw can make their own frames, but 

 those who are unfortunate enough not 

 to be able to make their own, will find 

 any carpenter will make them one very 

 cheaply. For the information of those 

 who have never had a frame, let me state 

 that care should be taken to have the 

 frame deep enough, and deeper at the 

 back than at the front, so as to let the 

 water drain off the lights. Eighteen 

 inches is not too high for the front end, 

 as you should have six inches of soil and 

 .It least a foot between the soil and the 

 glass. 



The frame is best made so that it can 

 screw together. It can then be taken to 

 pieces in the fall and stored away until 

 the following spring. Having prepared 

 your frame, the next question is what 

 to sow. 



This will depend a good deal on the 

 size of the garden, and whether the 

 grower requires flowers as well as vege- 

 tables. I will assume, however, that he 

 or she is going to grow both. It is al- 

 ways advisable to prpcure oil your seed'^ 



from .some reliable .seed merchant early 

 in the year, as if left too late one will 

 have to buy from the nearest store; and 

 this often leads to disappointment, as the 

 sort required may not be obtainable, and 

 one has either to wait till one can get 

 what one wants, or else take some in- 

 ferior variety. Every garden, no matter 

 how small, should contain a few cauli- 

 flowers and cabbage, and a few toma- 

 toes will always help to make a good 

 salad. But as one must be guided by 

 the size of the garden in what to grow, 

 I will give details for a large family gar- 

 den, and those who have a small one 

 must be guided by circumstances ; and 

 if space will not permit their growing a 

 large selection, they must be content 

 with a few of the choicest kinds. 



For cauliflower, I would choose Early 

 Snowball and an extra early Eurfurt. A 

 small packet of each of these varieties 

 can be obtained for about twenty-five 

 cents, which will be more than most 

 people will require ; but it is quite easy 

 for one or two friends to club together 

 and divide the seeds when they arrive. 



For cabbage, Early Jersey, Wakefield 

 and Flat Dutch are good, the former for 

 summer use and the latter for winter 

 use, as it is a good keeper. 



A pinch of celery sown very thin will 

 give enough plants for most growers. 

 Paris Golden Yellow will be found a very 

 excellent variety. 



For radish, French Breakfast is about 

 as good as any for sowing in a frame, 

 and a pinch of lettuce will give an early 

 salad, before anything in the open is 

 fit for use. 



METHOD OF SOWING 



Having obtained your seed, the next 

 question is the method of sowing. Do 

 not have the soil in your frame too 

 moist. It must be pulverized and pack- 

 ed tight. Put on your biggest boots and 

 tramp the soil down thoroughly in the 

 frame. Then get a short piece of stick 

 or a piece of shingle and smooth it over 

 again. Then with the end of the stick 

 draw parallel lines down the length of 

 the frame, about eight inches apart and 

 half an inch deep, for the bigger seeds, 

 but only just a scratch for fine seeds, 

 such as celery. Then take a saucer and 

 emptv what seeds you are about to sow 

 into it, and take a small pinch betw-een 

 your thumb and finger, and sow thinly in 

 the rows according to the amount re- Jt. 

 quired ; rake your soil lightly over the 

 seeds with the stick you used to make your 

 rows, and pat them down with the flat 

 of the hand, and then give a good water- 

 ing with the sprinkler and put on your 

 lights, but open a little in the daytime ac- 

 cording to the temperature. If your frame 

 is at the right heat most of the seeds will 

 germinate in a few days, but the celerv 

 will take from two to three weeks. As 

 {To be Continued) 



Do not buy seeds because thev hnppei^ 

 I0 be cheap. Get the b^st. 



