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THE VEGETABLE GAEDEN " ' "■;"■; 



.*l. j:>, MANURE HOT BEDS. 



T 



HE construction and jnanagement of 

 hot-T^eds is an exceedingly simple 

 matter, and yet it requires ca;reful 

 attention to keep plants growing in a healthy 

 condition. Manure beds are most com- 

 monly used, horse manure being preferable 

 to any other ready available substance. 

 Fresh manure recently removed from the 

 stable is the best, but if collected in too small 

 quantities, it should be frequently spread 

 through the winter in order to keep it from 

 heating and spoiling before spring. If a 

 good proportion of fine straw or forest 

 leaves are used in the bedding it improves 

 the manure greatly for hot-bed purposes. 



When ready to begin operations the 

 manure should be forked over, shaken out 

 finely and thrown into a high conical heap 

 to heat; if anyways dry it should be watered 

 until well dampened throughout the heap. 

 Leave it standing in this heap about a week 

 and it will surely heat and begin smoking 

 like a small volcano. 



There are two methods of forming the 

 bed, some digging a pit and sinking the 

 manure in it, and others simply building the 

 manure up into a square bed and setting the 



Fig. 2562. Cold Frame. 



frame on it ; the first named method requires 

 the most labor, the second the most manure, 



so we will let labor vs. manure decide which 

 you shall adopt. 



Fig. 2563 shows a perspective view ^ of a 

 bed constructed on the manure without a pit. 

 If the manure is fine, and contains little or 

 no long straw, it will be found necessary to 

 put a plank frame around it to keep it in 

 position. After levelling the manure there 

 should be three or four narrow boards laid 

 across it on which to rest the hot-bed frame, 

 so that after the manure heats all will settle 

 together, otherwise the weight of the frame 

 and sash will force it down into the manure, 

 and the centre of the bed will appear to raise 

 and perhaps displace the plants. 



Of course you should select a spot for the 

 bed which is sheltered as much as possible 

 on the north and west by some building or 

 high board fence. The sash should slope 

 gently towards the south or east, both in or- 

 der to carry off the rain water readily and to 

 catch the sun's rays and gain light and 

 warmth. 



The most common sashes are 3x6 feet. 

 The frame should therefore be made six feet 

 wide and as long as necessary to accommo- 

 date the number of sashes to be used. 



A vital point always to be observed in 

 making a hot-bed is to spread the manure 

 down while hot, it then continues to heat, 

 but if spread down cold it will heat very 

 slowly or unevenly or perhaps not at all. 

 Early in spring, when considerable cold- 

 weather may yet be expected, it will be nec- 

 essary to use about a common wagon box 

 full of manure to each sash, but later in the 

 season, when forming beds in which to 

 transplant seedlings, one-half that quantity 

 will suffice. 



The soil to be used should be prepared in 

 advance. It must be light, loose and rich. 



