218 Practical Farming 



The soil is then deeply dug and made perfectly fine, work- 

 ing the ashes well into the general mass. Beds of con- 

 venient width are then marked out and a fertilizer high 

 in nitrogen and potash is intimately mixed with the soil. 



A heaping tablespoonful of seed is well mixed with plas- 

 ter to enable the sower to distribute it more evenly, and 

 that amount of seed will sow loo square yards of bed. 

 Boards are set on edge around the beds and cotton cloth 

 stretched over as a protection. 



The burning is done at any time in the latter part of the 



winter and seed are sown in late February or early 



March in the central part of the country and even as 



early as late January in the South. The sowing should 



be done with great care so as not to get the seed too thick 



and have the plants grow up crowded. 



The above method is that generally prac- 



A Better Way ti^ed, but in our own experience and in the 



to Grow the '. ^ , ^, 



Plants experience of many who have recently been 



led to try it, it has been found that the 



use of glass hot-bed sashes and regular frames pays 



well in the production of better plants and greater safety 



from the changes of the spring weather. In this way, 



the soil is burned over in the same way as described, 



and a portable frame is set on the beds that is about six 



feet wide so as to accommodate the sashes which are 



three feet by six feet. The use of cloth is not only less 



of a protection to the plants than the glass, but it results 



in getting the plants drawn up slender by reason of the 



shade, while under the glass sashes the plants have the 



full sunshine, and can be easily exposed to the weather in 



bright days or when warm rains occur, by sHding the 



