4 VEGETABLE FORCING 



New Jersey and other states. There are also large vege- 

 table-forcing establishments in Canada. 



The hotbed and frame industries of the country should 

 also be considered in this connection. All along the 

 Atlantic Coast, and in many trucking sections of the 

 South, hundreds of acres are covered with sash or pro- 

 tecting cloth, and used in forcing vegetables for market. 



Importance of vegetable forcing. The value of frame 

 and greenhouse-grown vegetables in the United States 

 amounts to millions of dollars annually. The importance 

 of the industry from the commercial standpoint can 

 scarcely be overestimated. There are other considera- 

 tions, too, which should not be overlooked. Among them 

 are : (1) Better facilities with which to start early vege- 

 table plants for outdoor culture ; probably 90 per cent of 

 our greenhouse vegetable growers are also market gar- 

 deners or truckers. (2) The possibility of keeping in 

 touch with one's patrons between the summer seasons. 

 (3) The ability to give employment during the winter to 

 the most satisfactory employees. (4) The increased 

 pleasures of rural life during the winter by creating 

 summer conditions on a small part of the farm. 



Types of vegetable forcing. There are five rather dis- 

 tinct types of vegetable forcing, namely : (1) By the use 

 of manure-heated hotbeds. This is the oldest type used 

 in the United States, and it is still practiced to some 

 extent by commercial growers. Its chief value, however, 

 is for the farmer and village gardener who desire a con- 

 tinuous supply of fresh vegetables for their own tables. 



(2) By the growing of crops on a large commercial 

 scale in frames heated by steam or hot water, or merely 

 covered with glass or protecting cloth. This type of 

 forcing is especially important in southern gardening 

 districts. 



(3) By the growing of vegetables for the home table 

 by people who can afford to operate greenhouses solely 



