390 VEGETABLE FORCING 



glass. Beattie gives, in Farmers' Bulletin 460, the follow- 

 ing description of a typical cloth-covered frame : 



'The covering of cheap, unbleached muslin is supported on strips 

 of wood 1 inch thick and 2^ or 3 inches wide, which are raised 

 in the center by being carried over the top of a stake ; the ends are 

 held down by nailing to the sides of the bed. The lumber for the 

 sides is usually 1 by 12 inches by 16 feet of the cheaper grades of 

 cypress or a good grade of common shortleaf pine. The stakes for 

 holding the boards in place are 1 by 3 or 2 by 3 inches in size, and 

 are driven about 1 foot into the ground. These cloth-covered beds 

 are usually 14 feet in width, but some growers prefer them 10, 12 

 or 20 feet wide. The length of the frames varies greatly, but the 

 longer ones generally run from 90 to 100 yards, depending entirely 

 upon the space available and the evenness of the ground. The 

 frames usually run east and west, with the cloth fastened to the 

 north edge of the frame. Most of these frames are temporary and 

 are taken apart and stored during the summer months. 



"Before placing the frames in position in the autumn the soil is 

 plowed, thoroughly fitted, and given a liberal dressing of well-rotted 

 stable manure and commercial fertilizers. The placing of the boards 

 will cause some trampling of the bed, and before putting in the 

 ends and nailing on the rafters or strips to support the cloth it is 

 desirable to loosen the soil again by means of a harrow or cultivator. 

 The stakes for supporting the cross strips or rafters are then driven 

 through the center and the strips nailed in place at intervals of 4 feet. 

 The ends are inclosed by means of 12-inch boards, and the bed is 

 then ready for the cloth cover. The cloth is stitched, with the strips 

 running lengthwise of the bed, into one great sheet large enough 

 to cover the entire bed. This sheet is fastened on the north side of 

 the frame by nailing over it plastering laths or similar strips of 

 wood. The cloth should not be fastened to the top edge of the 

 board, but on the side 1 or 2 inches below the top. For fastening 

 the sheet on the south side of the frame short loops of string or 

 cloth are attached to its edge, and these are looped over nails driven 

 into the side of the bed. In some cases brass eyelets, such as are 

 used in tent flaps, are inserted in the edge of the cloth and hitched 

 over nails or pins. Another method is to hem the cloth on one 

 edge and run a ^-inch rope through the hem. The addition of the 

 rope makes it comparatively easy to fasten the cloth to the side of 



