94 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



The soil in the frame should be of the best quality if 

 plants are to be grown in it. The frame is now ready for 

 the sash and plants. More durable and expensive frames 

 are sometimes made of brick or stone for the sides, 

 and sometimes four-inch strips are put on wherever two 

 of the sashes come together, to serve as a support. Frames 

 are also frequently made several feet deep, but the same 

 general rule applies in the building of them as is here given. 

 Hotbeds and cold frames are sometimes made so that they 

 may be taken down and stored flat. This is an advantage 

 in some cases, since they may be stored in a much smaller 

 space and be better protected over winter. 



Cold frames are used in the Middle states to winter over 

 cabbage and lettuce plants. The plants are started in 

 September and planted into them when grown to a good 

 transplanting size. In severe climates this is not a safe 

 method. 



Cold frames are used in the North in the spring for 

 forwarding lettuce and other early crops, and still later for 

 melons, cucumbers, and other tropical plants. They are 

 also used to extend the season of growth during the autumn 

 months and to protect some of the half-hardy plants, such 

 as spinach, during the winter. They require ventilation dur- 

 ing the day in mild weather, and on cold nights should be cov- 

 ered with mats and shutters or shutters alone. They are very 

 inexpensive and very useful in the garden; but where the 

 materials for making them can be had at low cost, hotbeds 

 are much more satisfactory for forcing vegetables. 



Hotbeds. Hotbeds are made very much like cold 

 frames, only they are warmed by fermenting horse manure 

 or other material placed under the soil, and hence they 

 must be dug out deep enough to make room for it. 

 The amount of manure necessary to properly warm a hot- 



