AGRICULTURE FOR BEGINNERS 



Cold Frames. A cold frame is like the frame used 

 for a hotbed, but it is placed on well-manured soil in 

 a sheltered spot. It is covered with the same kind of 

 sashes and is used for hardening the plants sowed in the 

 hotbed. 



As soon as the tomato plants are a few inches high in 

 the hotbed, they should be transplanted to the cold frame 

 and set four inches apart each way. The frame must be 

 well banked with earth on the outside, and the glass 

 must be covered on cold nights with straw, mats, or old 

 carpets to keep out frost. 



Care of Hotbed and Frame. If the sun be allowed to 

 shine brightly on the glass of a cold frame or hotbed, it 

 will soon raise the temperature in the hotbed to a point 

 that will destroy the plants. It is necessary then to pay 

 close attention to the bed and, when the sun shines, to 

 slip the sashes down, or raise them and place a block 

 under the upper end to allow the steam to pass off. The 

 cold frame also must be aired when the sun shines, and 

 the sashes must be gradually slipped down in mild weather 

 Finally, they may be removed entirely on sunshiny days, 

 so as to accustom the plants to the open air, but they 

 must be replaced at night. For a while before setting 

 the plants in the open gardens, leave the sashes off night 

 and day. 



While the hotbed may be used for starting plants, it is 

 much better and more convenient to have a little green- 

 house with fire heat for this purpose. A little house with 

 but four sashes on each side will be enough to start a great 

 many plants, and will also give room for some flowers in 

 pots. With such a house, a student can learn to manage 



