54 Subtropical Vegetable-Gardening 



that is, the front is made 10 inches high and the back 

 14. But experience has taught that this pitch is not suffi- 

 cient for frames covered with plant-cloth. The sides are 

 nailed to 4-inch boards that are driven into the ground 

 6 feet apart. The ends of the frame are trimmed to an 

 even slope. At intervals of 6 feet, 3-inch pieces are dove- 

 tailed into the front and back, to steady the sides, and to 

 hold the protecting cloth from bagging. 



The protecting cloth is sewn into a sheet large enough to 

 cover an entire frame. The seams run crosswise for 

 obvious reasons. The sheet is fastened to the back and 

 then stretched over the frame ; and just far enough over 

 the front to press the cloth down tightly, a strip is nailed 

 to serve as a roller for a curtain. By turning at one end, 

 the whole curtain may be raised and fastened at the top ; 

 when it is wanted for use, the fastening is loosened and 

 the curtain unrolls itself, at the same time shutting the 

 whole frame up for the night. The woodwork and cloth 

 for a frame 6 feet wide and 30 feet long should not cost more 

 than $2.50. 



The soil in coldframes should be made very fertile by 

 using commercial fertilizer, or, preferably, compost. Make 

 the soil about 6 inches deep, using as much well-rotted 

 compost as soil. The fertilizer if used must be worked 

 in thoroughly, and the frame thus prepared allowed to 

 stand ten days or two weeks, all the time keeping it 

 thoroughly moistened. A coldframe is as valuable in 

 the summer as in the winter. In the summer, the cloth 

 is raised to allow the air to pass under, thus protecting 

 small plants from the scorching sun. In the management 

 of a coldframe, and of a hotbed, plenty of water is 



