54 HOTBED AND COLD FRAME 



and less trouble with the panes slipping down. The glass 

 should be lapped about | inch and laid in putty. Each 

 pane of glass should be fastened by glazing points, and 

 putty pressed in the angles formed by the glass and the 

 sash bars. When the glass is butted the two edges of the 

 panes are simply brought together. The greatest draw- 

 back to this method is the fact that the glass is never per- 

 fectly square and the panes do not fit together tightly. 

 The cracks thus formed between the two panes permit 

 a great amount of leakage to occur which is very injurious 

 to the growing plants. 



After the sash are glazed they should be given two or 

 three coats of good white-lead paint. This painting should 

 be repeated at least once a year throughout the life of the 

 sash. The painting materially increases the length of time 

 the sash can be used. When the sash are not in use they 

 should be stored in a dry place (Fig. 13). 



A FOUR-FRAME HOTBED. 



Fig. 14 represents a four-frame hotbed and a convenient 

 size for the home garden. So important is some form of 

 glass to the garden that no vegetable garden is complete 

 without a two- or four-frame hotbed. When only a small 

 city lot is available for a garden, the hotbed can be made 

 one-half this size. 



The arrangement of the crops in the hotbed can be deter- 

 mined by the individual, but Fig. 14 is designed to give 

 several suggestions which might help the novice or one not 

 very familiar with this form of gardening to fill up the 

 space to the best advantage. 



In this plan two sash are given over to the growing of 

 lettuce and radishes and early beets, while one is used for 

 the production of the early plants which are to be set in 

 the garden. The fourth is used for the transplanting of 

 the seedlings, in order that large, stocky and healthy plants 

 will result. The first transplanting from the seed bed is 

 essential if good plants are desired, because it not only 

 increases the root system, but it helps the plants to with- 



