BEAITIFVIXG THE COUXTRY HOME. 21 



glass; factory cotton is all that is necessary. Cotton 

 is much cheaper than glass and requires less atten- 

 tion. Have the sheet larger than the frame so as to 

 overlap a few inches. Have a roller about ten feet 

 long, and the cotton tacked to it, and to the upper 

 side of the frame. The roller will hang over the 

 ends and prevent the wind from moving the cotton. 

 The cotton can be rolled up to air the plants when 

 required. After the first intense heat has passed off, 

 cover the manure over with about six inches of soil. 

 The soil should have been prepared the previous fall 

 by rotting sod, and old cattle manure. When the 

 hot-bed is completed it is advisable to let it stand 

 two or three days until the heat moderates before 

 planting the seeds. The time to make a hot- bed in 

 Central Ontario is the beginning of April, so that the 

 plants will be ready to set out by the first of June. 



The selection of flower seeds best adapted for varieties of 

 growing bedding-out plants is a matter of fancy. ve'^Itebies.** 

 As a rule, preference should be given to those that 

 bloom from the time they are set out, say the first 

 of June, until late in autumn. The following should 

 be included in the list: Petunia, Phlox, Salvia, 

 Verbena, and Geraniums. The latter can be grown 

 in a hot-bed from cuttings. For a full collection 

 of flower seeds, see any of the seed catalogues. 



It is desirable that a portion of the hot-bed be 

 reserved for vegetable plants, for early planting, 

 say, tomato, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. 

 Melons and cucumbers can be started in a hot-bed 

 by inverting sods in the soil and planting seeds in 

 them. By leaving a few melon plants in the hot-bed 

 at the close of the season it will be both ornamental 

 and useful during the summer. 



In addition to a hot-bed, ever}^ farm home should 

 have a cold frame {see III. 8) to start vegetable 



