774 



HOTBEDS 



presence of urine-soaked bedding with the manure to the 

 extent of one-third its bulls is not objectionable, as it 

 will lengthen the heating period of the manure. Unless 

 straw is mixed with the manure, it will be well to add 

 forest leaves to the amount of one-third to one-half the 

 amount of the manure. The heating material should be 

 forked over and placed in a pile 5 or 6 feet w=de, 3 or 4 



1098. Hotbed in cross-section. 



feet high and of any desired length. If the manure and 

 straw are dry, it will be well to moisten them with a tine 

 spray. In case there is biit a small amount of manure, it 

 will be best to usewanu water, though in all cases the soak- 

 ing of the manure should be avoided. Within four or five 

 days the giving off of steam will indicate that heating 

 has commenced. The pile should then be forked over, 

 working the outer portions into the center. 



The amount of heating material that will be required 

 for a Hotbed will vary with the crop, as well as with the 

 location and season. For zero weather, there should be 

 at least 18 inches of heating material after it lias been 

 well packed down, and 24 inches will be desirable in 

 midwinter in the northern states, while 6 or 8 inches 

 may answer where only a few degrees of frost are ex- 

 pected. For 18 inches of manure, the excavation should 

 be made to a depth of 28 inches below the level of the 

 south side of the frame, and 31 inches below that of the 

 north side. After the manure has warmed through for 

 the second time it should be placed in the excavation, 

 spreading it evenly and packing it down with the fork, 

 but leavin-x it for a few days before tramping it. Care 

 should be taken to have the corners well filled, that an 

 even settling may be secured. After the manure has 

 again warmed up, it should be thoroughly tramped. 



The bed is then ready for the soil, which should he 

 quite rich and contain a large amount of sand and 

 humus, a compost of decomposed pasture sods with one- 

 third their bulk of rotten manure being excellent for the 

 purpose. The thickness of the soil should vary from 5 

 to 7 inches, the greater depth being desirable for radishes 

 and other root crops (Fig. 1098). When boxes of plants 

 are to be placed in the beds the depth of soil need not be 

 more than 3 inches. For a few days the bed will be quite 

 warm, but when the temperature of the soil has dropped 

 below 90° the seeds may be sown or the plants set out. 



In severe weather tlie mats and shutters should be 

 placed on the bed at night and should be removed in the 

 morning. When the 

 sun is shining, or if the 

 bed is very hot, it 

 should be ventilated 

 by raising (Fig. 1099) 

 or slipping down ( Fig. 

 1097) the sash, the 

 amount depending 

 upon the season and 

 the condition of the 

 bed. By the middle of 

 the afternoon the sash 

 should be closed and 

 the covering should be 

 replaced before night. 

 When used in the win- 

 ter time, the Hotbed 

 should be either sunk 

 in the ground or well 

 banked up with soil or manure, so as to keep out the 

 frost. 



Pipe-heated Hotbeds. — Fire Hotbeds are generally 

 from 10 to 12 feet wide, with a span roof. A Hotbed of 

 this size would require two lines of 6-inch sewer pipe as 

 flues (Fig. 1100), with furnaces in which wood can be 

 burned at their lower ends. In order that a good draft 



1099. Ventilating the Hotbed. 



HOTTONIA 



can be secured, it is advis.able to have it upon a side-hill 

 sloping to the south. When hot water is used for heat- 

 ing Hotbeds, a 2- or2H-inch wrought-iron pipe is placed 

 just beneath the ridge as a flow pipe, with one or two 

 2-inch pipes upon each of the side walls, the number 

 varying with the season and the crops to be grown (Fig. 

 1101). Steam may be used in the same way, but the 

 pipes should be one or two sizes smaller. 



In the northern states the use of Hotbeds for grow- 

 ing crops during the winter months is not advisable, as 

 better results can be secured in greenhouses, which will 

 not be very much more expensive to build, and will be 

 more durable besides much easier to handle, but in the 

 spring Hotbeds are very useful for starting vegetable 

 and bedding plants, as well as for growing lettuce, 

 radishes and other vegetables. In the South fire Hot- 

 beds answer very well for use in the winter for grow- 

 ing plants for the truck garden, as well as for forcing 

 vegetables, but even there the simply constructed green- 

 houses are more satisfactory. 



Coldframes differ from Hotbeds only in lacking arti- 

 ficiiil heat, as they depend entirely upon the sun. The 

 surface of the soil should be from 6 to 12 inches below 

 the glass, and a large amount of plant-food should be 

 provided. Coldframes are often used for wintering half- 

 hardy plants, and for starting and growing plants in the 

 spring, after danger from severe frost is over. 



Mnnagement of Hotbeds. — li the weather is mild dur- 

 ing the latter part of February, the manure can be pro- 

 cured and prepared for use so that the Hotbed may be 

 started about the first of March. If properly constructed 



they will provide heat for two months, and can then be 

 used during May as a coldframe, thus making it pos 

 sible to take off two crops in the spring. Although it is 

 not often practiced, they may be used in the fall for 

 growing a crop of lettuce or other vegetables, which can 

 be matured before the first of December. 



If a greenhouse is not available for starting the plants, 

 seeds of lettuce, radishes, cabbages and other of the har- 

 dier plants may be sown in the Hotbed in the spring as 

 soon as it is ready, in rows 4 or5 inches apart. When the 

 first true leaf appears, the radishes should be thinned 

 and the other plants transplanted to abotit 2 inches. 

 Later on, the lettuce plants should be placed about 8 

 inches apart each way. If the weather is so cold that 

 the bed should not be kept open, the seeds may be sown 

 and the first transplanting may be in flats or boxes, 

 which can then be y)hicei] in t)ic beds. Aside from proper 

 ventilation, coveriiiir iiiid \v:ifering, the beds should be 

 occasionally weeded and tlie soil stirred. About the first 

 of April, tomatoes, cucumbers and similar plants may 

 be started. As soon as one crop is taken off another 

 should be placed in the beds, and by deepening the soil 

 they may be used during the early summer for growing 

 cauliflower, tomatoes and cucumbers. Tj. r, T.\ft. 



HOTfilA. See Astilbe. 



HOTTENTOT BREAD. Testudinaria eUphantipes. 



HOTTONIA (Peter Hotton, 1648-1709, professor at 

 Leyden). Primuliice<p. Featherfoil. A genus of two 

 species of aquatic plants, the only aquatic members of 

 the primrose family. They are suitable for small 

 aquaria. The European species is procurable from 

 dealers in aquatics ; the American one can be gathered 

 in shallow, stagnant ponds from Massachusetts to 

 western New York and south to Florida and Louisiana. 

 The European plant, H. palustris, Linn., is an herb with 

 creeping rootstock, whorled, leafy branches entirely 



