Hotbeds, Cold Frames and Flats 



Sowing Seed in Flats in the House 



Is the simplest, and least satisfactory form of 

 advance work in the garden; it belongs in the 

 class of being "better than nothing," but for some 

 plants is quite as successful as a hotbed, unfor- 

 tunately that particular class is not embraced in 

 a book on vegetable gardening, but belongs par- 

 ticularly to flower gardening and the special sorts 

 dedicated to the warm conservatory and window 

 garden. 



However, if one has not, and cannot achieve, 

 the advantage of a hotbed then one must make 

 the most of what is attainable and resort to flats. 

 These may be of any shape or size, but the usual 

 florists' flats — about fifteen inches wide and 

 twenty long and not over five inches deep — are of 

 a practical size for general use; narrower ones 

 which may be set on a window sill are also useful 

 but will not give a large number of plants. Very 

 convenient plant boxes which simulate a minia- 

 ture hotbed, being about six inches high in the 

 back and about four in front, of the usual flat 



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