200 THE HANDBOOK FOR PEACTICAL FARMERS 



passed; (2) certain plants which require a long season in order 

 to mature may be started; (3) it is made possible for certain 

 plants like the tomato to produce a large crop before frost 

 (especially true in the north) ; (4) some crops like lettuce and 

 celery do better if started in the hotbed and transplanted after 

 pruning the root system; (5) the elements, moisture, heat and 

 light are controlled so that the germination of the seed is sure ; 

 (6) the first crop of weeds may be destroyed by cultivation, the 

 soil made fine and the arrangement of the garden made more 

 attractive by starting the first crops under glass; (7) if the 

 plants are properly cared for they are strong and resist disease 

 more readily; (8) a means of avoiding insect enemies is pro- 

 vided; (9) tender crops like cucumbers and summer squash may 

 be started early among the other seedlings ; (10) a crop of lettuce 

 and other vegetables may be raised after frost sets in, late in 

 the fall. 



Fill the hotbed with fresh horse manure where bedding has 

 been straw. Pack tightly. Moisten with hot water to start fer- 

 mentation. Place four to five inches of clean garden loam over 

 the manure. Place a thermometer as shown in the diagram. 

 Cover with sash. Temperature often rises to one hundred and 

 ten degrees Fahrenheit and higher. Plant seeds after the tem- 

 perature begins to drop and reaches eighty degrees Fahrenheit. 

 Seeds planted when the temperature is high are baked. 



Protect the plants early in the spring and late in the fall by 

 covering hotbed sash with straw mats and light wooden shutters. 

 Ventilate freely on bright days, but do not allow a draft, or chill 

 the plants. 



Following is a table of spring crops planted in the hotbed in 

 the vicinity of New York city. For every hundred miles north 

 or south of New York subtract or add from eight to ten days to 

 the dates given. 



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