MANAGEMENT OF GREENHOUSES 129 



This may be best done during the summer. Less 

 moisture condenses in the houses then and usually the 

 summer is a dull season when many workmen may be 

 available for repainting. Special men may be em- 

 ployed for this work, but emergencies will arise when it 

 may be necessary to re-glaze a section immediately, or a 

 break in the heating system may demand immediate re- 

 pair. The efficient man is then the ready man. 



102. Care of the hotbeds and coldframes. Every 

 progressive gardener has an up-to-date equipment of hot- 

 beds and coldframes to supplement his greenhouse space. 

 They are exceedingly valuable for starting early plants of 

 various kinds, and for hardening them sufficiently so that 

 they gradually become accustomed to outdoor tempera- 

 tures in the spring. The time to start hotbeds varies in 

 different localities, and with different years ; usually they 

 may be started by the first of March. 



Manure for the heating of hotbeds should be prepared 

 earlier. The amount required will be approximately 

 two cubic yards of manure for every sash of standard 

 size. A heap of fresh stable manure may be mixed with 

 half its bulk of dry leaves. If leaves are not available, 

 straw may be used. The using of leaves or straw renders 

 fermentation less violent, and the heat in the bed will 

 become more permanent. When the pile has fermented 

 for two or three days, it should be forked over to prevent 

 any burning of the material. During the fermentation, 

 the temperature rises, and the heat produced would be in- 

 jurious to growing plants. After forking the manure over 

 a second time, fermentation will again take place, but in 

 a day or two the temperature will drop sufficiently to be 

 safely used. The sub-frame should be filled to within six- 

 teen or eighteen inches of the top on the south side. The 



