288 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



small pieces of board, stepping from one to the other and mov- 

 ing them as you cross the bed. For an early bed there should 

 be eighteen inches of manure, when packed, and five or six 

 inches of good soil. 



There are three evils to be guarded against in the manage- 

 ment of a hot^bed cold, heat, and over-crowding which makes 

 the plants weak and spindling. The first can be guarded against 

 by the means already named a sheltered spot for the beds, and 

 banking up with manure, and in addition, by covering the beds 

 at night with boards, mats, or bundles of straw. To guard 

 against overheating requires constant care; for whenever the 

 sun shines brightly, the bed must be partly opened in the mid- 

 dle of the day, or the plants will be damaged, if not ruined. 

 As the plants grow, they must be thinned, so as to give them 

 room. They may be transplanted into other beds. Enough 

 plants can be started under one sash to fill beds that a dozen 

 will cover, and the plants will be made stocky and much im- 

 proved by the transplanting. If you have a warm house and a 

 south window, a box may be fitted to the window-sill and held 

 in place by a wire at each end, and enough plants for a family 

 started in it, and these can be transplanted to a hot-bed or cold 

 frame, to give them a start before it is warm enough to put them 

 in the open ground. 



A cold frame is the same as a hot-bed without manure. 

 That is, you use the frame and sash, and avail yourself of pro- 

 tection from winds, but depend on the sun for warmth. It will 

 require less watching th:m the hot-bed, and will give plants sev- 

 eral weeks earlier than they can be grown in the open ground. 

 It is of great value also, late in the spring, for protecting ten- 

 der plants like tomatoes from late frosts, and for this purpose 

 they can be used without glass, as covering will only be required 

 at night. 



When to Plant. No directions can be given when to start 

 a hot-bed, or plant any particular crop, which will suit all parts 

 of a country of such varied climate as ours ; but I shall give the 

 time which I have found best in latitude one-half degree north 

 of Cincinnati, and shall try to show how much cold the different 



