254 GARDENING OVER A WINTER FIRE. 



first mellow whistle in spring is a clarion call to 

 duty, the opening note of the campaign. 



The making of a hot-bed may perhaps be re- 

 garded as the first labor to be performed. Its 

 iuze will depend somewhat on that of your gar- 

 den, and whether you intend raising plants for 

 sale. 



The frame or box on which your sash are to 

 rest should be made more carefully than that 

 of the mere cold frame, for the hot-bed is de- 

 signed for growth instead of storage. The sash 

 should run in grooves, and the boards overlap, 

 so that no cold air can find access when it is 

 closed. Light pine shutters, straw mats, or old 

 carpet should be provided to render it still more 

 secure from the cold. The pits over which the 

 frames and sash are placed should be made in 

 the fall, and filled up with leaves as before de- 

 scribed. At any time from the first to the 

 middle of March, these leaves can be thrown 



