THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 245 



soggy, and should spring slightly when trodden upon. After the 

 manure has been properly tramped and leveled, the frames to sup- 

 port the sash are placed in position facing toward the south. These 

 frames are generally made to carry 4 standard hotbed sash, and the 

 front board should be 4 to 6 inches lower than the back, in order that 

 water will drain from the glass. Three to five inches of good garden 

 loam or specially prepared soil is spread evenly over the area inclosed 

 by the frame, the sash put on, and the bed allowed to heat. At first 

 the temperature of the bed will run quite high, but no seeds should 

 be planted until the soil temperature falls to 80 F., which will be in 

 about three days. In most farmhouses enough heat is wasted 

 throughout the winter to sustain a small hothouse to say nothing of 

 a hotbed. 



Hotbeds haying more or less permanence may be so constructed 

 as to be heated either with fermenting manure, a stove, a brick flue, 

 or by means of radiating pipes supplied with steam or hot water from 

 a dwelling or other heating plant. For a permanent bed in which 

 fermenting manure is to supply the heat, a pit 24 to 30 inches in 

 depth should be provided. The sides and ends of the pit may be 

 supported by brick walls or by a lining of 2-inch plank held in place 

 by stakes. 



Standard hotbed sash are 3 by 6 feet in size, and are usually 

 constructed of white pine or cypress. As a rule, hotbed sash can be 

 purchased cheaper than they can be made locally, and are on sale 

 by seedsmen and dealers in garden supplies. In the colder parts of 

 the country, in addition to glazed sash either board shutters, straw 

 mats, burlap, or old carpet will be required as a covering during cold 

 nights. It is also desirable to have a supply of straw or loose ma- 

 nure on hand to throw over the bed in case of extremely cold 

 weather. 



During bright days the hotbed will heat very quickly from the 

 sunshine on the glass and it will be necessary to ventilate during the 

 early morning by slightly raising the sash on the opposite side from 

 the wind. Care should be taken in ventilating to protect the plants 

 from a draft of cold air. Toward evening the sash should be closed 

 in order that the bed may become sufficiently warm before nightfall. 

 Hotbeds should be watered on bright days and in the morning only. 

 Watering in the evening or on cloudy days will have a tendency to 

 chill the bed and increase the danger from freezing. After water- 

 ing, the bed should be well ventilated to dry the foliage of the plants 

 and the surface of the soil and prevent the plants being lost by; 

 damping-off fungus or mildew. 



HANDLING OF PLANTS. 



Successful transplanting of indoor-grown plants to the garden 

 or field depends largely upon their proper treatment during the two 

 weeks preceding the time of their removal. Spindling and tender 

 plants will not withstand the exposure of the open ground so well as 

 sturdy, well-grown plants, such as may be secured by proper han- 

 dling. 



Plants grown in a house, hotbed, or cold frame will require to 



