THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 247 



the rafters or strips to support the cloth it is desirable to loosen the 

 soil again by means of a harrow or cultivator. The stakes for sup- 

 porting the cross strips or rafters are then driven through the center 

 and the strips nailed in place at intervals of 4 feet. The ends are 

 inclosed by means of 12-inch boards, and the bed is then ready for 

 the cloth cover. The cloth is first stitched, with the strips running 

 lengthwise of the bed, into one great sheet large enough to cover the 

 entire bed. This sheet is fastened on the north side of the frame 

 by nailing over it plastering laths or similar strips of wood. The 

 cloth should not be fastened to the top edge of the board but on the 

 side, 1 or 2 inches below the top. For fastening the sheet on the 

 south side of the frame short loops of string or cloth are attached to 

 its edge and these are looped over nails driven into the side of the 

 bed. 



Sash-Covered Frames. In the tidewater region of Virginia the 

 frames are covered with hotbed sash. The climate of Norfolk is a 

 little too severe for the use of cloth except for early autumn and 

 spring crops. A number of growers in the vicinity of Norfolk 

 handle sash-covered frames occupying as much as 3, 4, or 5 acres 

 each season. For the sides and ends of these frames the same class 

 of cheap lumber as for the cloth-covered frames is used. 



Heated Frames. Farther north, near Chicago, St. Louis, Cleve- 

 land, Detroit, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, New York, and 

 Boston, sash-covered frames are extensively used for growing early 

 vegetables. This work is practically the same as that found at Norfolk, 

 except that the frames are constructed over an excavation which is 

 filled with fermenting manure to provide heat. Where manure- 

 heated beds are extensively used for growing early vegetables a long, 

 shallow pit is opened, the manure is trodden in, and 12-inch boards 

 are fastened to stakes to form the sides. The board on the north 

 Bide is raised a little higher than the one on the south side in order 

 to form a slope for the glass. A few strips are nailed across the bed 

 to prevent the sides from coming in by the pressure of the manure 

 or soil that is banked on the outside, and the sash simply rest on the 

 sides without any guide or supporting strips between them. Straw 

 mats and board shutters are employed as a protection for the sash 

 during cold weather. 



Temperature of Frames. The temperature at which the air of 

 the beds should be carried will depend entirely upon the crop being 

 grown. Thermometers should be placed at intervals in the beds, as 

 it is not safe to judge the temperature by personal sensation. If 

 lettuce, parsley, or radishes are growing in the beds, the temperature 

 should not go above 70 F. before ventilation is given ; on the other 

 hand, if the frames are filled with cucumbers, eggplant, or peppers, 

 the temperature may run 8 or 10 degrees higher. It should be 

 borne in mind that any covering, whether cloth or sash, will exclude 

 a part of the light, and every precaution is necessary to prevent the 

 plants becoming "drawn." The safest plan is to keep the tempera- 

 ture a trifle low and thus retain the plants in a strong, thrifty condi- 

 tion. Where tender plants are being grown under cloth there is 



