COLD FRAMES. 



Cold frames are devices intended to protect plants from cold 

 without forcing them into growth. They differ from hotbeds in that 

 no artificial means of heating are employed. The cold frame in its 

 simplest form consists of a frame constructed like the hotbed frame. 

 The back board is usually 12 inches and the front 8 inches wide, and 

 the two are connected by a tapered board 12 inches wide at one end, 

 8 inches wide at the other, and 6 feet in length. The back and front 

 of the frame are made in multiples of 3 feet in length, with an inch 

 added for each division space between sash, which is provided for by 

 the use of a T-shaped piece let into the frame to stiffen it and serve 

 as a guide for the sash. When complete, the frame is placd upon a 

 sheltered, well-drained piece of ground convenient to some main line 

 of traffic between the house and some other important and frequently 

 visited portion of the grounds. The frame, as above stated, is made 

 to carry hotbed sash. The glass allows the sun during bright days to 

 temper the air of the frames, so that by properly covering them at 

 night with shutters, straw, or jute mats the heat can be retained and 

 the plants within safely carried through severe weather. The frames 

 may be banked with earth as an added precaution against cold. 



The chief precaution which must be observed in the manage- 

 ment of a cold frame is that of proper ventilation. The object of this 

 device is to retain plants in a healthy condition without adding to 

 their growth. It is therefore very essential that the temperature of 

 the frame at all times be kept at a degree which will not induce rapid 

 growth. High temperatures and abundant humidity induce growth. 

 The management of the frame should be so directed that during 

 bright, sunny weather the sash may be lifted sufficiently to admit 

 outside air in order to preserve a low temperature about the leaves of 

 the plants. In some cases it will be found that during bright days 

 even in midwinter the sash will have to be removed from the frame 

 for a few hours at midday in order to preserve a sufficiently low tem- 

 perature. On the other hand, care should be exercised in ventilation 

 and watering so as not to reduce the temperature of the frame late in 

 the afternoon, as such treatment is liable to lead to frost injury. 



It stands to reason that only the hardiest plants can safely be 

 carried over winter in a cold frame. Many of the plants which are 

 grown as annuals will, with protection, become perennials or can be 

 made to give a much longer period of bloom if sown in the autumn 

 and carried over winter in a cold frame. Among plants which will 

 be greatly benefited by such treatment are pansies, dianthus, and 

 chrysanthemums. 



Pits.- The pit is a more elaborate and efficient cold frame 

 which, as its name indicates, consists of an excavation. This excava- 

 tion may be from 2 to 4 feet in depth, with sides protected by plank 

 or brick walls, upon which a frame similar to the one described for 

 the cold frame is placed and covered with sash. The pit has an ad- 

 vantage over the cold frame for some purposes. It can be used, for 

 instance, to store some of the hardier flowering plants which are to be 

 placed in tubs or vases about the lawn during summer. Plants in a 



