40 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



sixty degrees at night, and about eighty degrees during the 

 day. When there is not the convenience of a greenhouse, a 

 hot-bed will answer the same purpose. A hot-bed, made 

 with manure, about two feet deep, in a proper nuinner, pro- 

 duces just about the same temperature and general conditions 

 as a well-appointed greenhouse will. We now invariably sow 

 the seed in shallow boxes (those used in the importation of 

 tin), which are one and three-fourths inches deep and about 

 twenty inches long by fourteen wide. We use any light, 

 rich soil for the purpose, sowing enough seed in each box 

 to produce one thousand to fifteen hundred plants, or, if 

 sown in the hot-bed, without the boxes, each three by six 

 foot sash should grow about five thousand plants ; but we 

 find it more convenient to use the boxes than to sow in the 

 soil, put direct on the bench of the greenhouse, or on the 

 manure of the hot-bed. The plants sown on February 1, 

 in a temperature averaging seventy degrees, will give plants 

 fit to transplant in about three or four weeks. We then use 

 the same kind of shallow boxes, putting in the bottom 

 of each about three-fourths of an inch o^ loell-rotted manure. 

 Over that we place an inch of any ordinary rich light 

 soil, smoothing it so as to have it as level as possible. 

 In these boxes, which are fourteen by twenty inches, we put 

 an average of about one hundred and fifty plants. After 

 transplanting into the boxes, they are continued to be 

 grown in the same temperature for about ten days ; they 

 are then placed in a temperature averaging fifty-five 

 degrees, where they are allowed to remain for ten or twelve 

 days, and finally are placed in cold-frames. The boxes 

 should be placed as close to each other in the cold-frames as 

 they will stand, — about eight boxes fill a sash, thus holding 

 about twelve hundred plants. If the weather is cold, they 

 are matted ; if not, the sash will be sufficient protection. 

 For the y)ast five years we have each season grown about 

 half a million of cabbage, cauliflower, celery and lettuce 

 plants in this way, and have never failed to get fine plants, 

 much superior to those raised by the old cold-frame plan of 

 sowing in the fall. 



Plants sown on the 1st of February are transplanted into 

 the boxes about the 1st of March, and are fit to be placed in 



