HOT-BEDS AND HOT-BOXES 113 



engraving. By making the ends of the hot-bed with two pieces, the 

 upper hinged to the lower, it is possible to open the ends easily 

 either to avoid end-shade on the plants or to admit air and lower 

 the temperature as may be desirable. 



End-Opening for Hot Bed or Cold Frame. 



A Horticultural Hot-box. The late Ira W. Adams, of Potter 

 valley, who has already been mentioned as a grower of great in- 

 genuity and insight, devised a sort of automatic arrangement which 

 changes from a hot-bed to a cold frame about the time the plants 

 are ready to go from forcing to hardening off. He gives this de- 

 scription of it : 



I take a dry goods box, three or four feet long, two feet wide and two 

 feet or more in depth. This is about as small as it should be ; a much larger 

 one can be used, if necessary. Into this I put fresh horse manure, and straw 

 that has been used for bedding, and tramp it down occasionally as solid as 

 possible, until it is within four inches from the top. Over this I scatter a little 

 clean straw. I then use small boxes, three inches deep, and fill them nearly 

 full with nicely prepared soil, and, after sowing my seed place each box on 

 the warm bed and cover each one with a pane of glass, in order to retain 

 moisture. It is necessary to remove the glass occasionally, for the purpose of 

 admitting fresh air. The main bed will soon commence to heat, as well as 

 the earth in the box. Great care must now be taken for a few days, otherwise 

 the contents of the boxes might become too warm, which would cause the 

 young plants to grow tall and spindling, thereby rendering them almost 

 worthless. This can be easily obviated by lifting the boxes and placing them 

 under an inch board, or a few bricks. On a cold night vary the boards or 

 bricks as occasion may require. In a few days the plants will be up nicely, the 

 heat of the bed will gradually grow less, and the plants will naturally favor 

 themselves to the change. The arrangement will then become a "cold frame," 

 and the plants will grow strong and stocky, providing care is taken to cover 

 them during severe storms, as well as in cold days and nights. If the plants, 

 while still small, commence to crowd each other too much, transplant them to 

 an open, sheltered, raised bed where they can be cared for until ready to set 

 out in permanent beds or rows. 



A Warm Heap. Another of Mr. Adams' arrangements to 

 give his seed boxes just as little heat as suits the purpose consists 

 in simply throwing up a heap of fresh horse manure, etc., under an 

 old shed, and placing the seed-boxes on top of the heap. Great 

 care must be taken for some days at least, as it becomes necessary 



