194 



HORTICULTURE 



Loose-leaved lettuce. 



accomplished tramp the manure down firmly. Then light, rich, 

 friable soil should be evenly distributed over the surface and care- 

 fully leveled. Leave the hotbed partially open for several days until 



the heat drops to 65 at night 

 and remains comparatively con- 

 stant ; then the hotbed is ready 

 for sowing. In severe weather 

 manure should be kept piled on 

 the outside of the frame level 

 with each side, and when -ex- 

 amining the plants we should be 

 careful not to expose them to a 

 cold draft of air which would 

 check their growth. The whole 

 frame should be covered with 

 glazed sashes, so arranged that 

 they can be easily replaced or moved as may be desired. Under a 

 warm bright sun the hotbed easily overheats, and we must open 

 the sash and provide proper ventilation. The cold frame differs 

 from the hotbed in having no manure or other heating material. 

 The cold frame is used to harden plants and at the same time 

 protect them and keep them growing. 



Garden Vegetables. Lettuce is a small plant much used in 

 making salads. The principal 

 kinds are the heading varieties 

 and the curled or loose-leaved 

 varieties. The seed should be 

 planted in beds or rows early 

 in the spring and should be 

 covered very lightly and spar- 

 ingly with warm rich soil. 



Spinach is a common pot ~^L 

 herb. It is sowed in drills 

 twelve to eighteen inches apart, 

 and the plants are thinned out 

 after the leaves become about an inch in width. The favorite 

 varieties are the Savoy leaved, the New Zealand, and the Victoria. 

 The onion is one of our most useful garden vegetables. It not 



Head lettuce. 



