AMERICAN GARDENER. 47 



of the fork. And, in short, make the sides 

 upright, and smooth and neat as a wall. As you 

 proceed, measure the height frequently, in the 

 different parts of the bed, to see that you are 

 keeping the height every where the same. At 

 last, shovel and sweep up all the short earthy 

 stuff round the bed and where your dung-heap 

 was, and lay it very smoothly on the top of the 

 bed; and make all as smooth and as level as a 

 die with the back of your shovel. 



75. Thus the bed is made. Then put on the 

 Frame, and fix it nicely. Then put the Lights 

 upon the Frame. If you finish your bed by 

 noon, the heat nvill begin to rise by the next morn- 

 ing; and by the noon of the second day after 

 the bed is made, the heat will be up. Poke your 

 finger as deep as you can into the middle of the 

 bed, when you have taken off one of the Lights. 

 If the heat be so great as to burn your finger ; 

 that is to say, if you cannot endure the heat ; 

 then it is too great to receive the earth ; but, if 

 not, fiut on the earth all over the bed. If the 

 heat be too great, give the bed a little air and 

 wait till a little of the heat be gone off. 



76. The earth should be dry ; not like dust ; 

 but not wet. I made provision for my bed, by 

 putting earth in my cellar , in November. It is 

 not much that is wanted. The bed is to be 

 covered all over, about six inches deefi. When 

 the earth has been on twenty four hours, take off 

 the lights, and stir the earth well with your 

 hands ; for hands are the only tools used in a 

 hot-bed. When you have stirred the earth well, 

 and made it level and smooth, you may sow your 

 seed, if you do not find the earth too hot. But, 



