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MISCELLANEOUS WARM PLANTS. 



soil, strong bottom heat, and the more light the better. 

 We cover our benches with about 8 inches of soil, the 

 lower third of which is a layer of old sods. The top 

 soil we make by adding about one part of well-rotted 

 manure to two parts of rich garden loam. The soil 

 must never be allowed to become dry, and especial 

 care must be taken to apply enough water to keep the 

 bottom of the soil moist, and yet not enough to make 

 the surface muddy. With the strong bottom heat which 

 we use for beans, the soil is apt to become dry beneath. 



So. A bench of Sion House winter beans. 



We once had a good illustration in our houses of the 

 accelerating influence of bottom heat. One bench, to 

 which no bottom heat was applied for the first three 

 weeks, gave beans fit for picking on December 27. On 

 another bench in the same house, to which heat was 

 applied from the first, and upon which the same variety 

 was sown at the same time, the second sowing of beans 

 had been up for nearly two weeks at that date. The 

 lack of bottom heat delayed the crop fully four weeks. 

 The house should be light, and the benches should be 

 near the glass. A good bench of beans is seen in Fig. 80. 



