58 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES 



which banks up the sides, and replace it by a fresh hot 

 supply. Thin out the carrots when necessary and water 

 constantly, but do not use ordinary water drawn from 

 the tap. Keep a canful in the frame and use that. 



Instead of carrots we may grow potatoes, but in this 

 case the soil lying on the manure mound must be at 

 least eight inches deep. Thetubers arepreviously sprouted 

 and treated in accordance with the rules laid down in 

 Chapter XIII. When the haulms grow up to the glass 

 the whole frame should be slightly and frequently raised 

 and extra manure placed around the outside. French 

 growers do not pull up the entire roots when the tubers 

 have reached a fair size. They grope about in the soil 

 with their hands, pulling out the matured specimens, 

 leaving the remainder to grow on. 



Whatever the crop, we must do all in our power to 

 preserve a temperature of about 65 within the frame. 

 When frosts are likely or snow may fall, keep the window 

 shut and cover up well with old carpets, which must be 

 weighted down in windy weather. Or if the mid-day 

 sun is a trifle powerful, cover the glass with newspaper 

 in order that the temperature may not mount up and 

 kill the tender plants. On all suitable occasions air 

 must be let into the frame. 



Where manure cannot be obtained in ample quantities, 

 an economical hotbed may be made by digging a rec- 

 tangular pit ; placing a window light over it and lining 

 the inside with fermenting material. The earth sides 

 will conserve the heat, and so the need for manure is 

 lessened. 



A hotbed is, however, an impossibility with many 

 growers, but all should possess a cold frame. This very 



