n* 



THE AMERICAN GARDENER. 



noon, the heat will beg-iii to rise by next morning", and 

 by 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, put 

 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 oflf. 



The earth should be dry ; not like dust ; but not wel. 

 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 deep. 

 "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, observe, the earth is to be level, and 

 not sloping like the glass. The glass is sloping to meet 

 the sun, and to turn oflT the wet ; but the earth must lie 

 perfectly level ; and this, you will observe, is a very 

 great point. 



SOWING, 



The more handsomely this is done the better. When 

 you have taken off ail the lights, make little drills with 

 your fitjger, from the back of the bed to the front, half 

 an inch deep and about an inch apart. Make them 

 equi-distant, parallel, and straight. Then drop in your 

 cabbage sends along the drills, very thin ; put twenty 

 seeds perhaps in an inch ; for some will not grow, and 

 some may be pulled up when they appear. It is better 

 to have rather too many than too lew. When yoy 

 have dropped in your sireds all over the bed, and distin- 

 guished the several sorts of cabba'j^es by names or nunn- 

 bers written on a bit. of paper, and put into the cleft of a 

 little stick and stuck in the ground ; then cover all the 



