THE AMERICAN GARDENER. 13 



seeds over neatly and smoothly. Put on the lights, and 

 look upon your spring work as happily begun. 



MANAGEMENT OF A HOT-BED. 



Always give as much air as the plants will endure. 

 I suppose the hot-bed, made as above, to be about four 

 feet high, when just finished. It will sink as it heats; 

 and will, at last, come to about a foot and a half. Its 

 heat will gradually diminish ; but it will give a great 

 heat for about six weeks, and some heat for four months. 

 It is this bottom hea| that makes things grow. The 

 sun is often hot in May ; but it is not until the earth is 

 warm that veget<ition advances with rapidity. 



Even before the seeds begin to appear give air to the 

 bed every day, unless it be very cold weather indeed. 

 The usual way of giving air is by bits of thick board, 

 cut in the shape of a triangle, or rather, like a wedge, 

 broad at one end, and coming to a point at the other. 

 Each light is lifted up, either at back or front of the 

 frame, as the wind may be, and the wedge, or lilter, as 

 it is called, is put in to hold the light up. But, if more 

 air be wanted, the lights may be shoved up or down, 

 and, on a fine day, actually taken off. 



When the plants come up, they will soon tell you all 

 about air; for, if they have not enough, they will grow- 

 up long-legged, and will have small seed leaves, and in- 

 deed, if too much deprived of air, will dropdown and 

 die. Let them grow strong rather than tall. Short 

 stems, broad seed leaves, very green ; these are the 

 signs of good plants and proper management. 



It will be necessary to water. Take off a light at a 

 lime, and water with a watering pot that does not pour 

 out heavily. W^ter just about sunset : and then shut 

 down the lights ; and the heat will then rise, and make 

 the plants grow prodigiously. 



As soon as the plants are fairly up, thin them, leaving 

 four in an inch ; stir the ground about at the same time 

 with your finger. This will leave in the frame from 

 twenty-five to thirty thousand plants. If you want less, 



