How the Frames are Made 53 



breaks, water supply and other accessories can then be 

 well provided. Pits can be dug for the hotbeds and 

 the sides stoned or bricked. These pits retain heat 

 better than surf ace -built beds, are less exposed to 

 winds, and are permanent ; but they are more expensive 

 in the beginning. The pits can also be filled in the fall 

 with manure or litter, and if this is pitched out at any 

 time in winter or spring, an unfrozen area is at once 

 ready for the making of the hotbed. Pits should be 

 tile -drained, unless the soil is very loose and the bot- 

 tom is below the frost line of the surrounding unpro- 



Fig. 10. A frame. It accommodates four sash, and measures 6x12 ft. 



tected land. If many frames are employed, they should 

 extend, in parallel rows, six or seven feet apart, so thai 

 a man walking between can water or tend two runs. 



Building the frame. The common type of frame is 

 shown in Fig. 10. It is a little over 12 feet long, is 6 

 feet wide, and is covered with four 3x6 sash. It is 

 sometimes made of ordinary lumber loosely nailed to- 

 gether. If one expects to use coldframes or hotbeds 

 every year, however, it is advisable to make the frames 

 of 2 -inch stuff, well painted, and to join the parts by 

 bolts or tenons, so that they may be taken apart and 



