62 The Principles of Vegetable -Gardening 



will have germinated. Loosen and aerate the soil 

 before sowing. Sow in rows four to six inches apart. 

 Plants which do not transplant well, as melons and 

 cucumbers, may be grown in pots, old berry boxes, 

 or on inverted sods, rather than directly in the hotbed 

 earth. More and more, gardeners are coming to start 

 all plants in boxes or flats (Fig. 12), for the plants can 

 then be carted to the field or put on the market with 

 ease and with little loss. The flats can also be shifted 

 from one part of the frame to another, or from bed to 

 bed, as conditions may require. 



In the summer-time, after the frames are stripped, 

 the old beds may be used for the growing of various 

 delicate crops, as melons or half-hardy flowers. In this 

 position, the plants can be protected in the fall. As 

 already suggested, the pits should be cleaned in the 

 fall and filled with litter, to facilitate the work of 



making the new 

 bed in the winter 

 or spring. 



Various modifi- 

 cations of the com- 

 mon type of hot- 

 bed will suggest 

 themselves. If the 

 hotbed were high 

 enough and broad 

 enough to allow a man to work inside, we should have 

 a forcing -house. Such a structure is shown in Fig. 16, 

 upon one side of which the manure and soil are already 

 in place. From two to three feet of manure should 



Fig. 16. Manure-heated forcing-house. 



