66 The Principles of Vegetable -Gardening 



the entire day in very severe weather. Very good ma- 

 terial for covering the sash is matting, such as is 

 used for carpeting floors. Old pieces of carpet may 

 also be used. Burlaps makes excellent cover. It may 

 be doubled ; and it may have straw, shavings or wool 

 quilted in it. Various hotbed mattings are sold by 

 dealers in gardeners' supplies. 



Gardeners often make mats of rye straw. Such 

 mats are thick and serviceable, and if they are kept 

 dry they will last for years. They are bulky to store 

 and heavy to handle, however, 

 and they are not used as much 

 as formerly. There are various 

 methods of making these straw 

 mats, but Fig. 18 illustrates one 

 of the best. A frame is made 

 after the manner of a saw-horse, 

 with a double top, and tarred 

 or marline twine is used for 



Fig. 18. Making straw-mats. 



securing the strands of straw. 



It is customary to use six runs of this warp. Twelve 

 spools of string are provided, six hanging on either 

 side. Some persons wind the cord on two twenty- 

 penny nails, as shown in the figure, these nails being 

 held together at one end by wire which is secured in 

 notches filed into them. The other ends of the nails 

 are free, and allow the string to be caught between 

 them, thus preventing the balls from unwinding as 

 they hang from the frame. Two wisps of straight rye 

 straw are secured and laid upon the frame, with the 

 butt ends outward and the heads overlapping. Two 



