86 



THE GENESEE FARilER. 



HORTICTTLTUBAL NOTES TOR THE MONTH. 



2s o farmer who jirotends to have a garden should 

 be without a hot-bed. It is easily made, and neod? 

 on\y a little care and daily attention to manage it 

 successfully. It should be placed in a dry situation, 

 exposed to th« east and south, and protected by 

 buildings or fences on the north and north-east. 

 A hole should be dug two feet deep and a foot 

 larger each way than the frame. The manure 

 (horse-dung is best) should be placed in a loose 

 heap to ferment a week or so before being placed 

 nuder the frame. Then work it over, carefully 

 mixing it, and place it in the pit, beating it down 

 well with tho back of the fork as you proceed, but 

 do not tread it down, as it will heat more in one 

 place than another. If cojupresscd too much, so 

 as to exclude tlie air, it will ferment slowly, and 

 give out little heat. If too loose, it will ferment 

 rapidly, and be too warm at first, and will soon get 

 cold. The richer the manure — i. e., the richer the 

 food given the animals — the more readily will the 

 manure heat. If the manure is too dry, water it 

 witii tlie drainage of the stables. This, blood, or 

 any animal substance (except fat) will act as a fer- 

 ment. All nitrogenous substances in a state of 

 decay possess the power of inducing fermentation 

 in non-nitrogenous substances^ — substances which 

 of themselves will not ferment. All animal mat- 

 ters, and especially tlio^o which are soluble, can be 

 used to gt'cat advantage in regulating the heat of 

 hot-beds. "Where there is plenty of horse or sheep 

 dung, however, there will be no need of anything 

 to indtioo fermentation. 



Heat is favorable to fermentation, and it is well 

 to i)ut the frame on the bed as soon &s it is- made. 

 A frame nine feet long and six feet wide, with 

 three sashes, as shown in the annexed engraving, 

 is & convenient size. Shut it down close, but do 

 not exclude the light, and cover well at nights. In 

 a few days the bed will be quite hot. The gases 

 eliminated at first are rather injurious to plants, so 

 that the soil should not be put on the bed till all 

 rank smell has ceased. , Then cover the bed three 

 or four inches deep with lij^ht, rich, garden soil. 



Under the center of each sash place about a bushel 

 of light, rich mold, making a heap about nine 

 inches deep. When this is warmed through, sow 

 a few seeds of cucumbers in each hill, about half 

 an inch deep. Thin out the plants, leaving three 

 of the stroneest in each hill. When tlie roots pro- 

 trude through the hill, cover them with light soil 

 previously warmed in the bed. Water, when dry, 

 with water the temperature of the bed. This 

 should be about 60° at night and from 75* to 85* 

 during the day, with sun. Ventilate, by letting 

 down the sash a few inches on all favorable occa- 

 sions. Fresh air and light are as important as 

 heat; but be careful that no cold wind blows on 

 the tender plants. 



A few seeds of tomatoes, celery, egg-plant, &c., 

 may be sown in boxes and placed in the bed, where 

 they will get a good start before they are in the 

 way of the cucumbers. They should be removed 

 to a cold frame and hardened ofi:'' before planting in 

 the open ground. 



Another bed can be made and managed in the 

 same way, for a few early lettuce and radishes. 

 The sou for these should bo six inches deep. A 

 little mustard and peppergrass may be sown to use 

 before the lettuce are ready. In about a week, the 

 mustard will be three inches high ; wh<?n it has 

 two leaves, it is fit for use. For all these seeds the 

 soil should be very fine. Sow them on the surface, 

 and then sift the soil over them — eovering the 

 lettuce about the eighth of an inch and the radishes 

 a quarter of an inch deep. 



If the betl is too cold, place some hot manure 

 round the frame, covering it with board*. 



Little can be done in the open ground, this 

 month, except spreading manure on vacant land 

 ready to be sixided in as soon as the- frost is out 

 and the soil is sufficiently dry. 



Illiubarb can bo easily forced by placing an old 

 barrel, with the ends out, over a plant, and then 

 banking it round with warm manure about two 

 feet thick. Forced in this way, it is doliciously 

 tender. The top of the barrel should be covered 

 at night and OQ cold days. 



