188 AGRICULTURE 



fermentation, heat to warm the soil in which the seeds are 

 to be planted. Place the seeds in drills a few inches apart. 

 When the frame is placed over such a layer of heating 

 manure, the whole is called a hotbed. A similar frame 

 is called a coldframe if no manure is used under it. The 

 cover usually consists of several glass sashes. On a 

 coldframe the cover may be of white cloth. 



To make a small hotbed or coldframe to be covered by 

 a single sash construct a wooden frame six feet long and 

 at least three feet wide. The back should be twelve 

 inches high and the front eight inches. It is better to 

 make it at least six feet wide, thus requiring two sashes. 

 The glass sashes slide on strips nailed to the sides or on 

 crosspieces, as shown in Fig. 125. The earth should be 

 banked around the outside of the frame. 



The slope of the glass sash should be towards the 

 south. The sun's rays strike through the glass, which 

 serves as a trap for the heat. In this heated air and soil 

 young cabbage, tomatoes, and other plants grow rapidly. 

 On mild days, the glass must be lifted so as to prevent 

 disease and to accustom the plants to cool weather. A 

 box kept near a window indoors, or covered with a few 

 panes of glass, may take the place of a hotbed. 



Vegetables that may be planted in cool weather. - 

 Among the plants of the garden that can endure rather 

 cold weather are peas, kale, mustard, radish, spinach, and 

 lettuce. The seeds of these plants are therefore usually 

 the first to be planted, in February or earlier. Young 

 cabbage plants endure much cold. In the central part 

 of the Gulf states they often live through the winter 



