THE STRAWBERRY CULTURIST. 25 



tion of air passes around them, they soon become dry, which of course 

 soon injures the roots immediately in contact with it, although at the 

 same time the mass of soil inside may contain all the moisture needed. 

 To guard against injury to the roots, it is best to plunge the pots in 

 earth, or grow them in double pots. This insures a more regular sup- 

 ply of moisture. 



Those who have no glass-house in which to force the plants, may 

 hasten the ripening by placing the plants in a common hot-bed (see 

 cut) early in the spring, giving them air on pleasant days and closing 

 the frames at night. 



The common hot-bed is made by excavating the ground to the 

 depth of ten or twelve inches and laying a strata of horse manure 

 and leaves alternately therein, making the whole about two 

 feet deep. The frame (Figure 11) is a bottomless box of wood 

 with sloping top covered with a glass sash. The size and form 



Fig. H. 



are not material, but from four to six feet wide and from six to 

 ten feet long is a good size. The bed should be six inches larger each 

 way than the frame which is to cover it, and slope slightly toward the 

 south. When completed, put on the frame, close the sash and keep it 

 on till fermentation commences, which will be when the steam ap- 

 pears on the glass. Then give the bed air a little while during the 

 warmest part of the day. In three or four days cover the surface from 

 four to six inches deep with fine, rich garden mold. In this mold 

 plunge the pots containing the plants to within one inch of the top, 

 etting the pots at a distance of about one foot from center to center. 

 The same kind of frame, without the aid of bottom heat, will ad- 

 vance the ripening of the fruit at least a month. Those persons who 

 have but little ground may, by having a few frames, secure a succes- 

 sion of this delicious fruit. One gentleman in this city, who has no 



