CABBAGES, HOW TO GROW THEM, ETC. 67 



the length of a common gardener's sash. If common 

 window sash is used cut channels in the cross bars to let 

 the water run off. Dig the ground thoroughly (it is best 

 to cover it in the Fall with litter to keep the frost out) 

 and rake out all stones or clods ; then slide in the sash 

 and let it remain closed three or four days that the soil 

 may be warmed by the sun's rays. The two end boards 

 and the bottom board should rise as high as the sash to 

 prevent the heat escaping, and the bottom board of a 

 small frame should have a strip nailed inside to rest the 

 sash on. Next rake in thoroughly guano or phosphate 

 or finely pulverized hen manure, and plant in rows four 

 to six inches apart. As the season advances raise the 

 sashes an inch or two in the middle of the day and wa- 

 ter freely at evening with water that is nearly of the 

 temperature of the earth in the frame. As the heat of 

 the season increases whitewash the glass and keep them 

 more and more open until just before the plants are set 

 in open ground, then allow the glass to remain entirely 

 off both day and night unless there should be a cold rain. 

 This will harden them so that they will not be apt to be 

 injured by the cabbage beetle, as well as chilled and put 

 back by the change. Should the plants be getting tco 

 large before the season for transplanting, they should be 

 checked by drawing a sharp knife within a couple of 

 inches of the stalk. If it is desirable to check their 

 growth or harden them, transplant into another cold 

 frame, allowing each plant double the distance it before 

 occupied. 



The structure and management of a Hot Bed is much 

 the same as that of a Cold Frame, with the exception 

 that the sashes are usually longer and the back and 

 front somewhat higher ; being started earlier the requi- 



