MaKing and Operating a Hotbed 



IN making hotbeds for forcing early 

 vegetables or raising seedlings, 

 great care should be taken in 

 handling the manure. Good strawv 

 manure with not too large a propor- 

 tion of droppings is best. Before the 

 bed is made up, the manure should be 

 turned two or three times, at short in- 

 tervals, as the weather will permit. 

 The reason for the turning is to take 

 the rank heat out, and prevent it fire- 

 fanging. Care should be taken that 

 every portion is well shaken. If leaves 

 can be added it will tend to steady 

 the heat and make it more lasting. 



The manure should be left in pile 

 long enough to sweeten. This can 

 readily be ascertained by pulling a 

 handful from the middle of the pile 

 and smelling it ; all impure smell should 

 be gone. 



The ideal location for hotbeds is 

 facing south or south-east, exposed to 

 the full sun. The boards to be used in 

 making a frame should be 12-inch for 

 the back and 10-inch for the front; 

 this on level land will give sufficient 

 fall to enable the rain to run off. Build 

 on sandy ground with a slight slope. 

 There are two reasons for this, the first 

 is drainage and the second is to enable 

 the sash to have fall enough to run off 

 rain; this can then be secured without 

 having the manure thicker at one end 

 than the other. Enough manure should 

 be used to have the bed about one foot 

 deep when thoroughly tramped. By 

 thorough tramping you prevent the 

 soil from sinking in spots, which would 

 be a source of trouble. The beds 

 should be well sheltered by a fence or 

 wind-break on north and west sides. 

 The more it is sheltered sideways the 

 better, as starving winds operate too 

 suddenly in lowering the temperature. 



The soil for the beds should have 

 been well covered with manure. This 

 will mean a great saving in labor and 

 time. For lettuce, radish or beet, about 

 six inches of soil should be used. Care 

 should be taken to let the steam get 

 off before planting, to prevent mildew. 

 When lettuce is to be planted, plants 

 that have been pricked out in flats give 

 the best and quickest results. 



My experience in radish leads me to 

 think that the following is the best way 

 to sow them: Make a marker the 

 length of the sash with points three 

 inches apart on it. With this make 

 shallow holes and sow three or four 

 seeds in a hole. When sown this way, 

 practically all the radishes are ready 

 to pull at one time. To do this suc- 

 cessfully the seed should be sorted by 



♦An address delivered before the Hamilton 

 branch of the Ont, Vegetable Growers' Association. 



r. K. R.eeves, Hutnber Day, Ontario 



sifting or otherwise, using none but 

 plump, bright seed. 



The matter of ventilation needs care- 

 ful attention. If possible, the air should 

 be changed at least once every 24 hours. 



The question of watering will, of 

 course, depend largely on the weather, 

 making sure when watering has to be 

 done to give a good soaking. I have 

 frequently grown the first crop of 

 lettuce without being watered from 

 the time of planting till ready for the 

 market. 



Sufficient covering should be kept 

 handy for use in case of frost. Where 

 canvas is used, it is a good plan to go 

 over it on a frosty night with the 

 watering can and give it a light sprinkle ; 

 this will prevent frost getting through. 



The following has been found a good 



way to hasten the germination of 

 tomato, egg plant, peppers, cabbage 

 seed, and so forth : Mix with about 

 three times their bulk of clean sand, 

 soak in tepid water one hour, then 

 place in shallow boxes, keeping the 

 different varieties labelled. Keep in 

 a warm place until they show signs 

 of germination, then sow in bed. Seed 

 thus treated will usually show a gn ■ n 

 line in 30 to 48 hours after sowing. 



Lettuce and radish are generally 

 the first crops grown in hotbeds. 

 These can be taken off and the ground 

 used for the transplanting of toma- 

 toes and so forth. Crops that may be 

 started in hotbeds are beets, cabbages, 

 cauliflowers, celer\', cucumbers, egg-'^ 

 plants, peppers, onions, tomatoes, mel- 

 ons and squash. 



Prize-Taker Onions that were Prize-Winners 



This cut illustrates some of the Prize-taker Onions at the Canadian National E.xhibition last fall. In the ccntn 

 is the lot that won first prize. They were grown by Brown Bros., of Humber Bay, Ont. Regarding thd;, 

 system of producing onions of this kind. Mr. J. G. Brown writes as follows: "The most successful way to grOT 

 onions is to sow the seed in the greenhouse or hotbed about the middle of March. Then plant outside as soon a> 

 possible, in good rich soil in rows about 18 inches apart. Keep the ground well worked during growth. Whei 

 the tops drop over the onion is ready to pull, but do not allow them to lie on the ground too long, as it spoil 

 their appearance." 



Tomato Culture Inside and Out* 



JoHn N. "Watts, PortsmoutK, Ontario 



SUCCESSFUL tomato culture under 

 glass depends as much on the man 

 in charge as on conditions. Eter- 

 nal vigilance and the exercise of good 

 judgment on the part of the grower are 

 more essential than strict adherence to 

 set rules. 



Strong bottom heat, plenty of light 

 and a large volume of pure air are im- 

 portant conditions. They are best 

 secured in a large, well-ventilated house. 

 Tomatoes often are successfully grown 

 without bottom heat, but the period of 

 maturity is much delayed. 



* This essay won first prize for best article on 

 "Tomato Growing" in the competition con- 

 ducted by The Ontario Vegetable Growers' 

 Association. 



64 



To make the best use of the house 

 two crops should be grown during th( 

 season. This will bring each crop on a: 

 a season when the expense of htating 

 during a part of the time, will be light 

 Plants for the first crop should be startec 

 as early as August, that is if the buB 

 of the crop is desired for the holidays 

 For the second crop seed should b 

 sown about November 1. The plant 

 will then be ready to replace the frs 

 lot when the fruit is off in January. 



Many growers have been well pleasa 

 with the practice of laying down th 

 vines and allowing them to take root afte 

 the first crop is picked and thereb 

 forming a succession of fruits on the ol< 

 plants. The plants are treated in ever 



