28 



In tills way, slioukl tlie weather prove unfavorable// 

 you can continue the lieat any length of time. 



Having prepared your bed, put three or four inch- 

 es of good rich loam or decayed turf upon it, and place 

 the frame and sash over it. In three or four days the'' 

 loam will be sufliciently warm to receive the seed.— 

 The plants of most seed will very soon appear in hot 

 beds and care must be used in order that they may 

 liave sufficient light and air, otherwise the plants will 

 draw up long and weakly, and will not be worth trans- 

 planting. A stocky, green plant is the kind to be de- 

 sired ; and the only way to produce it, is by giving 

 an abundance of air. The upper side of the sash 

 should be raised sufficiently to let the vapors arising 

 from the manure, escape.. The sash may be shoved 

 up or down fi*om one to four inches, according to the 

 weather. If it be mild and warm, they should be ta- 

 ken off during the day, that the plants may become 

 seasoned to the atmosphere so they "will bear trans- 

 planting. By giving an abundance of air, there is no 

 trouble in raising good plants, but care should be ta- 

 ken that there are no sudden changes in the atmos- 

 phere of the bed, as that tends to stunt the growth x)f 

 the plants. 



When the plants are an inch high, it is a 'good plan 

 to transfer them to small earthen pots that have a 

 hole in the bottom. Put some earthern shreds in it 

 that the pot may be well drained, and also, that the 

 ball of earth may be easiH^ pushed from the pot with- 

 out disturbing the roots of the plant wdien it is desi- 

 rable to transplant them to the open ground. The 

 pots should be plunged to their rims m the loam of 

 the hot bed. Some make botes in tiie -giK)mid so as 

 to have the loam when the bed is finished even with 

 the surface of the ground, but these beds are liable to 

 be effected by damp and inj iirious vapors, so that the 

 plan of building above ground is to be preferred. If any 

 •oae chooses, he can make a })ox aroiuid tiie manuj-e 



