THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



or old carpet that no chill wind may blow over 

 the exposed plants. Should the sun go under a 

 cloud when the sash is open and the temperature 

 fall, the sash must be closed at once. It will also 

 be best to keep the sash closed during rains and 

 lowery weather. 



One of the most serious difficulties which con- 

 front the gardener in the management of a hotbed 

 arises from a spell of hot weather when the plants 

 are yet in their seed leaf, or the first week or two 

 of growth; when this occurs to the extent of neces- 

 sitating the closing of the beds for days at a time, 

 especially if it also becomes necessary to protect 

 the beds from the cold with rugs, not only shut- 

 ting out the air but the light as w r ell, then the situa- 

 tion is indeed serious, as there is often much loss 

 of plants from damping off. The only palliative 

 treatment is to watch the weather and not water 

 the beds, especially at night, when a spell of wet 

 weather is imminent; if the beds go into bad 

 weather in fairly dry condition they will come 

 through in much better shape. It is, for this reason, 

 always better to water early in the morning if con- 

 ditions are favourable. 



The beds should be well protected with rugs or 

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