154 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



213. Mats and shutters. Various kinds of mats are 

 used to protect plants in hotbeds and cold frames. In 

 some sections lath crates about 3 inches thick, stuffed 

 with fine hay or sea weeds, are used for this purpose. 

 They furnish excellent protection, but are heavy and in- 

 convenient to handle. Burlap mats stuffed with cotton 

 waste are on the market, but they are difficult to keep 

 on the frames in windy weather; they furnish poor pro- 

 tection when wet and are lacking in durability. Canvas 

 mats are satisfactory, but are too expensive for general 

 use. When all points are considered, rye-straw mats are 

 most serviceable ; they are inexpensive, are not easily 

 displaced by even hard winds and furnish thorough pro- 

 tection. Machine-sewed mats of this type, as illustrated 

 by Figure 40, are on the market, or they can be made 

 by hand. The mats made by machine are uniform in 

 thickness and are much neater than can possibly be made 

 at home, unless an unusual amount of time is spent on 

 each mat. When not in use, mats should be stored under 

 cover where rats and mice will not damage them. With 

 good care they will last several years. A mat is gener- 

 ally large enough to cover two sash, 6 x 6j^> feet being 

 the popular size. 



Shutters are sometimes used instead of mats in cover- 

 ing frames. They may be made of light lumber and may 

 be of any convenient size. When used alone on frames 

 they do not protect the plants nearly as well as mats. 

 Sometimes shutters are used over the mats, which they 

 protect from rain and snow. , 



214. Sowing. Chapter XXI gives information on the 

 proper dates for sowing. 



When flats are used in sowing cabbage, lettuce, tomato, 

 pepper, parsley and other seeds, the operation should be 

 carried out in the following manner: Fill the flat with 

 soil moist enough to work well. Sprinkling while the 

 soil is being turned may be necessary to secure the proper 



