36 VEGETABLE GROWING. 



PREPARING A COUD-FRAME. 



The frame- work and cover are prepared in the same 

 way as for hot bed. Cold-frames require less fertilizer, 

 and hence are cheaper than hot- beds. The soil in them 

 should be made very fertile by using commercial fer- 

 tilizer, or, preferably, compost. Make the soil about 

 six inches deep, using about as much well rotted com- 

 post as soil. The fertilizer must be worked in thor- 

 oughly, and the frame thus prepared allowed to stand 

 ten days or two weeks, all the time keeping it thor- 

 oughly moistened. A cold frame is as valuable in the 

 summer as in the winter. In the summer, the cloth is 

 raised to allow air to pass under, thus protecting small 

 plants from the scorching sun. In the management of 

 a cold-frame, and of a hot-bed, plenty of water is in- 

 dispensable, and it must be applied in liberal quanti- 

 ties daily. 



