ADDITIONAL PAPERS. 245 



When the heat of the bed has become uniform at about 

 70 to 80 F., the seeds may be planted, and, in case of the let- 

 tuce plants, should be ready for sale in about six weeks. 



In the winter it is necessary to have some protection for 

 the beds by means of shutters or mats. The shutters are 

 simply half-inch boards fastened together so as to cover a 

 sash. The mats are made of straw, jute, and waste cotton, 

 being 45^x7, two of them covering- three sash. 



The ventilation of the beds is of importance, as without 

 it the beds are likely to become too hot and scorch the plants. 

 To avoid this raise the lower edge of the sash. The raising 

 of the lower edge of the sash makes the bed cool gradually, 

 as the greater amount of heat is in the upper side of the bed. 



The expense for a complete hotbed of four sash, or large 

 enough for most family gardens, would be about from $3 to 

 $4 for the frame and $10 to $12 for the glazed sash, or a 

 total of from $13 to $15. 



The frames with ordinary care will last from ten to 

 twelve years, the sash longer, and the glass until it is broken. 



D. J. Miner. 



Grafting. 



r" Among the different methods of propagation in common 

 use by the horticulturist, one of the most ancient and perhaps 

 the most used, is grafting. Grafting is a method of propa- 

 gating plants, especially trees, in which a cutting, or scion, 

 from a young growth of the variety desired is fitted and 

 placed upon a root or branch with root attached, which is 

 used as a stock for the scion to grow on. 



Grafting is used for a number of different purposes. A 

 grafted or budded tree is almost certain to produce fruit true 

 to name, or the same variety that is set. Seedling trees, on 

 the other hand, seldom or never produce fruit bearing any 

 resemblance to the tree or fruit from which the seed was 

 taken. Then again, by grafting, the time in which the tree 

 will produce fruit will be much shortened. Grafting is usefl 

 in some cases to produce dwarf trees, which are used where 



