I 6 A MANUAL OF 



SHUTTERS. If glass sashes cannot be af- 

 forded in sufficient quantity to cover the de- 

 sired area, we prefer light basswood shutters 

 to the use of cloth. These are made exactly 

 the size of the sashes in use, and are alternated 

 with them, care being taken to change the 

 position every day, so the glass will cover the 

 space which was covered on the previous day 

 by the shutter, that no part of the bed will 

 suffer for want of light. These shutters will 

 be found very useful in covering the glass 

 frames on cold nights, and also in shading 

 them during intensely sunny weather. 



USE OF FLATS. We have used both a solid 

 floor in the bottom of the bed, on which the 

 soil is placed to a depth of six or eight inches, 

 and movable " flats," which are best and cheap- 

 est made of soap or saleratus boxes sawed in two 

 pieces. When these are used, no other floor is 

 necessary, only a series of cross sleepers on 

 which to rest the edges of the boxes. For some 

 kinds of plants there is much gained in the 

 use of such boxes, as they enable the operator 

 to readily shift the growing plants to a cooler 

 or hotter position in the bed, as may be re- 

 quired. These " flats " are also desirable when 

 selling early plants in the market, as they re- 



