No. 4.] THE HOME VEGETABLE GARDEN. 303 



them from freezing at night. Mats and shutters are needed to 

 keep out heavy frosts. 



A hotbed is only a cold-frame, under which hot manure is 

 placed to keep the ground warm. It needs extra care, first to 

 bring the heating manure to the right temperature, and next to 

 keep the seedlings from damping off in too moist an atmosphere. 



In Massachusetts the hot bed may be started late in Febru- 

 ary, the cold-frame a month later. 



As spring approaches, work in the open garden begins. 

 Nothing can be done until the frost is out of the ground, but 

 even then the soil, unless light and well-drained, may be too 

 wet to handle for several days more. Then the plowed ground 

 may be smoothed by the harrow or by the hoe and rake; or in 

 case the garden is to be manured the dressing may be disked or 

 spaded in. In hand work it is well to get out all stones larger 

 than a hen's egg, — tedious work in ground where more work 

 up each year, yet in the long run sure to pay, — and also all 

 roots of such perennials as witch grass. When the surface is 

 smooth, planting may begin. 



In planting the nature of the different plants must be accom- 

 modated to the stages of the season. Certain plants are hardy 

 to light frosts: such are beets, cabbage, Brussells sprouts, 

 cauliflower, celery, carrot, chard, cress, endive, kale, kohlrabi, 

 leek, lettuce, parsley, parsnip, pea, radish, salsify, spinach, 

 turnip. Other plants are easily injured or killed by frost: such 

 are beans, corn, cucumber, eggplant, muskmelon, okra, pepper, 

 squash, tomato, w^atermelon. So long as frosts are likely, there- 

 fore, say until the middle of May, it is safe to sow only 

 hardy plants. Yet it is often safe to risk an early planting or 

 two of corn and beans. As the danger of frosts lessens, the 

 tender plants may be sowed. Since potatoes are tender, they 

 should seldom be set out before the middle of May. 



Planting distances should be such, both in and between the 

 rows, that the plants will not crowd. Crowding means stunt- 

 ing, and stunted plants cannot yield a proper crop. As already 

 noticed, for convenience in cultivating a garden of any size, 

 where the work must be done rapidly, and usually with a wheel 

 hoe, it is not wise to have the rows much less than 2 feet apart. 

 Nevertheless, where space is limited, and where the gardener is 



