128 THE SMALL COUNTRY PLACE 



and frequently examined. For radishes, lettuce, celery, 

 cabbage, cauliflower, beets, onions, etc., a day tempera- 

 ture of 50 to 60, and at night 40 to 50, will give the 

 best results. For corn, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, 

 etc., the temperature should be 50 to 60 at night and 

 60 to 70 during the day. 



Starting Seeds. 



In the hot-bed and cold frame the conditions for suc- 

 cessful germination may be more certainly controlled 

 than out of doors, as we can prevent drying out of the 

 surface or too much moisture, either of which will gen- 

 erally destroy seeds just beginning to germinate. We 

 can also control the temperature. In the cold frame we 

 generally cover the seeds more thinly than in the open 

 air, by sifting over them a little soil two or three times 

 the thickness of the seed. If the soil is rather moist, 

 simply press the soil over the seed with the hand or 

 with a block, but if it is decidedly dry, the soil may be 

 settled by sprinkling with water. The critical time with 

 seeds is just as they are breaking through the ground. 

 If too dry at this time the seedlings will wilt, or if too 

 wet, they will decay (damp off). For the further 

 discussion of this subject see Chap. XI, on market 

 gardening. 



Poultry and the Family Garden. 



These two elements of the small country home may 

 be antagonistic forces, or they may be mutually 

 beneficial. Among large fruit trees poultry of all 

 ages may be of great benefit in keeping down insect 

 pests, and may be kept in runs among them the year 

 around. Among grapevines, raspberries, and black- 

 berries, they may be allowed to run until the fruit be- 

 gins to color. Among the currants and strawberries 



