6o 



GARDEN FARMING 



allowed to pass the maximum and begin to decline before planting 

 is begun. As soon as the temperature has fallen to 90 F. it is safe 



to begin seeding. 



Vegetable growers 

 as a class employ a 

 temporary type of hot- 

 bed, which is con- 

 structed by making an 

 excavation from 1 5 to 

 1 8 inches deep, 6 feet 

 wide, and any multiple 

 of 3 feet in length. 

 The excavation is lined 

 with boards, packed 

 with fermenting ma- 

 terial, and covered with 

 sash and mats (see 

 figure 1 6), as are the 

 temporary cold frames 

 so extensively em- 

 ployed at the South. 

 Hotbeds of this type 

 are used with good 

 success by gardeners 



about Boston, Cincinnati, and other cities. They are simple, cheap, 

 effective, and well suited for forcing lettuce, radishes, carrots, etc. 

 Permanent hotbeds. Permanent hotbeds are so called not be- 

 cause they are permanently 

 or constantly heated but 

 because a pit walled with 

 boards, brick, stone, or con- 

 crete (as shown in figure 

 17) has been provided for 

 the reception of the fer- 

 menting material. The 

 frame for the sash may be 



smaller than the manure FlG I? Cross section of 

 pit, or it may be a part hotbed pit 



FIG. 1 6. Temporary hotbed protected by sash, 

 mats, and fence 



