424 



GARDEN FARMING 



The manure hotbeds are prepared in the usual way, as illustrated 

 in figure 15, page 59, except that clean sand or sterilized sandy 

 loam is used in place of the usual compost. Farther south, sash- 

 protected cold frames serve the purpose of the hotbed. 



When the crop is extensively grown a special kind of fire-heated 

 hotbed' is employed for starting the sets. A bed of this sort is 

 shown in figure 10, page 44, and is constructed as follows : a 

 sloping area is selected, and at the lowest side a brick furnace 

 large enough to burn 2 -foot or 4-foot wood is built. A brick or 



FIG. 1 60. Bedding seed sweet potatoes 



terra-cotta flue leads from the furnace a distance of 30 feet or 

 more and opens into the general chamber underneath the floor of 

 the hotbed. At the end opposite the furnace a plank chimney, 

 provided with a slide damper and of sufficient height to create a 

 satisfactory draft, is erected. In reality the hotbed consists of a 

 platform or box, one end of which is on a level with the earth, 

 while the other is over the furnace, a considerable air space being 

 left between the furnace and the bottom of the bed. The sides are 

 planked up so as to prevent the escape of heat which comes from 

 the furnace. The bottom of the bed can be made of slabs or cheap 



