FORMATION" AND MANAGEMENT OF HOT-BEDS. 59 



the day, and covering up at night, is essential, and also 

 that the soil be never allowed to get dry. Water, how- 

 ever, must be applied with judgment, as there is just as 

 much danger from soaking the soil too much. Water 

 should be applied with a fine rose watering pot, and if 

 the water is heated to a temperature of eighty or ninety 

 degrees, all the better. The temperature at night may 

 range from fifty-five to sixty-five degrees, and during the 

 day from seventy to eighty degrees. As soon as the 

 seedling plants are an inch or two high, which will be in 

 four or five weeks, they must be taken up and re-planted 

 in a more extensive hot-bed, for they now require room. 

 Tomatoes should be planted of a width to give seventy- 

 five or 100 in each sash. Pepper and Egg Plants do 

 better if planted in small flower pots (three-inch), as 

 they are more difficult to transplant ; they may now also 

 be kept a little closer in the hot-bed than the Tomatoes, 

 as they require more heat. After transplanting, great 

 care is necessary that they always be immediately watered, 

 and shaded from the sun until they have struck root, 

 which will be in two or three days after transplanting. 



The hot-bed is also the medium for procuring us Cab- 

 bage, Cauliflower and Lettuce plants for early outside 

 planting, when not convenient to winter them over as 

 described in the uses of cold frames. The seeds of these 

 are sown about the last week in February, are treated in 

 all respects as regards covering up at night as the Toma- 

 toes, etc., but, being plants of greater hardiness, require 

 more air during the day. They will be fit to plant in 

 the open garden by the middle of April. The beds they 

 are taken from are usually employed for re-plan ting- 

 Tomatoes, which it is not safe to plant in the open ground 

 here before the' middle of May. A more detailed ac- 

 count of how to raise Cauliflower and Lettuce plants 

 will be found in the Chapter under that head. 



