70 GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



to five inches. Open the bed in the middle of the day, as 

 above, but close early that the plants may not become 

 chilled. During warm, gentle rains, the sash should be 

 opened, but closed very carefully during cold or heavy 

 washing storms. About 60 is the proper temperature ; it 

 should not rise above 75. Such a bed as this is invalu- 

 able for striking cuttings of all kinds, in which case there 

 should be an inch of clear river sand or charcoal spread 

 over the surface. Annuals of all kinds for the flower 

 garden, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage and lettuce plants, etc., 

 will be ready, if the bed is made in January, for trans- 

 planting quite as soon as they can be removed with safety. 

 Make the bed six or eight weeks before the plants will be 

 required. The quantity of manure required to form a hot- 

 bed varies with the season and external temperature, a 

 larger bulk being needed in January than at a later season. 

 Even a small bed should have the mass not less than five 

 feet long by four feet wide, to maintain the proper heat. 

 If the soil whereon it stands is clayey the whole bed should 

 be made above ground, as the water settling in the trench 

 would check the heat of the entire bed. If the bed is 

 made early in the season it will require the application of 

 fresh materials at the sides or " linings " to keep it at the 

 proper temperature. 



The best substitute for stable manure in forming a hot- 

 bed is spent tan, but to keep it in its position a plank bin 

 or a brick pit is required. It takes more time for the heat 

 to rise, but it is longer continued, milder and more manage- 

 able than stable manure, and is quite sufficient for a seed 

 bed. A little slightly fermented stable manure is needed 

 to be added to the center of the bed, as it will start 

 fermentation sooner. 



In sowing the bed let the more tender plants, as egg- 

 plants, peppers, etc., be sown under the same sash, and 

 separated by a thin plank partition under the cross-bar 

 from the rest of the frame. The finer and more delicate 



