HOT-BEDS, COLD-FRAMES, AND PITS. 71 



seeds will require the sash above them to be shaded until 

 the plants appear, or each pot may be separately covered 

 until the seeds are up. At night, if cold, cover the bed 

 with plank shutters, old carpets, or mats. Gradually, as 

 the plants grow strong, accustom them to the air as the 

 season grows mild. This can be done by opening the frames 

 entirely during the day, and leaving them exposed dur- 

 ing mild nights, or by transferring them to the cold frame. 



Cold Frames are made just like those for the hot-bed, 

 only the box need not be over 15 inches high at the back, 

 and are excellent for wintering nearly hardy plants of all 

 kinds, and also for forwarding the more hardy plants, as 

 hardy annuals, cabbage, lettuce, etc. Indeed, they are 

 quite as indispensable as the hot-bed, and less expensive, 

 as they require no manure, but rest directly on the soil. 

 They are also of great service in hardening off hot-bed 

 stock, which should be transferred to them before it is 

 set out in the open ground. In very severe weather, the 

 heat may be kept in by earthing up the sides and covering 

 the sash with mats during the night. Air should always 

 be given when the weather will admit, or the plants will 

 grow up yellow and spindling. In managing frames, the 

 secret of success is to give plenty of air. Plants raised 

 in cold frames are generally more hardy and desirable than 

 those from a hot-bed, unless the latter are repotted early, 

 and when reestablished, transferred to the cold frame, to 

 harden them. A cold frame or pit covered with tiffany (a 

 prepared thin cotton cloth) is even better than one covered 

 with glass, for the purpose of hardening off young stock. 



Frames of all kinds should be painted of a light color, 

 every year, both for the preservation of the wood and for 

 the destruction of insects and their eggs, that are con- 

 cealed in their crevices and angles. * A frame for raising 

 seedlings or striking cuttings need not be over 18 inches 

 deep at the back, to 9 inches in front, as it is important to 

 keep the seedlings near the glass. 



