84 POPULAR VEGETABLES 



At this time of the year (October) little or no 

 fire heat will be required, therefore the house will 

 not dry very quickly, but the bed on the surface 

 must never be allowed to become parched, and if 

 bearing very heavily an application of warm water 

 will be necessary, at least once a week, and sometimes 

 twice. The paths and walls of the house should be 

 moistened over at least twice a day, but not saturated 

 too heavily. The first crop will remain in profitable 

 bearing from a month to six weeks, and after this 

 is exhausted the bed should be brushed over, clearing 

 away any loose bits of soil that may be on the sur- 

 face, and giving a good soaking of water at a tem- 

 perature of 85 to which a little common salt has 

 been added, a small wine-glassful to three gallons of 

 water. Shortly after this a second crop should result, 

 not so heavy as the first, neither will it last in bear- 

 ing so long, however, it should give a satisfactory 

 return. When this is over, as it will be in about 

 three weeks, the bed is then exhausted and must be 

 cleared out, making room for a succession of beds to be 

 formed one after the other, according to the quantity 

 of manure available. The last bed should be formed 

 in the house about the first week in May. After this 

 date the crop is not a profitable one in houses such as 

 we have been considering, on account of the weather 

 being too hot. After this date until September comes 

 round again they will succeed much better in open 

 sheds or even in the open air. Temperature and venti- 

 lation depend very much on the size of the house and 



