26 FARM-GARDENING AND SEED-GROWING. 



cold-frame, to assist in giving air, etc. Into this pit place 

 one foot of leaves or coarse litter, and manure to a depth 

 of one and a half foot, which must be trodden down rather 

 firmly, the surface made even, and covered with from three 

 to six inches of soil, as the case may require. This style is 

 best suited for forcing lettuce, rhubarb, asparagus, dwarf 

 cabbages, and such vegetables; but I much prefer for 

 general use the movable hot-bed, which is made by exca- 

 vating one and a half foot deep, two feet wider than the 

 frame to be used, and two feet longer than will accommo- 

 date two frames of four sashes each, and not boarding up. 

 In this pit place one foot of leaves or coarse litter, and on 

 that one foot or more of manure, well shaken up, but do 

 not tread it down the only pressure necessary being a 

 light patting with the back of the fork to even the surface. 

 Throw two planks across on which to walk, and stepping 

 on them, place on the frames, one foot from either end, and 

 leaving one foot on the outside, back and front ; square the 

 frame by means of a sash ; put in three inches of soil, fill- 

 ing mostly around the sides and ends, to assist these parts 

 in settling, as the center will naturally settle firs-t ; put on 

 the sashes, bank up the outside, especially on the north, 

 with coarse manure. Choose a mild day for the work, 

 and let it be done as expeditiously as possible, that the 

 manure may not be too much chilled. 



The object of having the pit wider than the frame, is to 

 allow the manure, earth, and frame to settle evenly in a 

 body. The frames can be made from ordinary thirteen- 

 foot plank, accommodating four sashes, six by three feet, 

 with sliders, without waste, and will be full heavy enough 

 for two men to handle, being two planks on the back and 

 one on the front, braced with pieces of joist in the corners 

 and center, to which the planks are nailed, the ends being 

 raised the thickness of the sashes. 



The sliders can be dovetailed in the same as the cold- 

 frame and the frames made without bottoms. By either 



