1S!62. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



65 



-^ 



For the New England Farmer, 

 USES OF A HOT-BED 

 BY E. "W. BUSWELL. 



Market gardeners and commercial florists un- 

 derstand well the absolute necessity of hot-beds 

 in the economy of their operations, and so also the 

 wealthy amateur, but to the amateur of small means 

 — he who cannot ■well afford to expend a dollar 

 except its speedy return be sure — the thoup^ht of a 

 hot bed, and its management, is so formidable as 

 to "taboo" the affair quite effectually. Now it is 

 to my timid brother of small means that I wish to 

 give a few hints that shall assist him materially in 

 growing his pets. 



To begin, I assume three things : first, that he 

 considers floAvers essential to his happiness and 

 well being, and the more the better. Second, that 

 his condition precludes the possibility of his giv- 

 ing much time to their culture ; and thirdly, that 

 he is Avilling to repay the soil for its contribution 

 to his happiness. 



Shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and the like, we 

 will not consider now. They know no difference 

 between the poor and the rich ; so, also, the more 

 hardy annuals do well under ordinary treatment ; 

 but all this don't satisfy us. We want a "show" 

 of the finer and more delicate growing exotics, 

 and icill have them. 



Suppose we try fii-st to grow them in the ordi- 

 nary mode of open culture, and let the lumbering 

 hot-bed go. With great care we select the 

 choicest seeds, and with full confidence in our 

 ability to do the whole thing justice, we await the 

 proper time for planting. It seems as though the 

 ground never would be warm enough, spring is so 

 backward, and it takes the cold rains so long to 

 fill the ground and "go away ;" but at last the 

 bright sun has shone upon the earth for a ichole 

 day or more, in the seeds go, "for better, for 

 worse," and we "lay back" with splendid visions 

 of the future, to await their coming. Time is 

 plenty wherein to speculate on probabihties, and 



lay our plans for dispensing beautiful bouquets 

 among our less privileged friends ; but how is 

 this ? why don't they come ? I know I gave to 

 each its proper depth according to its kind, and I 

 have only here and there an indication of vegeta- 

 ble life, except weeds, which grow without aid ; 

 still we watch and pray, still they don't come, and 

 we wait and wait, until hope is extinct ; plant 

 again — again the same result ; call the seedsman a 

 cheat, resolve to shun him in future, and fall back 

 upon sunflower and marigold, seeds of which toe 

 saved, extend our faith another twelvemonth, and 

 pocket our disajipointment with all the grace at 

 our command. So much for that system. 



Now let us make a hot-bed, and see if we have 

 cause to regret it. We design manuring the gar- 

 den, so we buy stable manure in March, where- 

 withal to do it. No matter if it l)e coarse and 

 cheap, we can improve the quality before autumn, 

 many fold, and be richly rewarded in the process. 



We begin by throwing it in a heaj), so as to pre- 

 sent as little surface as possible to the atmosphere, 

 and while fermentation is beginning its work, we 

 will get the frame ready. A good size for our use 

 isoXlO feet square, 10 inches high in front, 18 

 in the rear, with the ends shaped of course to. 

 match. Let these be cleated so as to prevent 

 warping, and fasten together at the corners with 

 hasps. Let in, flush with the edge, narrow strips 



