HOTBEDS 25 



construction is not to be recommended, as much dam- 

 age is frequently caused by moles and field mice find- 

 ing their way into the bed, a whole planting being 

 often destroyed in a single night. For this reason all 

 knot holes and broken places in the boards should be 

 closed with pieces of tin or wood. 



In putting the bed in commission fresh horse man- 

 ure is necessary; this should be that which has ac- 

 cumulated over night, if possible, for which reason it 

 will be necessary to secure it from a public stable or 

 one where a number of horses are kept. It should be 

 mixed with a considerable amount of bedding or 

 straw, as the burning of this alloy extends the heating 

 period of the manure very materially. The manure 

 alone would give a quick, intense heat soon dissipated. 



It is customary for florists and market gardeners 

 to pile the manure in a long pile and wait for it to 

 heat ; then fork it over and wait for it to heat again 

 before filling in the pit. This is neither practical nor 

 ;neeessary in the management of a small hotbed; the 

 small amount of manure used would simply dissipate 

 its heat by much handling ; the better way is to place 

 it at once in the pit, tramping it down in layers until 

 within a few inches of the level of the ground, care 

 being taken that it is tramped evenly all over, espe- 

 cially in the comers. If this is not done the manure 

 will settle more in one place than another, as fer- 



