94 



run. If hotbeds are to be put in operation in the 

 North much before March ist, the depth should be 

 from i8 to 24 inches. If to be used after March ist 

 from 12 to 15 inches will be ample. Tender plants, 

 as the tomato, eggplant, pepper, and so on, require 

 higher temperatures, and, therefore, require deeper 

 pits. 



The nature of the manure will also have some- 

 thing to do with the amount required. The manure 

 from grain-fed horses is usually best when it can 

 be secured. From two to three parts of excrement 

 to one part of litter gives the best results. If the 

 material consists almost entirely of the solid excre- 

 ments, fermentation is too violent and of too short 

 duration to be satisfactory. Preparation of the 

 manure should begin about two weeks before the 

 time when the beds will be wanted for use. A cov- 

 ered shed or barnyard is necessary in the proper 

 preparation of the manure for best results. The 

 materials to be used should be made into piles four 

 or five feet wide, about four feet high, and of any 

 length sufficient to furnish an adequate supply. 

 When the manure is placed on the pile it 

 should be spread uniformly over the entire sur- 

 face and well tramped. If quite dry, some water 

 should be added. In a few days the piler will begin 

 to steam and when fermentation is well under way 

 it should be replied, working the outside of the first 

 one to the center of the second. In two or three 

 days the entire mass begins to get hot again, at which 

 time the pit should be filled. In filling the pit it is quite 

 important that the material be spread uniformly 

 over the entire surface and well compacted, espe- 

 cially along the edges and corners of the frames. 

 The material will settle several inches and allow- 



