86 Home Vegetable Gardening 



zero, it will be necessary to provide mats or shutters 

 (see illustrations) to cover the glass at night. Or, 

 better still, for the few earliest frames, have double- 

 glass sash, the dead-air space making further pro- 

 tection unnecessary. 



Ventilation : On all days when the tempera- 

 ture within the frame runs up to sixty to eighty de- 

 grees, according to variety, give air, either by tilting 

 the sash up at the end or side, and holding in posi- 

 tion with a notched stick; or, if the outside 

 temperature permits, strip the glass off altogether, as 

 shown facing p. 75. 



Watering : Keep a close watch upon the condi- 

 tions of the soil, especially if you are using flats 

 instead of planting directly in the soil. Wait until 

 it is fairly dry — never until the plants begin to wilt, 

 however — and then give a thorough soaking, all the 

 soil will absorb. If at all possible do this only in the 

 morning (up to eleven o'clock) on a bright sunny 

 day. Plants in the seedling state are subject to 

 "damping off" — a sudden disease of the stem tissue 

 just at or below the soil, which either kills the seed- 

 lings outright, or renders them worthless. Some 

 authorities claim that the degree of moisture or 

 dampness has nothing to do with this trouble. I am 

 not prepared to contradict them, but as far as my 

 own experience goes I am satisfied that the drier the 

 stems and leaves can be kept, so long as the soil is 



