4 VEGETABLE FORCING 
New Jersey and other states. There are also large vege- 
table-forcing establishments in Canada. 
The hotbed and frame industries of the country should 
also be considered in this connection. All along the 
Atlantic Coast, and in many trucking sections of the 
South, hundreds of acres are covered with sash or pro- 
tecting cloth, and used in forcing vegetables for market. 
Importance of vegetable forcing.—The value of frame 
and greenhouse-grown vegetables in the United States 
amounts to millions of dollars annually. The importance 
of the industry from the commercial standpoint can 
scarcely be overestimated. There are other considera- 
tions, too, which should not be overlooked. Among them 
are: (1) Better facilities with which to start early vege- 
table plants for outdoor culture; probably 90 per cent of 
our greenhouse vegetable growers are also market gar- 
deners or truckers. (2) The possibility of keeping in 
touch with one’s patrons between the summer seasons. 
(3) The ability to give employment during the winter to 
the most satisfactory employees. (4) The increased 
pleasures of rural life during the winter by creating 
summer conditions on a small part of the farm. 
Types of vegetable forcing.—There are five rather dis- 
tinct types of vegetable forcing, namely: (1) By the use 
of manure-heated hotbeds. This is the oldest type used 
in the United States, and it is still practiced to some 
extent by commercial growers. Its chief value, however, 
is for the farmer and village gardener who desire a con- 
tinuous supply of fresh vegetables for their own tables. 
(2) By the growing of crops on a large commercial 
scale in frames heated by steam or hot water, or merely 
covered with glass or protecting cloth. This type of 
forcing is especially important in southern gardening 
districts. 
(3) By the growing of vegetables for the home table 
by people who can afford to operate greenhouses solely 
