392 VEGETABLE FORCING 
the bed and also prevents tearing the sheet in handling. The cost 
of these frames, including lumber and muslin, together with the 
necessary facilities for supporting and fastening the cloth, will be 
from 35 to 50 cents a running foot for a bed 14 feet wide. 
“If it is necessary to refit the land while the frames are in place, 
the cloth is turned back into the alleys between the frames, the 
strips that support the cloth are removed, and a 1-horse plow is 
taken into the inclosure. After the land is plowed and thoroughly 
fitted, the strips are again put in place. As the work of cultivating 
the crops must all be done by hand, it is essential that the soil be 
well prepared before planting.” 
Sash-covered frames.—Various plans are followed in 
the North for the making of sash-covered frames. 
De Baun describes the following plan, which is used at 
Richfield, N. J.: 
“The soil is previously prepared by being leveled, heavily manured 
and sometimes plowed. The frames are usually made of spruce 
boards, 16 feet long, 1%4 inches thick and 10 inches wide. They are 
run northeast and southwest with a 5-inch pitch toward the south- 
east, so that the full benefit of the morning sun may be had. Each 
frame is usually made 25 sash long and the patch between the 
frames is usually about 20 inches wide. The frame boards are 
nailed to 2 by 3 chestnut stakes, 214 feet long, driven into the soil 
on the outside of the frames. Bolts an inch in diameter and 23 
inches long, provided with large washers, are run across the path 
to hold the boards securely in place. The paths are filled with coal 
ashes, covering the rods so that the latter cause no inconvenience 
to the workman when walking in the alleys, and the ashes help also 
to keep the cold out of the frames and prevent the paths from be- 
coming muddy. Frames well made will last five years.” 
Frames of the type just described are fairly common 
in the North, except that the bolts in the alleys are not 
generally employed. Standard sash, 3 by 6 feet in size, 
are used by most growers. Though thousands of sash 
are glazed with very small panes of glass, it is desirable 
to use larger sizes, preferably the 10 by 12 size. If the 
sash are painted every other year, kept in repair, stored or 
stacked when not in use, they will last 15 to 20 years. 
