CHAPTER II. 



HOT-BEDS. 



Location.-— Select a southeastern exposure, pro 

 tected froin the north wind by a board-fence, hedge, 

 or the side of a building. Then excavate the ground 

 eighteen inches deep, eight feet wide, and as long as 

 required, allowing three feet for each sash. 



Mahing the Bed. — Gardeners in the latitude of 

 New York start their hot-beds from the 1st to the 

 15th of February. When started early, more ma- 

 nure is used, so that enough bottom-heat may be sup- 

 plied to keep the young plants growing until mild 

 weather sets in. Commence by putting a laj^er of 

 cold horse-manure, six or eight inches in thickness, 

 on the excavated surface. Begin at one end of the 

 intended bed, and be careful that this first layer, as 

 well as all succeeding ones, is spread evenly. Then 

 add a second layer of hot manure, of about the same 

 thickness as the first. The mass may now be trod- 

 den down by walking on top of it, keeping the 

 feet close together. Another layer of hot manure 

 may then be put on, the frames placed in position, 

 and pressed down firmly. Add another layer of fine 

 manure, ten or twehe inches in thickness, inside of 

 the frames, as a finish, and put on the sashes. 



The beds being eight feet wide, and the frames 



