How to Grow Plants from Seeds 181 
and is usually of the shape shown in the accompanying 
diagrams. The top is fitted with glass sash, which is 
: 
Fic. 105. Diagram showing the completed frame of a hotbed. 
given a sloping surface to shed the rain. The standard 
size for the sash is 3X6 feet; so a frame 6X6 feet will 
be covered by two sash. A hotbed of this size is large 
enough to supply plants for the small home garden, but 
the size and shape of the frame may be made to suit any 
sash that may be at hand. The sash of the storm windows 
may be used as a covering, as the hotbed is not started 
until the most severe weather of winter is past. 
The hotbed should be located on a well-drained spot. 
Its sloping surface should be fully exposed to the south. 
On the north it should be protected by a fence, a hedge, 
a wall, or a building. It should be near a supply of 
water and within the vicinity of a building or basement 
in which the work of seed sowing and transplanting from 
flat to flat can be done very easily. 
Making the hotbed. To make a pit hotbed, dig a pit 
about 20 inches deep and of the exact size and shape 
of the frame to be used. Then drive a post at least 6 
inches in diameter at each corner, so that all the tops 
are on a level about 6 inches below the surface of the 
ground. 
