ELEVEN) COME AND SEE MY CABBAGES 
Over this place a layer of leaf mold, and on top 
about five inches of the finest garden soil. The 
manure, as you place it in the pit, should be trodden 
in layers about six inches thick. A hotbed made 
with two feet of manure will soon show heat enough 
for seed. Care must be taken not to overheat — 
especially when the sun comes out suddenly. The 
starting plants must not be forced so as to draw 
them. Thoroughly sprinkle the frame at night. 
The top sash must, of course, slant so as to shed rain, 
and it should be easily raised to furnish ventila- 
tion. Close it invariably at night, to avoid chill- 
ing the plants. The size of your hotbed you can 
learn to adjust to your growing needs. I make 
quite as much use of a cold frame, which is only a 
hotbed without bottom heat. It is useful for start- 
ing plants in the spring, and it comes very handy 
for protecting roses or other tender plants in the 
winter. 
The census tells us that there is nothing that pays 
better for the country than the vegetable garden. 
The average value of garden stuff, to the acre, in 
the United States, is about $147.00, while for wheat 
the average is only about $12.00 per acre, and the 
average for wheat, corn, oats, and hay, combined, 
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