PRACTICAL GARDENING 



a foot of it in the bottom of the pit. Tramp 

 it down as tightly as possible by walking on 

 it. Moisten with hot water and immediately 

 fill in the rest of the manure, packing it tightly 

 until a depth of two feet is reached. If it is 

 a few inches over two feet it will be better, 

 because the manure will settle at least 2 inches. 



Soil. This should be available to cover the 

 surface of the manure to a depth of four inches. 

 In the spring make a heap of fine garden loam 

 and sod. Chop the sod up fine in the fall and 

 place this soil in some protected place. It 

 should never be mixed with manure or allowed 

 to dry out. The young seedlings are very 

 tender and do not need much plant food. 

 Manure always encourages decay. Do not 

 remove the pieces of sod when filling in the 

 soil since they are very valuable in retaining 

 the moisture. 



Thermometer. A standard hotbed ther- 

 mometer should be placed in the center of the 

 hotbed and partly imbedded in the manure. 

 The sash should then be placed and the maniu-e 



102 



