CHAPTER II. 
COLD FRAMES, ‘‘ BOXES’’ OR ‘‘STRINGS.’’ 
A cold frame is merely a glass-covered garden. The 
sides are of boards. The top is made of one or more mov- 
able sashes. The soil ought to be very rich. An ordinary 
sash covers eighteen square feet of ground space, being 
about 6 x 3 feet in dimensions. Sashes seven or eight feet 
long can be obtained, and are sometimes used, but the six- 
foot size is most convenient. 
Many plants perish from the effects of frost. Others, 
including both vegetables and flowers, are not injured by 
severe freezing. Their growth is checked, but their vitality 
is not impaired. 
The function of the cold frame sash is to ward off cold 
winds, to keep the ground clear of snow, and in the spring to 
increase the feeble heat of the slanting sunbeams, and thus 
to foster plant growth. The ground will freeze solid in the 
cold frames in winter, but to a less depth than in the open 
garden. 
The construction of the cold frame or ‘‘box’’ is simple. 
For a single sash four boards are required, but for a range of 
sashes the necessary lumber is less in proportion. The sash 
can be bought from the seedsman ; the frame must be made 
by a carpenter, so as to accommodate the requisite number of 
sashes. 
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