20 DREER'S VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS. 
operated all winter, if desired ; but they require close atten- 
tion in the colder months. 
PREPARATION OF MANuRE. Do not adopt the rough- 
and-ready plan of taking the manure direct from the stable 
or shed in cold weather. On the contrary, it is far better to 
collect the requisite amount and make it into a compact heap. 
Use the watering pot, so that it may be made uniformly 
damp, or even wet. Do not, however, make the heap soggy 
with water. In a few days an active fermentation will be in 
progress, when the heap should be turned, shaking out all 
lumps, working long straw into the centre of the new pile, 
and again using water, if necessary. 
The aim is to induce an active and uniform fermentation 
of the whole mass, and to make this fermentation so active 
that it will continue after the soil is put upon the bed. A 
well-made hot bed will maintain a regular soil warmth for 
weeks, while a poorly made bed will be warm in spots and 
cold elsewhere. 
We are aware that some gardeners take manure direct 
from the stables, and make a hot bed on short notice, putting 
on the soil almost immediately, and planting seeds without 
delay. Everybody knows that a pile of fresh manure will 
set up an active fermentaton, without any care or preparation 
whatever, and the expert gardener simply takes advantage 
of this fact. Still, the plan of carefully stacking and turning 
the manure, adding water if necessary, is a better and safer 
one for the amateur gardener. A cold, hfeless bed in mid- 
winter is not desirable, and hence the above advice. Care in 
detail does not cost much, and insures results. It is some 
trouble to make a hot bed properly, but it is the cheapest 
way in the end. 
SoIL, VENTILATION, &c. Use the same soil as for 
cold frames—clean, well-rotted sod. Pass it through a coarse 
screen, or trust to a fine rake, as you please. After tramping 
the prepared manure firmly in the hot bed, cover it with at 
