CHAPTER XXII 

 The Management of Frames 



There are in spring two periods which every gardener 

 should learn to know. They vary from place to place, accord- 

 ing to the distance from the sea, or the height above it, but 

 chiefly according to latitude. The farther north we are, the 

 later comes the spring, with the two periods of which I speak. 

 These are the times when the ground is fit for planting, and 

 when frosts are over for the year. I have mentioned them 

 already; just now we need know only the first in order to 

 calculate when to start our hot-bed. Old gardeners in every 

 town know the average season very well, and we can find out 

 from them. 



Four to six weeks before this time we may start the hot- 

 bed. First we order the manure. It should be horse manure 

 only, and from horses that have been well fed with grain. 

 You must calculate the amount that you want, according to 

 the size of your frame. A two-horse load, "with the side- 

 boards on" (for manure does not pack very closely, and is 

 lighter than earth) , will when well tramped give enough for a 

 layer a foot thick in a frame for three pony sash — three feet 

 by nine. Should you need a thicker layer (as you will if 

 you start the bed six weeks ahead of planting time, 

 instead of a month) , you must buy more manure. If you 

 make the bed on the surface of the ground, it should be 

 eighteen inches deep and a foot larger than the frame each 

 way — more manure still. Examine the manure carefully 



153 



