360 Glass 



also be lessened by careless watering, particularly by soak- 

 ing the manure. Manure that is too heavy and concen- 

 trated may heat violently, and wetting it may tend to cool 

 it to the point at which plants can grow; but a better 

 way is to mix leaves or other litter with the manure, 

 thereby preventing too rapid fermentation. Kot only 

 should the heat from the fermenting manure be main- 

 tained, but care should be taken to prevent too much of it 

 from escaping. This is an important caution in very cold 

 nights and windy weather, at which time the frame should 

 be protected by mats or other covering. A cold and wet 

 soil also tends to lessen the heat in the hotbed. For this 

 reason, hotbeds should be placed in a sandy or gravelly 

 place, if possible ; or if not, the greatest precaution should 

 be taken to insure perfect drainage. 



Watering should be performed with caution and care. 

 Careless watering tends (1) to pack or to puddle the soil, 

 (2) to chill the plants, and (3) to soak the manure and 

 to check its fermentation. If watering is from a hose, the 

 danger of packing the soil is greater than with a watering- 

 pot, since the water is applied with greater force. Hotbed 

 soils should be rather loose and fibrous to prevent the 

 puddling. As compared with outdoor or field conditions, 

 the amount of water applied to a hotbed is usually exces- 

 sive, and the physical texture of the soil is likely to be 

 injured unless one exercises considerable care. • 



It is better, as a rule, not to water hotbeds toward night 

 or when the temperature is falling, for the application of 

 water and the subsequent evaporation tend still further to 

 cool the bed. It is particularly inadvisable to allow the 

 plants to go into the night with wet foliage. This cau- 



