Seed Beds. 31 



on the north side of the bed and banking it up against 

 the boards, after the latter are placed in position. Put in 

 the bottom of the bed six inches of fresh stable manure 

 and wet it thoroughly, tramping it down after wetting. 

 In about a week fork this over, wetting again. Then 

 place on this manure about three inches of surface soil, 

 pack and rake off smoothly. Then sow the seed and 

 keep the soil sufficiently moist to insure germination. If 

 covered with sash, the bed should be watched, and the 

 temperature never allowed to go above 85 degrees. A 

 thermometer should be kept inside, and the sash raised 

 when the temperature goes above 80. Sash are quite ex- 

 pensive, and may be dispensed with in most localities, by 

 using a heavy domestic. Where cloth is used instead of 

 sash, the bed should be eight feet wide and ten-inch 

 boards north and south may be used, taking care to have 

 the plank fit tight. Eake-up the_soil and bank it for six 

 inches on the plank so as to exclude cold. Sew the domes- 

 tics three widths together, in length from 80 to 100 feet. 

 Then soak it in boiled linseed oil, wring it as dry as possi- 

 ble, and let it lay in the sun till dry. The bed should 

 have pieces about two by two running across at intervals 

 of eight feet nailed to each side, but coming one inch be- 

 low the top of the boards. Then drive a stake under- 

 neath each cross piece about center of bed. Then lay 

 small strips lengthwise the bed about two or three feet 

 apart. Drive a six-penny nail every two feet into the top 

 of each side, slanting outward. These nails are for the 

 purpose of hooking on the sheet. The sheet can then be 

 rolled on a round pole about ten feet long, and when 

 wanted for a cover, roll out on the bed and hooked on. If 



