The Cheapest Kind Of Hotbed— By Nathan R, Graves 5#gs 



A SIMPLE DEVICE FOR GETTING VEGETABLES A MONTH EARLIER— CAN BE MADE AT HOME 

 WITH NO EXPENSE, SAVE THE GLASS FRAME WHICH COSTS $3.00— THOUGH TEMPORARY, IT 

 IS THE BEST FOR MOST BEGINNERS AND WILL MORE THAN PAY FOR ITSELF IN ONE YEAR 



Photographs by the Author 



ENOUGH plants can be started in one 

 small hotbed to stock a good-sized gar- 

 den with vegetables and flowers. 



There are three types of hotbed that are 

 within the means of the ordinary amateur 

 gardener. 



The first is the temporary bed in which the 

 manure is spread on the top of the ground to 

 the required depth, and a portable frame 

 placed over it. 



The second differs only in having a shallow 

 pit dug to hold the manure. 



The third type is a permanent bed, the 

 frame being made two and a half feet higher, 



Detail of the end pieces and of the grooves which 

 Keep the lid from sticKing 



The best type of temporary frame 



The permanent type of hotbed 



and built directly in a pit of that depth. In 

 a bed of this kind the bottom should be tile- 

 drained, and it is a good plan to cover it also 

 with a layer of small cobblestones or plank. 

 The outside should be well banked up with 

 manure, earth or coal ashes. (Fig. No. 3.) 



The last type can be used not only as a hot- 

 bed in the early spring, but also when the 

 manure and earth are cleaned out, it can be 

 used in the fall as a storage place for plants 

 that are not quite hardy, such as tea roses or 

 for bulbs that are to be forced for winter 

 bloom. 



Of the three forms above mentioned the 

 first is the easiest and cheapest to make, and 

 therefore the one best suited to most begin- 

 ners. It is the making of such a hotbed that 

 I shall try to explain. 



The frame itself is best put together at odd 

 moments during the winter. You are then 

 sure to have it all painted, dried and ready 

 for use when wanted in the spring. 



For making the frame use cypress. It 

 may be a bit more expensive at the start, but 

 more than pays the difference in the long run. 



The sash can be bought much cheaper 

 than it can be made, and as the commercial 

 sash are 3x6 feet, the frame should be built 

 to conform with these dimensions. 



I have found that a frame taking three of 

 these sash is most convenient to work with 

 and gives most satisfactory results. Such a 

 structure is approximately 6x9 feet. 



Figure 1 gives a good idea of the construc- 

 tion of a simple, easily made, practical hotbed 

 frame. It is 9 feet 2 inches long, 5 feet 6 

 inches wide, 2 feet high at the rear and 18 

 inches high in front. 



It is made of 1 J-inch matched cypress, with 

 the corners well braced by 2 x 4-inch pieces 

 of the same material. The crosspieces are 

 2x4 inches and as long as the sash. These 

 are set into the upper boards of the frame 

 34J inches from the outside of each end, 

 allowing the extra length to extend out over 

 the lower side. 



Along the centres of these crosspieces are 

 nailed strips 1 inch wide and of the thickness 

 of the sash. Grooves f of an inch wide are 

 run into the upper surface of the crosspiece 

 and close to the edges of the strip. These 

 serve to carry off the drip of the sash, pre- 

 venting their freezing down, thus eliminating 

 one of the serious obstacles in the way of 

 properly ventilating and caring for the bed. 



Pieces, 1x4 inches and 6 feet long, are 

 now nailed along the outside ends of the 

 frame, extending above the thickness of the 

 sash. This completes the woodwork. (Fig. 

 No. 2.) 



Now putty all nail holes, give the wood- 

 work two coats of paint, and you will have a 

 hotbed frame which will serve for many years. 



In preparing material for heating the bed, 



the object is to get a slow, moist, lasting heat, 

 not one that will give out before the crop is 

 half grown. 



The commonest material for this pur- 

 pose is fresh horse manure, in which there is 

 a fair quantity of straw or loose litter. If the 

 manure is inclined to be fine, old leaves should 

 be mixed with it. 



Get the quantity of manure you require at 

 one time; pile it in a place where it will be 

 fairly well protected from snow or rain, and 

 let it ferment for a few days. 



If the manure is inclined to dryness, or if 

 leaves have been used, this fermentation may 





The method of turning the manure to prevent the 

 rapid escape of nitrogen or ammonia 



Spreading the manure. The lower layer should be 

 at least three feet wider than the frame 



'1 retming (.to pacK the layers; 



