49. A country gentleman's range of hotbeds. The per- 

 manent type; made of cement 



50. Threefold burlap mats instead of the old-style 

 straw mats to Keep out frost 



51. A roll of paraffined cotton cloth used to cover 

 and protect the burlap mats 



The Making of a Hotbed— By h. Barry 



A JOYOUS OCCUPATION FOR THE DULLEST MOMENT OF THE 

 YEAR— A PRACTICAL WAY TO HASTEN THE COMING OF SPRING 



Long 

 Island 



THE day dawned bright and balmy. The 

 snow was disappearing at a remark- 

 ably rapid rate, and the first feeling of spring 

 stirred in the blood. It was the New Year, 

 and even though the shortest day of our 

 northern year was scarcely at our backs, the 

 sun seemed already to have gained in power 

 and the days to have grown longer. One 

 could not remain in the house. The garden 

 called irresistibly. But what a blank disap- 

 pointment confronted one as the feet met the 

 unyielding and frozen ground! It forced 

 upon the unwilling senses the fact that spring, 

 real spring, was yet many weeks distant, and 

 that snow, ice, storm and thaw were to follow 

 each other many times before the buds and 

 birds would come once more. Yet the senses 

 refused to accept the inevitable. We felt 

 that we must have growing things now! We 

 must dabble in the soil and see seeds sprout. 

 There was but one possibility — a hotbed. So 

 a hotbed we resolved to have. 



We knew nothing about it, but we felt sure 

 that there would be several different ways 

 and that one of them would be the best for 

 us. There is always a better way of doing the 

 common thing, and we always try to find it. 

 There is no fun in doing the common thing in 

 the common way. Our investigations usually 

 start in books, but never end there. We 

 prefer to see and examine the real thing, then 

 discuss it with our friends and neighbors who 

 we know have had experience. Then we 

 evolve the new way. Don't follow literally 

 either books or your neighbor's practice, but 

 consult them both. 



The fundamental principle of a hotbed is 

 to make and maintain heat at a small cost. 

 This may be a misleading statement, for it is 

 not so important that the heat be made and 

 maintained as that the cold be kept out. The 

 cheapest way to supply heat is to use fresh 

 manure, which gives off heat during fer- 

 mentation. A hotbed may be made by run- 

 ning steam through pipes in the bottom of 

 the bed, but this is never done unless special 

 conditions give one the opportunity to do it 

 economically. 



Dig a pit three or four feet deep and the 

 size of the frame or frames which are to cover 



Photographs by the author 



it. Set into and around the edges of the pit 

 a frame of wooden planks. Throw in two 

 feet or more of fresh manure. Tramp it 

 thoroughly to prevent too rapid fermentation 

 or it will give up all its heat at once. Over 

 this put four inches of fine rich soil, in which 

 to sow the seed. Set glazed sash upon 

 the frame and bank manure around the 



Radishes and lettuce on New Year's day. 

 sliding irame is better than a lifting frame 



53. Covered for the night with the burlap mats and 

 their paraffin cover 



outside to prevent frost from penetrating 

 from that quarter. 



These are the main outlines of hotbed con- 

 struction. The variations are innumerable, 

 the chief factors in the cost being size, per- 

 manence, neatness and portability. 



A permanent hotbed may be made of 

 brick, heavy timber, or cement, while a 

 movable frame of boards may be mortised, 

 58 



screwed, nailed, buttoned or pegged. If the 

 garden space is small, a movable frame would 

 certainly be the best, for even where there is 

 ground to spare, many people will prefer to 

 have the hotbeds out of sight in summer. 



A wooden structure may be purchased 

 complete — that is, planks for the sides and 

 ends, and a glazed sash, or as many sashes as 

 one desires to use. The regular size of a 

 sash is 3 x 6 feet, and the cost about six dollars 

 As many of these units may be placed side 

 by side as desired, or one or two large sashes 

 can be made to order. These ready-made 

 hotbeds are kept by all the leading seedsmen 

 and may be shipped anywhere on short 

 notice. You will find them in the catalogues. 



There are two distinct methods of ventilat- 

 ing the plants — lifting and sliding the sash. 



The planks are so placed that the sash, or 

 sashes, either lie down on them, projecting a 

 quarter of an inch, or slide in grooves which 

 are made on the inside of the planking. Slid- 

 ing sashes are better. Lifting is not only apt 

 to bow- the sash frame, but it is liable to blow 

 shut, smashing the glass as it falls. 



But to return to the frame. Suppose you 

 are buying the material ready to set up. 

 Place the planks so that the sash will be on a 

 slant toward the front, i. e., the board at the 

 back should be higher by a foot or more than 

 the one at the front. This is done for two 

 reasons: First, in order to shed water; sec- 

 ond, to get as much sunlight as possible. 

 For if the frame faces south (as it should 

 always do, if possible), the southern sun of 

 winter will reach it for the longest period. 

 The planks may be made fast to corner posts, 

 which should be placed firmly in the soil, or 

 the ends may be mortised. These planks 

 come with a groove on the inside, where the 

 sash is to slide. 



This information, gained from books and 

 manufacturers, would not do for us, for we 

 had some material which we wished to use. 

 (It is a poor farmer or gardener that does not 

 make use of every bit of stock-in-trade which 

 he possesses.) So we visited a friend who has 

 made some new hotbeds on his own plans. 



This friend's frames are built of concrete, 

 as neat and trig as can be. The walls are 



