March, 1 9 10 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



119 



sides to center, for drainage. When a pit is finished, dig the ridge perfectly level. Place the center posts five feet 



a trench in the center and lay a four or six-inch tile in apart if to be used for storage, or eight feet apart if for 



sand or gravel, to insure the drainage of surplus water. A the plant bed only. Do not nail the rafters to a ridge piece, 



perfectly dry floor is essential when the pit is used for Temporary supports may be readily put in position between 



storage. eight feet spacing, to hold the weight of the covering. 



Allowance must be made in setting posts for thickness If to be used as a hot bed, run a line of water pipe, with 



of inside planks or boards. Finished inside measurement frequent taps, on the side under "d," so that the bed may be 



must be exactly 1 1 feet 6 inches in the clear at the top. 

 Sawed posts are best; they save hewing to obtain a straight 



watered during the coldest days without exposing the plants. 

 To convert into a storage pit, remove the sash and place 



face inside. They should extend twelve to eighteen inches boards on rafters lengthwise of the bed, to hold the layer 



above the ground level, to permit sliding the sash down for of straw or other rubbish, and the covering of earth. To 



ventilation, watering, etc., and should be set from three to prevent heating, ventilators, 4x4 inches inside measure, are 



four feet deep, according to the soil, and be well tamped, placed at suitable intervals through openings along the ridge, 



A taut line at the bottom will do for setting, but the top of to allow escape of moisture. 



posts should be carefully "sighted" to secure perfect align- Build the ends of the bed on a "form" or frame, and set 



ment. tight against the end posts without nailing. Heavy hooks 



The rafters, ridge pole and "guide" strips should be and staples are used to keep it snugly in place. The ends 



perfectly straight lumber, thoroughly seasoned. Ridge 

 boards ("cc" in Figure 4) should be free from warp and 

 have perfectly straight edges, so that when joined as 



may thus be easily removed to drive through with a wagon. 

 When used as a storage pit a door is cut into ends, to 

 one side of the center, large enough for a man to pass 



shown, the joint will be wind-proof. Rafter rail ("d") is easily in and out, to remove the stored crops during the 



2x2 inch stuff. Well spiked into posts and closely nailed to 

 planks, this rail will support the heaviest covering required 

 for winter storage. Blocks are nailed on these rails snug 

 to both sides of the 

 rafters, to hold in 

 place. Figure 5 

 shows guide strip 

 ("c") of ixi inch 

 dressed pieces. Give 

 these two coats of 

 paint before attach- 

 ing, the first heavy •"■.:•■"' 

 with raw linseed oil, "".•-•.■■ 

 to prevent swelling '•'-.••.. 

 and binding the -■'■.: 

 sash. When meas- •"-: 

 uring rafter spac- 

 ing, allow a margin 

 of a quarter-inch leeway, so that 

 the sash will work free in the 

 slide. 



A detail of double ridge pole 

 is shown in Figure 2, "n" and 

 "g" being spiked together after 

 the top plate has been cut to re- 



severest weather without disturbing the top covering. This 

 should be a perpendicular sliding door, to permit opening 

 without removing the banking of earth or manure. To 



provide access to 

 (J the different vege- 



tables, etc., at any 

 time, leave a 

 "walk" through the 

 center, with a plank 

 edgewise along each 

 side. 



Almost any per- 

 ,'AV.';' ishable crop may 



;-,•".' be stored in this pit 



V.' with safety. For 



celery it is a winter 

 storage par excel- 

 lence. Taken di- 

 rectly from the field without 

 bleaching, and packed solidly, 

 with roots set in loose, moist 

 earth, celery will bleach quickly 

 and keep crisp and fresh until 

 late in the spring. 



For ease in handling, pota 



ceive the top of the rafter ends, Figure 3. Letter "w," Fig- toes, onions, beets, carrots, turnips, apples, etc., are stored 



ures 2 and 3, represents a heavy wire, or an iron rod, bent 

 at an angle to lay on rafters, with the ends turned and 

 driven into the wood, as shown in No. 2, to hold rafters in 

 place, the guide strip ("e") being cut away to allow setting 

 of binding wire. A ridge board of 1x6 and 1x8 inch pieces 

 (Figure 4, and at "cc" in main drawing), is necessary to 

 prevent strong winds getting under and lifting the sash. A 

 strip 1x3 inches, notched to fit over the binding wire, is 

 nailed edgewise underneath and set between rafter ends for 

 ridge board support, as indicated in the inain drawing. 

 The posts are cut slanting at the top, to permit the sash to 

 slide down readily. 



To "set up" the frame, "toe-nail" ridge pole "g" to 



in crates. In this way, too, air spaces are provided without 

 the use of shelves. Cabbage should be trimmed close and 

 piled solid to the height of the rafters. 



Because of the different temperatures required when 

 growing, for instance, tomatoes and lettuce in the same bed, 

 it will be necessary to run partitions crosswise of the bed, 

 so that segregated sections may be regulated to suit the 

 requirements of the plant. These should be put in so as 

 to be easily removed. With the use of partitions, too, one 

 end may be used as a hot-bed and the other as a cold frame. 

 And where but one bed is built, this is quite a consideration, 

 especially to supply the needs of a family who may want 

 to grow lettuce, radishes, spinach, green onions, etc.. In 



posts "cp," supporting with rafters. Place a flat stone or one end, and to start plants or grow tomatoes, etc.. In the 

 square block under the posts, to prevent settling, and have other. 



