COLD FRAMES, HOTBEDS AND PLANTING TABLE. 



HOT-BEDS AND COLD FRAMES 



CONSTRUCTION AND MANAGEMENT 



It is frequently desirable, in fact with most growers usu- 

 ally necessary, to have some means of starting certain varie- 

 ties of flower and vegetable seeds under cover during' the early 

 months of the year when the temperature out of doors is still 

 below freezing-, and to have some means also of protecting 

 tender seedling plants from the frosts of late spring. The 

 cold frame and hotbed in such cases are practically indis- 

 pensable. It is the purpose of a hotbed to provide bottom heat 

 or a higher temperature to stock growing in it than that of 

 the air outside. The cold frame simply wards off cold winds, 

 keep:* off snows, and by absorbing and conserving the heat of 

 the sun affords to its contents a higher or milder atmospheric 

 temperature than that outside. 



USES. 



The uses to which both may be put will depend entirely 

 upon the owner's needs, but the'y will be found most servicer 

 able for early sowings of vegetable and flower seeds requiring 

 a long season to mature, (such vegetables as Cabbage, Cauli- 

 flower, Celery, Leek, Tomatoes, etc., require early sowing,) for 

 the transplanting of seedlings previously sown in flats or pans 

 in the house and for the winter protection of young- perennials 

 or of vegetables for winter use from seed sown in the summer 

 and transplanted to the frame in the fall. Early beets and 

 onions may be had; after early crops are off cucumbers, 

 melons and other crops delighting in a rich, deep and well- 

 drained soil may be satisfactorily grown. The soil in the 

 frame should be from 4 to 6 inches deep in front, should be 

 light, rich, well pulverized and raked smooth and level. On 

 warm days the sash should be lifted at tbe back to provide 

 fresh air and to keep a more or less uniform temperature, one 

 of the essentials in the successful operation of a cold frame or 

 hotbed. 



THE HOTBED. 



In preparing a manure bed for the hotbed, a space 10 inches 

 or a foot larger each way than the dimensions of the frame 

 should be cleared, and the pile or bed should be carefully and 

 compactly built up on this space to a height of 18 inches or 2 

 feet. The higher, the longer the life of the bed. Manure con- 

 taining one-third to one-half straw is preferable. It should 

 be forked over, shaken apart and distributed as evenly as pos- 

 sible over the space and over the surface of the pile as it is 



built up. It is a good plan, if the manure is dry, to moisten it 

 slightly, pile it up and allow it to heat for a few days before 

 making the permanent bed. As the bed is being made, the 

 manure should be firmly packed with the fork, and after heat- 

 ing for a few days should be thoroughly and evenly tramped 

 down and given a level surface for the reception of the frame 

 and soil for which it is now ready. 



MANAGEMENT. 



The management of the bed in operation requires close at- 

 tention and study. The temperature especially must be dili- 

 gently watched, and air "put on" and "taken off" as occasion 

 demands. Success is largely dependent upon the maintenance 

 of a uniform temperature approximating or a little higher 

 than that of the best outdoor growing weather. Watering and 

 spraying are also important, and the "hardening off" process 

 preparatory to setting plants outside requires constant atten- 

 tion and care. Air should be given whenever the weather per- 

 mits. During cold nights the sash should be covered with 

 burlap or straw mats to prevent the temperature from dropping 

 too low. All watering should be done in the morning (prefer- 

 ably with slightly warmed water) so that the plants will be 

 thoroughly dry before night when the glass is lowered; exces- 

 sive moisture on cold nights very often causes "damping off." 



CONSTRUCTION OF THE COLD FRAME. 



The usual width — that is, from front to back — is 6 ft., and 

 the length, each unit usually not over 12 ft., is some multiple 

 of 3. This is to accommodate the standard size hotbed sash. 

 The height at the back may be 12 to 18 inches, and in front 8 

 to 14 inches. A two-by-four tie, flush with the top edges of 

 the front and back boards and preferably carrying a one-by- 

 two strip to separate each sash from the next, is nailed across 

 at 3 foot intervals. Allowance should be made for the thick- 

 ness of the strips as there should be a 3 foot clearance between 

 each strip. Strips at each end will prevent the end sashes 

 from slipping over the sides. The sash can be secured from 

 any sash factory, or can be made by a local carpenter. The 

 sash bars run lengthwise. Six-by-eight glass is used and in 

 glazing the lights should overlap each other so as to shed 

 water. The frame, when completed, should be set in some 

 sheltered, well-drained and easily accessible location. 



Prices of Sash, Glazed and Unglazed, and of Glass, Furnished Upon Request. 



QUANTITY OF SEED REQUIRED 



GARDEN 



Per Acre 



Asparagus 1 oz. to 60 ft. drill 5 lbs. 



Beans, Dwarf in drills 1 lb. to 100 ft. drill 120 lbs. 



Beans. Pole, in hills 1 lb. to 75 hills 20 to 25 lbs. 



Beet, Garden 1 oz. to 100 ft. drill.- 7 lbs. 



Cabbage, for transplanting...! oz. to 4,000 plants % lb. 



Cauliflower for transplanting..! oz. to 5,000 plants. ...3 to 4 oz. 



Carrot 1 oz. to 100 ft. drill. ... 3 to 4 lbs. 



Celery, for transplanting 1 lb. to 5,000 to 10,000 plants.. . . 



Corn, Sweet 1 lb. to 300 hills. .. .12 to 15 lbs. 



Chicory 1 oz. to 100 ft. drill. . . 2 to 3 lbs. 



Cress. Garden 1 oz. to 100 ft. drill , 



Cucumber, in hills 1 oz. to 100 hills 2 to 3 lbs 



Egg Plant y 2 oz. to 150 ft. drill *4 lb. 



Endive 1 oz. to 100 ft. drill 14 lb. 



Kale Vs oz. to 100 ft. drill 



Kohlrabi 1 oz. to 3,000 plants 4 lbs. 



Leek 1 oz. to 150 ft. drill 



Lettuce 1 oz. to 150 ft. drill 3 lbs. 



Melon, Musk, in hills 1 oz. to SO hills 2 to 3 lbs. 



Melon, "Water, in hills 1 oz. to 25 hills 3 to 4 lbs. 



Mushroom Spawn 1 brick to 9 sq. ft ' 



Onion, in drills 1 oz. to 100 ft. drill.. . . 4 to 5 lbs. 



Onion Sets, for planting 1 lb. to 40 ft. drill. ..8 to 10 bus. 



Parsley 1 oz. to 150 ft. drill 



Parsnip 1 oz. to 200 ft. drill. . .5 to 6 lbs. 



Peas in drills 1 lb. to 75 ft. drill . . 1 y 2 to 2 bus. 



Pepper 1 oz. to 1.500 plants % lb. 



Pumpkin 1 oz. to 30 hills 3 to 4 lbs. 



Radish 1 oz. to 100 ft. drill. .8 to 10 lbs. 



Salsify 1 oz. to 100 ft. drill 8 lbs. 



Spinach 1 oz. to 100 ft. drill. .8 to 12 lbs. 



Squash, bush, in hills 1 oz. to 50 hills 5 to 6 lbs. 



Squash, vine, in hills 1 oz. to 20 hills 3 to 4 lbs. 



Tomato, for transplanting. ... 1 oz. to 1.500 plants 14 lb. 



Turnip, garden 1 oz. to 150 ft. drill.. 1% to 2 lbs. 



FIELD 



Sunflower, Russian . 14 lb. to 100 ft. drill 



Sugar Beet, in drills 1 oz. to 100 ft. drill 5 lbs. 



Mangel, in drills 1 oz. to 100 ft. drill 5 lbs. 



Carrot, in drills for stock feeding 2 to 3 lbs. 



Turnip, in drills, for stock feeding 2 to 3 lbs. 



FIELD — Continued. 



Quantity per Acre 



Turnip, broadcast 5 to 6 lbs. 



Essex Rape, broadcast 4 to 6 lbs. 



Essex Rape, in drills 3 lbs. 



Potatoes, hills or drills, cut 10 to 14 bus. 



Potatoes, hills or drills, cut to single eyes 8 to 10 bus. 



GRAINS 



Quantity per Acre. Weight per Bus. 



Barley 1% to 2% bus 48 lbs. 



Buckwheat Vz to % bus 50 lbs. 



Corn, in hills, to mature 12 to IS lbs 56 lbs. 



Corn, Flint 15 to 20 lbs 56 lbs. 



Corn, for fodder, in drills 20 to 30 lbs 56 lbs. 



Corn, for fodder, broadcast. ... 1 to 1% bus 56 lbs. 



Flax, for seed % to % bus 56 lbs. 



Kaffir Corn 12 lbs. •. 56 lbs. 



Oats 2 V 2 to 3 1/2 bus 32 lbs. 



Peas 3 bus 60 lbs. 



Rye, for grain 1 V 2 bus 56 lbs. 



Rye, for fodder or pasture .... 2 to 2% biK3 



Speltz (Emmer) 60 to 80 lbs 



Vetches 1% to 2 bus 60 lbs. 



Vetches, for plowing down. ... 2 to 3 bus 



Wheat Spring 1 V4 to 2V4 bus 60 lbs. 



Wheat, Winter 1 14 to iy 2 bus.. : 



CLOVERS AND GRASSES 



Quantity per Acre. Weight per Bus. 



Alfalfa 15 to 25 lbs 60 lbs. 



Clover, Red 10 to 16 lbs 60 lbs. 



Clover, Alsike 8 to 10 lbs 60 lbs. 



Clover, White 5 to 8 lbs 60 lbs. 



Brome (Bromus inermis) 20 lbs 14 lbs. 



Blue Grass 30 lbs . . 20 lbs. 



Orchard, drills 25 to 35 lbs 14 lbs. 



Red Top, drills — Fancy 20 lbs 32 lbs. 



Timothy, drills 15 to 20 lbs 45 lbs. 



Rye 75 to 100 lbs 56 lbs. • 



Hungarian Millet 40 to 50 lbs 48 lbs. 



Japanese Millet, broadcast 30 .lbs ^ . . . .36 lbs. 



Japanese Millet, drills 15 to 20 lbs ...36 lbs. 



