18 



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THE HOT BED. 



Hot beds in southern climate are, owing' to our open winters not as much used as 

 up North, except perhaps for the purpose of forcing early Cucumbers and raising such 

 tender plants as Eggplants, Tomatoes, and Peppers. Sometimes our gardeners force 

 Lettuce in hot beds and Kohlrabi, but if we do not have any hard frosts, they will do 

 better out of doors than under glass. 



To make a hot bed is a very simple thing, but to grow plants successfully in such a 

 bed, the bed has to be well prepared previous to the time of sowing. Any one familiar 

 with the handling of carpenter's tools can make a wooden frame by following the fol- 

 lowing instructions. For instance to make a hot bed of three sashes in length, cut a board 

 12 inches wide and i inch thick to a length of lo feet 4 inches^ to be used for the front 

 wall of the frame, for the back part cut another board 18 inches wide and of the same 

 length and for both sides the pieces should be 6 feet in length and have to be beveled 

 off so as to correspond wdth the front and back walls in height. 



In this manner the bed will receive the proper slope. The sashes should be & feet 

 in length and three and a half feet wide and will cover a frame of 6 feet wide by 10 feet 

 6 inches in length. As a support to the sashes and at the same time a brace to the 

 frame, laths of 2 inches wide should be nailed in the frame, 3 feet apart and flush 

 with the front and back walls. None but fresh horse manure or at least such which is 

 not over one month old, must be used as heating material in the bed. It should be 

 thrown together in a heap, and when commencing to heat, be w-orked over with a fork 

 so as to mix the long with the short part evenly. A good plan is to mix the manure on 

 the same place where the hot bed is to be put up, spread part of it about 12 inches high 

 and rather larger than the bed on the ground and set the frame on top of the layer of 

 manure. The manure in the box has to be w^ell and evenly distributed and trampled 

 down solid until the frame is filled to within 12 inches of the top. Care should be taken 

 that in the corners and along the edges the manure is tightly pressed down and not 

 hollow. Now put on your soil to a depth of about 6 to 8 inches. This soil should be 

 light and rich, the best would be a mixture of well rotted manure and river sand. 

 Before sowing or planting, let the soil become somewhat cooled offr which will take from 

 about three to five days, stir up the soil a little and begin to sow or plant. During 

 cold weather it is advisable to bank up the outside of the frame with fresh horse 

 manure. 



When the young plants are up and the weather permits, sufficient of air should be 

 given otherwise they become long legged and damp off. During cold nights the bed 

 has to be covered so that the young plants receive no check in growths Covering should 

 always be kept near on hand» 



