SOWING AND PLANTING 



29 



little or no ventilation is given until the plants are 

 established, which, under favorable conditions, re- 

 quires only two or three days. It is best to keep a 

 humid atmosphere until new roots are formed, and 

 this can not be accomplished if ventilation is too 

 free. If the sun is very hot, which may be the case 

 in the spring when tomatoes and peppers are trans- 

 planted, the frames should be shaded w4th straw 

 mats, turning back the edges of the mats six to 

 twelve inches to admit light and sunshine. Look the 

 flats over daily and water only the dry spots. After 

 the plants have made a good start, admit air and 

 keep soil moist. Close the sash toward evening, be- 

 fore the air gets too cool ; and if the weather is quite 

 cold, place mats on the frames not later than four 

 o'clock in the afternoon. Remove mats early in the 

 morning, if the weather permits ; and, when there 

 is no danger of freezing, the mats should not be put 

 on the frame until as late as possible in the evening. 



The plants of cabbage, lettuce and cauliflower 

 should be zucll hardened before setting in the field. 

 After they have reached the proper size, give them 

 all the air they will stand. When the plants have had 

 a few days of free exposure to the air by removing 

 the sash, leave off the mats for two or three nights, 

 and then do not cover with sash at night. If the 

 process of hardening is gradual, th€ plants named 

 may finally be frozen stiff in the frames without 

 damage, and, after freezing in the frame, they will 

 stand almost any amount of hard freezing in the 

 field. Of course, tender plants, such as tomatoes, 

 peppers, eggplant, etc., must not be frozen in the 

 hardening process. 



Advantages of Flats. — Plants are frequently 

 raised by sowing seed in the soil placed directly on 



