A-B-C OF VEGETABLE GARDEXIXG 



high and dry — covering a space larger than 

 the hotbed frame is to be. Spread it in layers 

 four or five inches deep, tramping each layer 

 down well. ^Mien there is a foot and a half 

 of it. cover it with something that will shed 

 rain, and wait for fermentation to take place. 

 A warm moisture will rise from it like steam. 

 After two or three days fork the material 

 over, and remove all straw, and make an- 

 other heap similar to the first one. taking 

 great pains to have it firm and compact. It 

 is very important that it should have con- 

 siderable solidity, as a heap of loose litter 

 will never give satisfactory results. There 

 should be at least a foot and a half of this 

 heat-generating material. 



^\Tiile waiting for fermentation to take 

 place in the manure-pile, prepare the frame 

 for your hotbed. 



Let it be about a foot and a half in depth 

 at the back, and eight or ten inches deep in 

 front, with sides that slope from the wider 

 boards to the narrower ones. Cover it with 

 glass set in sash. If possible have the sash 

 hinged to the back-board, so that it can be 

 lifted for ventilation without removing it. 



The best location for a hotbed is one facing 



the south, that all possible advantage can^ 



be taken of sunshine, and against a building 



70 



