76 Home Vegetable Gardening 



Or you can buy the sash unglazed, at a proportion- 

 ately lower price, and put the glass in yourself, if 

 you prefer to spend a little more time and less money. 

 However, if you are not familiar with the work, and 

 want only a few sash, I would advise purchasing the 

 finished article. In size they are three feet by six. 



Frames upon which to put the sash covering may 

 also be bought complete, but here there is a chance 

 to save money by constructing your own frames — the 

 materials required being 2x4 in. lumber for posts, 

 and inch-boards ; or better, if you can easily procure 

 them, plank 2 x 12 in. 



So far as these materials go the hotbed and cold- 

 frame are alike. The difference is that while the 

 coldframe depends for its warmth upon catching and 

 holding the heat of the sun's rays, the hotbed is arti- 

 ficially heated by fermenting manure, or in rare in- 

 stances, by hot water or steam pipes. 



In constructing the hotbed there are two methods 

 used ; either by placing the frames on top of the ma- 

 nure heap or by putting the manure within the 

 frames. The first method has the advantage of per- 

 mitting the hotbed to be made upon frozen ground, 

 w^hen required in the spring. The latter, which is 

 the better, must be built before the ground freezes, 

 but is more economical of m.anure. The manure in 

 either case should be that of grain-fed horses, and if 

 a small amount of straw bedding, or leaves — not 



