HOT-BEDS. 



103 



be allowed until the thermometer indicates a falling of 

 10 or 15 degrees, then the soil may be placed upon the 

 manure and the seeds sown, or plants set out in the hot- 

 bed. Amateurs are apt to be impatient in the matter of 

 hot-beds, and often lose their first crop by sowing or 

 planting before the first violent heat has subsided. An- 

 other very common mistake is, in beginning too early in 

 the season. In this latitude nothing is gained by begin- 

 ning before the first week in March, and the result will 

 be very nearly as good if not begun until a month later. 

 There are two or three important matters to bear in 

 mind in the use of hot-beds. It is indispensable for 

 safety to cover the glass at night with shutters or mats 

 until all danger of frost is over, for it must be remem- 

 bered that the contents of a hot-bed are always tender 

 from being forced so rapidly by the heat below, and that 

 the slightest frost will kill them. Again, there is danger 

 of overheating in day-time by a neglect to ventilate when 

 the sun is shining. As a general rule it will be safe in 

 all the average days of March, April, and May, to have 

 the sash in the hot-bed tilted up from an inch to three 

 inches at the back from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Much will, 

 of course, depend upon the activity of the heating ma- 

 terial in the hot-bed, the warmth of the weather, and the 

 character of the plants in the bed ; so that we can only 

 give a loose general rule. Numbers of our amateur 

 friends come to us every season lamenting that them- 

 selves or their men in charge had omitted to ventilate 

 their hot-bed, and on their return home from business at 

 night, found all the contents had been "boiled" up. 

 Or the complaint may be on the other extreme, that the 

 plants are frozen through neglect to cover them at night. 

 A hot-bed requires a certain amount of attention, which 

 must be given at the right time, or failure is certain. 



