4 DREER'S GARDEN CALENDAR. 



The exposure of a garden has much to do with the early maturity of the crops; an exposure 

 to the morning sun is desirable. The soil must be in a friable state to secure the prompt vege- 

 tation of the seeds, and the destruction, or rather prevention, of weeds, is one of the most desira- 

 ble results of frequent §tirring of the surface. Soils are susceptible of alteration and improve- ' 

 ment in texture ; heavy clays can be rendered open and porous, and light sandy soils may be 

 consolidated and rendered more retentive of moisture. For all such details we must refer the 

 gardener or amateur to more extensive treatises on these subjects, to be found in our " Farmer's 

 and Gardener's Library," in this catalogue ; in which we keep a full line of gardening books at 

 reasonable prices, and are mailed, postage paid, on receipt of price. 



Garden Requisites. — There are several aids to the economical management of the garden, 

 which are almost indispensable : one of these is the hot-bed frame for the forwarding of plants 



for early planting. A frame, such as is shown 

 in the illustration, may be made of various sizes, 

 according to the size of garden, from four sashes 

 upwards. The length of sash is generally 6% 

 feet by 3^ feet wide, the size of glass 6 by 8 

 inches, including sash bearers, making the 

 entire frame of four sashes 13 feet by 6y( feet. 

 The best and most convenient sash have no 

 cross-bars, but are made with a groove the 

 ST length of sash, the glass slides in from below, 

 avoiding the use of putty. When the one 

 bar is filled with glass, it is only necessary to put a tack in the bottom bar, to keep the glass 

 from sliding down. The frame should have a southern or southeastern exposure, should be 

 made up with fresh horse manure and a few leaves mixed with it ; this must be laid in a heap 

 preparatory to being used, and when in a proper state of fermentation, is prepared for the recep- 

 tion of the frame. Ten inches of rich loamy soil must be spread over the manure, then cover 

 the frame with the sashes, and after standing a few days to allow the rank heat and steam to 

 pass off, the seed can be sown. Where the ground is well drained, a better plan is to dig out a 

 space the size of the frame, from I to 2 feet deep, according to the season and the heat required, 

 in which the manure is placed, care being taken to pack it firmly and evenly. 



The cold frame for wintering Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce Plants, etc., should be constructed 

 of I inch boards I foot high at the back by 9 inches high in front and 6 feet wide ; 5 short 

 posts to the length of 16 feet boards will answer to keep in position. The shutters should be 6 

 feet 4 inches long by 3 feet wide, made of common rough boards. The soil should be enriched 

 by old and well-decayed manure, unless in good order; the object being to preserve and not to 

 grow the plants during the winter. Give plenty of air by raising the shutters every mild, pleasant 

 day, but on no consideration open the frame or expose the plants to the sun when the ground or 

 plants are frozen, as it will destroy them. 



Very many who read this article on hot-beds and cold-frames have never seen either, and are 

 perhaps never likely to have one. To such there is an excellent substitute on hand in most 

 dwellings, in the kitchen or basement windows, facing south or east, inside of which is a tem- 

 perature usually not far from that required for the vegetation of seeds, and where seeds of early 

 vegetables, or tender plants for the flower border, may be raised nearly as well and with far less 

 attention than in a hot-bed. 



In addition to the hot-bed frame, mats or shutters will be required to cover the sash during 

 cold days and nights. To work the garden, the necessary implements — spade, spading fork, 

 shovel, rakes, hoes, trowel, garden-line and reel, watering-pot, wheelbarrow, and combined 

 seed-drill and cultivator, are the most important, of which you will find our prices, in the Tool 

 Department of this catalogue. «• 



Rotation of Crops. — As different plants appropriate different substances, care should be 

 taken that deep-rooted plants, such as Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, etc., are not planted successive 

 seasons on the same soil, but should be followed by those plants whose roots extend but little 

 below the surface, such as Onions, Lettuce, Cabbage, Spinach, etc. ; and when it is considered 

 that plants of the Brassica, or Cabbage tribe, are apt to get infected at the roots (club-rooted, as 

 it is termed), if too frequently planted in the same ground, and that a rotation of crops is as 

 essential in vegetable gardening as in farming. 



Useful Tables, for the Farmer and Gardener, of Seeds and Plants to the Acre, will be found on the second cover page. 



