Do M. Ferry & Cos Descriptive Catalogue. 11 



that the glass be not less than 10x14, laid with not more than one-quarter inch lap. In giving the order to one 

 unaccustomed to the work, it would be well to state what they are to be used for, and that they need to be made 

 like sky-light sash. 



The Krame.— This may be made of sound one-inch lumber, the back twelve to fourteen inches high 

 the front ten to twelve. It should be well fitted to the sash so as to leave as little opening as possible and yet allow 

 the sash to be Ccisily slid up and down, even when the frame is quite wet. 



The Soil* — This should be lights rich ^friable. Any considerable amount of clay in it is very objection- 

 able. If possible, it should be quite dry and unfrozen when put into the bed; for this reason it is much better to 

 prepare it the fall before and cover the pile with enough coarse manure or straw to keep out frost. 



Making' tlie Bed. — This requires careful attention, as future success depends largely upon the manner 

 in which this work is done. Having cleared away all snow and ice, build a rectangular bed one foot larger each 

 way than the frame to be used, carefully shaking out and spreading each forkful, and repeatedly treading down 

 the manure so as to make the bed as uniform as possible in solidity, composition and moisture; unless this is done, 

 one portion will heat quicker than the others, and the soil will settle unevenly, making it impossible to raise good 

 plants. The proper depth of the bed will vary with the climate, season, and the kind of plants to be raised. A 

 shallow bed will give a quick sharp heat and soon subside; a deeper one, if well made, will heat more moderately 

 but continue much longer. For general purposes, a bed one and a half to two feet deep will be best. 



The bed completed, the frame and sash may be put on, and fresh manure carefully packed around the outside 

 to the very top (this outside banking should be replenished as it settles, if the weather is at all severe). The bed 

 should then be allowed to stand a few days with the sash partially open, to allow the steam and rank heat to pass 

 off. The heat will at first be quite violent, frequently rising in the first few days to 120°, but it soon subsides, and 

 when it recedes to 90° the earth may be put in and the seed planted. If from any reason you are obliged to use 

 frozen soil, it may be placed in small piles upon the manure immediately upon the completion of the bed, but it 

 should not be again disturbed until it has thawed and dried out, and care should be used to give free vent for the 

 escape of the steam and moist air. The importance of allowing this gross heat to pass off before planting the seeds 

 is very great, as every season thousands of hot-beds are failures, and their builders blame the seedsmen for sending 

 them poor seed, when the real difficulty was that their seeds were burned up by this first heat. 



3Ia.naSfeineilt of the Bed. — The essentials for success are a steady, uniform degree of heat and 

 moisture; keeping the soil at all times a few degrees warmer than the air, and the careful " hardening off " (by 

 exposure to the air and diminishing the supply of water) of the plants before transplanting into the open air. 

 Simple as these seem to be, there are many difficulties in the way of securing them, prominent among which are 

 overheating the air under a bright sun. Without experience one would scarcely believe how quickly the tempera- 

 ture inside of a well built hot-bed will rise to 90 or 100 degrees upon a still, sunny day, even when the temperature 

 outside is far below freezing, or how quickly the temperature will fall to that outside, if upon a windy, cloudy day 

 the sash is left open ever so little; besides, such a rush of cold air driven over the plants is far more injurious than 

 the same temperature when the air is still. Again, a bed will go several days without watering when kept closed except 

 during cloudy weather, but will dry out in an hour when open on a sunny day. The details of management, how- 

 ever, must be learned by experience, but may easily be acquired by one who gives the matter careful attention, 

 keeping constantly in mind the essentials given above. 



A Cold Pranie is a simple construction of boards for wintering cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, brocoli, 

 (tc, for planting out early in the spring. 



Select a dry, southern exposure; form a frame from four to six feet wide and as long as required. The back 

 should be fourteen and the front six inches high, with a cross tie every six feet. Seeds of the above named vege- 

 tables, sown in open border early in September, will be ready to plant in cold frames about the last of October. 

 The soil should be well prepared and smoothly raked before planting. Admit air freely on all pleasant days, but 

 keep close in severe weather. 



These frames are particularly useful at the south, and may be covered more cheaply with cloth shades than by 

 sash. The shades are made as follows : Make light but strong wooden frames to fit over the bed, and of a width to 

 receive some common brand of cotton cloth. The cloth may be unbleached, and should be stretched over and 

 securely tacked to the frames. Coating the cloth with oil, as is sometimes recommended, we find is of no ad- 

 vantage. 



Shades.— At the south it is frequently desirable to shade beds of seedlings. This can best be done b}- 

 shades made as follows. Make light frames the length of the width of your bed and four feet wide; to these tack 

 common lath so as to leave from one to three inches between them. Support them about eight inches above the 

 plants by tacking the frames to short stakes or securing them by easily removed pins. They are more effective if 

 the beds are so placed that the lath will run north and south. 



XratlSplanting-.— In transplanting, the main points to be regarded are care in taking up the plants so 

 as to avoid injury to the roots, planting firmly so as to enable the plant to take a secure hold of the soil, reducing 

 the top to prevent evaporation, and shading to prevent the hot sun from withering and blighting the leaves. In 

 transplanting from a hot-bed, harden the plants by letting them get quite dry a day or two before, but give an 

 abundance of water ayViy hours before they are taken out. It is most apt to be successful if done just at evening, 

 or immediately before or during the first part of a rain, about the worst time being just after a rain, when the 

 ground being wet it is impossible to sufficiently press it about the plant without its baking hard. If water is used 

 at all, it should be used freely and the wet surface immediately covered with dry soil. 



"Watering.— The best time to water plants is at sunrise or just at evening, and always use rain water when 

 it is to be had. If well water is to be used it should be exposed to the sun a day or two till it rises to the tempera- 

 ture of the air, before it is applied. Water may be given to the roots at any time, but should never be sprinkled 

 over the leaves in the hot sun, for it will make them blister and cover them with brown spots wherever it touches. 

 If watering a plant has been commenced, keep on until the necessity ceases, or more injury than good will result 

 from it; one copious watering is better than a little and often. The use of the hoe should always follow the water- 

 ing pot as soon as the ground becomes dry. 



