THE GARDEN PRIMER 



in the garden — only do not keep the sash o& for any 

 length of time. Reach under to do the work. Nasty 

 little green things that look Hke lice will probably 

 appear — beastly, soft, smushy aphids they are. 

 They revel in hotbeds, but a solution made of one- 

 quarter pound of white soap dissolved in a little boiling 

 water and then reduced in strength by adding five 

 gallons of water, used tepid in a sprayer, will make 

 short work of them. They will come again, no doubt 

 — but vigilance will save the crop from their devas- 

 tating armies. Fortunately they die easily — almost as 

 easily as they come. They are often on the under side 

 of leaves and unsuspected until the leaf curls — and 

 then unseen because of their color. Keep a sharp watch 

 for them. Other insect and fungous pests and how to 

 get rid of them have had their own chapter. 



A mat of straw or several thicknesses of burlap 

 should be provided to cover the sash on cold nights — 

 and it is seldom wise to build the bed before the last 

 week of February or the early part of March. If 

 ready by March loth you will find it early enough 

 for all practical purposes — and the plants in it will be 

 big fellows by the time the ground is warm enough 

 outside to receive them. 



Unless the space it occupies is needed during the 

 summer the bed may be left and used for a cold frame 

 in the fall, for lettuce or other salad plants, or hardy 

 annuals. The coldframe differs from the hotbed in 

 that it is constructed without an underbed of heat pro- 

 ducing materials. It is not used for forcing seeds into 



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