Il8 
VEGETABLE GARDENING 
care should be exercised in preparing the proper soil. 
Unless the subsoil is brought to the surface, the land may 
be treated as for any other intensive garden work. Fig- 
ure 2 5 shows plats of frame cucumbers at Norfolk, Va., 
with the side boards removed. The wide alleys will soon 
be completely covered with the cucumber vines. 
168. Heating. — Cold frames are sometimes piped and 
heated with steam or hot water (162). They may then 
be used at any season, and with their use the grower 
can have good control of all conditions which count for 
success. It is a recognized fact, however, that heated 
frames are not so satisfactory as greenhouses. 
169. The use of cold frames. — Cold frames are used to 
a far greater extent than hotbeds. Plants started in the 
greenhouse, hotbed or kitchen window are often trans- 
planted into cold frames. This is perhaps their most 
common use. They are also employed extensively in the 
hardening of plants and in the forcing of fall and spring 
crops to maturity. Lettuce and radishes are especially 
popular for frame culture, while many other crops are 
often grown in cold frames. Many market gardeners 
own from 1,000 to 4,000 sash, and some growers confine 
their operations entirely to frame culture. 
170. Forcing boxes.- — There are various methods of 
making forcing boxes. The most common plan is to 
make a frame 10 to 12 inches square and 6 inches deep, 
and cover with a pane of glass. These frames are espe- 
cially valuable in starting melons and other cucurbits in 
regions where the summers are too short and cool to 
grow a satisfactory crop without the aid of glass. The 
frame is placed over the hill after planting seed in the 
open, covered with glass, and ventilated when necessary. 
Hundreds of them are used by some gardeners. 
