154 
VEGETABLE GARDENING 
213. Mats and shutters. — Various kinds of mats are 
used to protect plants in hotbeds and cold frames. In 
some sections lath crates about 3 inches thick, stuffed 
with fine hay or sea weeds, are used for this purpose 
They furnish excellent protection, but are heavy and in- 
convenient to handle. Burlap mats stuffed with cotton 
waste are on the market, but they are difficult to keep 
on the frames in windy weather; they furnish poor pro- 
tection when wet and are lacking - in durability. Canvas 
mats are satisfactory, but are too expensive for general 
use. When all points are considered, rye-straw mats are 
most serviceable ; they are inexpensive, are not easily 
displaced by even hard winds and furnish thorough pro- 
tection. Machine-sewed mats of this type, as illustrated 
by Figure 40, are on the market, or they can be made 
by hand. The mats made by machine are uniform in 
thickness and are much neater than can possibly be made 
at home, unless an unusual amount of time is spent on 
each mat. When not in use, mats should be stored under 
cover where rats and mice will not damage them. With 
good care they will last several years. A mat is gener- 
ally large enough to cover two sash, 6 x 6^ feet being 
the popular size. 
Shutters are sometimes used instead of mats in cover- 
ing frames. They may be made of light lumber and may 
be of any convenient size. When used alone on frames 
they do not protect the plants nearly as well as mats. 
Sometimes shutters are used over the mats, which they 
protect from rain and snow. 
214. Sowing. — Chapter XXI gives information on the 
proper dates for sowing. 
When flats are used in sowing cabbage, lettuce, tomato, 
pepper, parsley and other seeds, the operation should be 
carried out in the following manner : Fill the flat with 
soil moist enough to work well. Sprinkling while the 
soil is being turned may be necessary to secure the proper 
