CULTURAL DIREU'I IONS 
377 
of the country were the proper care exercised in their 
culture. The Vermont Experiment Station (Vt. Sta. 
Rpt. 1907, p. 358, Bui. 136) has furnished the instruc- 
tions contained in the following synopsis (Experiment 
Station Work, Vol. Ill, No. 9, p. 236) : 
The seed is sown in greenhouse or hotbed from late 
February to early April; later the plants are potted in 
3 or 4-inch pots, and when in danger of suffering for 
lack of root space and plant food and the weather is 
favorable they are removed to sash-covered frames, there 
to remain until almost fully grown. These hotbeds are 
well constructed, well exposed to the sun, and also pro- 
tected from cold winds. The frames are often covered 
with two sets of sash, mats, and board shutters. With 
such protection, if horse manure is used to generate a 
sufficient bottom heat and the exposed portions of the 
frames are banked therewith, the plants may be grown 
almost as well as in a greenhouse. These frames are 
movable sections, approximately 12 by 6, strong and 
tight with tie rails for the sash to slide upon. 
The soil over which these sections are set is ridged 
up in beds 12 to 16 feet wide with a i-foot center eleva- 
tion. A trench is dug 2 feet wide, 15 to 18 inches deep, 
and filled almost level with well-fermented manure, 
and a portion of the surface soil thrown over it, slightly 
more being drawn in where the plants are to be set. 
The frames are then set in place and covered with sash, 
which in turn are further reinforced with mats and 
wooden shutters, or hay or straw with or without the 
shutters. A 4 to 6 foot space is allowed between the 
ends of each section. When the soil over the manure is 
well warmed up, the warmest portion of some favorable 
day is selected for planting. Great care is exercised 
now in transferring the plants from the hotbeds to guard 
against setbacks from sudden changes of temperature 
or soil conditions. The coddling process does not cease 
