116 
THE HOME GARDEN. 
The great expense of a hotbed is the glass, for which a 
much cheaper substitute may be found in white cotton 
cloth. This should be of close texture, and is prepared 
for use by painting it with a mixture composed of two 
ounces of lime-water, four ounces of linseed oil, and three 
ounces of fresh eggs. The eggs should be beaten sepa¬ 
rately, and added to the oil and lime-water after the latter 
two have been warmed and mixed together. The muslin 
should have coat after coat of this preparation until it is 
water-proof. If the frames are large, cross-bars a foot 
apart will support the cloth. This arrangement will cost 
only about a quarter as much as glass. 
Early cucumbers can be raised very easily in a cask that 
is perfectly tight. One band should be removed, and the 
cask filled half full of stones, a good compost should then 
be filled in within a few inches of the top. Lattice work 
or brush should be arranged around the cask for the vines 
to run and spread on. 
The great points in this novel method of raising cucum¬ 
bers are watering and drainage. To accomplish the first, a 
pipe should be inserted in the barrel so that water may be 
introduced into the lower half until it rises to the soil. 
For the latter, holes may be bored to allow any surplus to 
flow off and not soak the earth. Keep plenty of water in 
the cask, and it will rise in the earth by capillary at¬ 
traction. 
Seed can be planted very early in this way, if protected 
by glass (or muslin), and it is said that a barrelful of 
cucumbers has been raised from one hill grown in this 
way. 
An asparagus bed is a mine of wealth, in a small way, 
of which many people are ignorant. It is one of the most 
popular early vegetables, and very easy of cultivation. All 
that is necessary is, after thorough spading, to have the 
ground well manured and forked over, and for a bed of 
