44 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[February, 
it consists of a front piece 15 inches high, a back 
24 inches high and two end pieces with a regular 
slope from front to rear. This may be knocked to¬ 
gether out of rough boards, or may be made with 
care, so put together with hooks or clamps, that it 
may be taken apart and stored away when not in 
use. This has sliders running from front to rear. 
Making the Beds. —In case a pit is used, of course 
the place selected must be one where no water will 
stand in it. The sashes should slope to the south or 
south-east, if there is no shelter at the north or 
north-west, such as a fence or building, a tempora¬ 
ry screen of brush or boards may be put up. The 
manure being ready, place litter or leaves on the 
bottom of the pit to the depth of 6 inches, then put 
on a layer of manure, taking care to distribute long 
and short evenly, and beat it down with the back of 
the fork. When the pit is full, tramp it down rather 
firmly with the feet, to make a level surface; if any 
soft places are found, add more manure to make 
all uniform. Then put on the earth. For the hot¬ 
bed with the manure above ground, put down four 
stakes to mark the corners of the pile, which 
should be a foot larger than the frame at each side 
and end. Put down a layer of any coarse litter or 
old pea-brush, and build up the pile gradually, be¬ 
ing guided by the comer stakes. The manure 
should be laid on evenly, a forkful at a time, the 
edges of the bed kept firm and even and the manure 
(veil beaten down as the work goes on. The pile 
should be 3 feet high, and so well made that it will 
settle all alike. The loose fine manure that is left 
is to be carefully shoveled up and spread on top of 
the pile. The frame is put on and the earth added. 
Sometimes a compromise between these two meth¬ 
ods is adopted. Instead of making the bed on the 
ground, an excavation two feet deep and two feet 
longer and wider than the frame is made, but not 
boarded up, and the pile built up in this. The 
more solidly the manure is packed, the slower and 
more long-continued will be the heat; where there 
is a large share of litter or leaves, there is little 
danger of making it too compact, but either extreme 
must be avoided. 
The Barth should have been prepared last autumn 
and stored under shelter, ready for use. It should 
be rich, fine, and open. Good garden soil, with 
thoroughly rotted manure, and enough sand to keep 
it from becoming close, make the best. If this 
has not been prepared, the best soil obtainable, with 
a handful of fine bone or guano to each sash, tho¬ 
roughly mixed with, it, and turned each day for a 
week, will answer. The depth of soil will depend 
upon the use to be made of the beds. If the seeds 
are sown directly in the soil, six inches will be re¬ 
quired. If boxes or “flats” are to be used, then 
the rich soil is put into these; any common soil, to 
the depth of 2 or 3 inches, on which to set the 
boxes may be put on the manure. 
Boxes or Flats are made from soap boxes or other 
empty cases to be had of the grocer. One box will 
make two, or three; they are simply shallow boxes 
2 inches deep, with a bottom securely nailed on. 
Seeds are sown in these, young plants transplanted 
to them, and plants are often sold in them. 
When to make the Hot-Bed. — Generally it is safe to 
start the bed six weeks in advance of the time that 
plants may be put into the open ground. Some 
seeds need more heat than others ; some plants will 
be sooner ready than others, and a few, such as egg 
plants, peppers, etc., should not go out until quite 
warm weather—hence to meet their requirements 
it is well to sub-divide the hot-bed, by cross-wise 
partitions, that each may be managed differently. 
Sowing the seeds. — The bed being made and the 
sash put on, a strong heat will soon arise. A ther¬ 
mometer placed in the soil will show probably over 
100°. Wait until the violent heat passes off, and 
when the mercury has fallen to 90° or 80°, the seeds 
may be sown in rows 4 inches apart, from front to 
rear. If boxes are used, the seeds may be sown in 
the work-shop or other convenient place and set in 
the beds when the violent heat is over. 
Watering and other care, must be given as to seeds 
elsewhere. Use a watering- pot with a very fine 
rose (or sprinkler), and use water with the chill re¬ 
moved. Pick out weeds as they appear. The earth 
between the rows should be stirred now and then 
with a smad pointed stick to keep it open. 
Airing, shading and covering. — A hot-bed requires 
daily care. An hour or two of neglect may ruin its 
contents. In the morning, the upper ends of the 
sashes must be lifted, more or less, according to 
the outer temperature, for the escape of the super¬ 
fluous heat and the admission of fresh air. They 
must be closed before the bed becomes too cool, 
usually by 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon. The 
nearer the temperature within the bed can be kept 
at 75° the better. If shading is needed, as with 
recently transplanted plants, and old sheet may be 
thrown over the glass. Cool nights there will be 
great loss of heat and the glass must be covered 
either with straw mats, board shutters, rugs, or 
other protection. 
Other Matters. —A long wedge-shaped piece of 
wood will be needed to each sash ; by putting this 
under the upper edge of each, the sash may be 
lifted from one to three inches. Straw-mats are 
the best covering, and are handy for various uses. 
There are several ways of making them, but none 
equal to that described in the American Agricul¬ 
turist in April and May,. 1875. The account is quite 
too long to repeat, but it will pay any one who 
uses straw-mats to send for those two numbers. 
Some gardeners use, instead of mats, shutters the 
size of the sashes, made of half-inch stuff, and 
well secured with cleats. If very cold weather, it 
will be well to bank up the higher side and ends 
of the bed—if made in a pit, with manure. If this 
is not at hand, leaves or litter will be better than 
nothing. Look out for sudden wind squalls, when 
the sashes are tilted, else there will be a scattering 
of sashes and breaking of glass. 
Cold-Frames are precisely like hot-beds without 
manure, and set upon the surface of the ground ; 
they should have the sides and ends banked up 
with earth or litter. They will be useful later 
to receive and harden off plants that have been 
raised in the hot-bed. Seeds may be sown in them, 
and gain considerably over those in the open 
ground. For these all the appliances, especially 
mats or shutters, are needed that are required with 
hot-beds. Set the cold frame to catch the sun’s 
rays; have it well banked up. Cover the sashes 
in the afternoon, and open them to the sun in the 
morning. By this treatment the soil within will 
soon get warm, and seeds may be sown—the treat¬ 
ment of the plants in all respects being the same 
as if they were in a hot-bed. Flats may be used 
in them also. 
Sowing in Window Boxes. —Those who need only 
a few plants can raise them without the trouble of 
a hot-bed or cold-frame in boxes set in a kitchen 
window. The flats already described may be used, 
or any other box will answer. We prefer the 
kitchen window, though any other sunny window 
will do, because the atmosphere is generally moister, 
and from frequent opening of the doors the air is 
better. Watering must be attended to ; when the 
plants are up, turn the boxes every day, to keep 
them from growing to one' side; when they have 
made two rough leaves (besides the seed-leaves) 
transplant to other boxes, giving room according 
to the size of the plant. As the weather becomes 
warmer, the boxes may be set in the sun outdoors 
in the warm portion of the day ; this will harden 
off the plants and make them strong. 
Seeds. —With every vegetable there are a few va¬ 
rieties that experience has shown to be better than 
others. The best usually cost no more than the poor 
kinds. We will point out the kinds we have found 
most desirable. 
Novelties are offered every year. Those who can 
afford the time and the seeds, will find it interesting 
to make trials of new things, but no one, whether for 
use or for sale, should depend for his whole crop 
upon any untested novelty, especially if foreign. 
Where and Bow to get Seeds. —Please do not write 
to ask us who sells the best seeds. We do not al- 
\ow any seedsman to advertise unless we believe 
him to be honest and reliable, hence we do not 
recommend one in preference to another. Send 
for catalogues and make your serections early. It 
makes no difference where one lives, the mail 
places all in-this respect on an equality* 
VARIETIES. 
Asparagus. —Buy roots and save a year, or raise 
by sowing Conover’s Colossal in open ground early. 
Beans. —Bush: Early Valentine, Early Fejee, 
Dwarf, and Black Wax. Pole : Large Lima, Case- 
Knife, for shelling, Black Wax, and Horticultural 
(or Cranberry) for snaps. 
Beets. —Early : Egyptian, Bassano. Late : Long 
Smooth Blood. Swiss Chard, or Sea Kale Beet is 
Useless for root, but the leaves are fine Greens. 
Borecole or Kale. —Siberian or German Greens. 
Brocoli. —Purple Cape, Walcheren. 
Cabbages. —Early : Jersey Wakefield, Early York. 
Medium : Summer Drumhead, Winningstadt. Win¬ 
ter : Large Late Drumhead, Flat Dutch, Marblehead 
Mammoth, Savoy. 
Carrot. —Early Horn and Long Orange. 
Cauliflower. —Early: Erfurt, Early Paris. Late : 
Autumn Giant. 
Celery. — Dwarf White Solid, Boston Market, 
Dwarf Crimson. Turnip-rooted or Celeriac is used 
for soups and salads. 
Corn. —Early: Early Minnesota, Early Narragan- 
sett. Second and main crop: Triumph, Moore’s 
Concord, Stowell’s Evergreen. 
Cucumber. —Early : Early Russian, Green Cluster. 
Main crop : White Spine. Pickles: Green Prolific, 
Long Green Prickly. 
Egg Plant. —Long Purple, New York Improved, 
Black Pekin. 
Endive. —Green Curled. 
Garlic. —Always raised from sets. 
Kohl Rabi, or Turnip-rooted Cabbage, White 
Vienna. 
Leek. —Large Flag, Mussellburg. 
Lettuce. —Earliest under glass : Boston Market. 
Earliest open ground : Curled Simpson. Later: 
Hanson, Large India. 
Martynia for pickles—but one sort. 
Melon , Musk. —White Japan, Ward’s Nectar, 
Green Citron, Cassaba. 
Mdon, Water. —Phinney, Mountain Sweet, Ice 
Cream, Black Spanish. 
Nasturtium, for pickles.—Tall. 
Onions. —South of New York onions rarely suc¬ 
ceed from spring sown seeds, and “ sets” must be 
planted; they are sold at the seed stores. For 
seed. Early: The Queen. Main crop : Wethers¬ 
field Red, Yellow Danvers, White Globe: 
Okra. —Long Green. 
Parsnip. —Cup or Hollow Crown. 
Parsley. —Double Curled, Fern-leaved. 
Peas. —Earliest: Carter’s First Crop, or Dan’l 
O’Rourke; Laxton’s Alpha is but a few days later, 
and vastly better than any very early pea. Medium : 
. McLean’s Advancer. General crop : Champion of 
England, to which no pea is superior. Dwarfs are 
convenient to occupy odd places. Little Gem and 
Blue Peter are the best of these. 
Peppers. —Sweet Mountain, for stuffed pickles; 
Squash for pickles ; Red Chili for pepper-sauce. 
Potatoes. —Only the earliest varieties should take 
up the room of the garden, such as the Alpha, 
Early Vermont, Thorbum’s Paragon, or Early Rose. 
Radish. —Scarlet Turnip, Olive-shaped, and French 
Breakfast, take up but little room, and may be 
grown in spare places in hot-bed or frame, or in 
open ground with early beets and carrots to mark 
the rows ; the best long is Long Scarlet Short-top; 
California and Rose-colored China are best winter 
sorts, sown late the same as round turnips. 
Salsify and Scorzonera, the latter called Black 
Salsify, are both excellent, and where known will 
always be sown. But one kind of each. 
Spinach .—Round-leaf for spring and fall; the 
New Zealand for midsummer. 
Squash.— Early : Summer Crook-neck. Medium : 
Boston Marrow. Late': Hubbard, Marblehead, 
Butman, Yokohama. 
Tomato. —Early: Conqueror. Main crop': Trophy. 
See catalogues for fancy sorts. 
Turnip. —Earliest and latest sowings: Red-top 
Strap-leaf. Winter: Long White French, Yellow 
Stone, Golden Ball. 
