Ibe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
3GI 
IIotbeds and Cold Frames. —While 
hotbeds are indispensable for market gar¬ 
deners, and for those who sell early 
plants, the average garden-maker, wheth¬ 
er he be a farmer or a suburbanite, is 
wise to leave them for the professional. 
Much time, labor and skill are required 
to manipulate hotbeds in cold weather, 
and all too often the plants either damp 
off or are touched by frost. It is quite 
different when one comes to cold frames, 
however. I unhesitatingly advocate the 
use of these frames for even the backyard 
gardener, because they make it possible 
for him to have earlier plants than can 
be obtained in any other way. and to 
except pony frames, which are only half 
as long, and are not used very exten¬ 
sively. It isn't necessary to keep these 
dimensions, of course, if you are going to 
Use any old sash which you happen t.» 
have around the place, although it is hard 
to improve upon this size for conveni¬ 
ence. 
Cloth-covered Frames. It isn't nec¬ 
essary to have glass at all. In fact, I 
rather prefer the prepared glass cloth, so- 
called, which is on the market, and which 
comes in long rolls .‘1 ft. wide, so that it 
can be cut to fit over any sash. This 
prepared cloth doesn't last very long. I 
find, but it is cheap, and one can afford 
Hoffman’s Seeds Pay! 
New Catalog Free 
Write for th • book — its different 
from other catalogs— describes 
. . field seeds ofily. Hardiest type? 
—reliable yielders selected by practical farmers knowing seed needs of other 
tanners. Gives valuable pointers. Every bag of seed it offers is clean_ 
sound—tested must please you! Read guarantee below. Hoffman’s 
Seeds zvill pay you ! 
Here is a Genuine ‘Side’ Oats 
(“Improved White Russian” variety) 
Here is an opportunity seldom offered—a chance to get real ‘side’ oats in 
quantity at a reasonable price. 
Markina Rows in a Cold Frame 
start kiuds which do not flourish well if 
planted in the open ground. They are 
particularly useful for hardening off to¬ 
mato plants, cabbage plants and other veg¬ 
etables which have ‘been started in flats 
indoors. It is a great nuisance to take 
these flats from the kitchen to the porch 
every morning, and to take them back 
again at night, but unless the plants get 
iniyed to the outside air they will receive 
a bad setback when put into the open 
ground. The cold frame obviates all such 
difficulty. \\ hen the plants become well 
started indoors and the season is fairly 
well advanced you can transfer them to 
to replace it every other season. It is 
almost as effective as glass for admitting 
sunlight, and keeping the bed warm. It 
sheds water perfectly, and because of its 
lightness the frames are much easier to 
handle than those of glass. Incidentally 
I find these cloth-covered sash very con¬ 
venient later in the season when the 
chickens come along. I use some small 
flat yards, and some A-shaped yards when 
raising chickens with hens, and if a sud¬ 
den rainstorm comes lip. a few of these 
sash can be placed over the pens so as 
to keep out the water, and yet let in light 
and allow the chickens to run about as 
Summer Squash Started in Frames 
such a frame and give them just the 
propei amount of air daily with very little 
work and no danger. 
Construction of Frame. —A cold 
frame is readily made by setting up a few 
boards on edge and placing a sash of 
glass across them. Preferably there 
should be a considerable slope from back 
to front, so that the water will run off 
and the sunlight be more evenly distrib¬ 
uted. Of course a cold frame needs no 
bottom heat, but should be filled with 
good soil with which well-rotted manure 
has been incorporated. The conventional 
size of a cold frame, like that of a hotbed, 
is 3x6 ft., or some multiple of three, as 
6x6, or 9x6. This is because hotbed and 
cold frame sash are always made 3x6 ft., 
freely as when the weather is fair. You 
are sure to have considerable loss if you 
have to keep your chickens shut up with 
a hen, or even in a small house during 
a rainy period lasting over several days, 
but with these cloth frames it is not nec¬ 
essary to confine the birds at all. 
Cold Frame Uses. —In some places 
frames are used extensively for starting 
early plants which are to be set in the 
field or sent to market. Some of the mar¬ 
ket gardeners around Boston use them 
for starting Summer squash. They are 
very rough frames, though, consisting 
merely of boards set on edge and running 
sometimes a hundred feet or more. The 
squashes are grown right in these beds, 
the covering being removed and the board:- 
lmpioveu vv nire Russian is a neavy-yielclmg variety (note photo). Unusual 
stooier—grows tall, very stiff straw. Produces long, well-filled heads— formation of heads 
is to one side of stalk, the growth resembling that of a horse’s Jmane. Grains have very 
thin hull—percentage of kernel to husk is unusually great, it is a variety of greatest feed¬ 
ing value. Seed 
is heavy—weighs 
45 to 46 lbs. to 
measured bushel — 
beautiful in ap¬ 
pearance—sound 
germination. 
This variety has 
been making en¬ 
viable records for 
growers through¬ 
out New York, 
Pennsylvania, 
New Jersey and 
adjoining States. 
Agricultura I 
authorities in¬ 
spected growing 
fields, and cer¬ 
tified that this * >u - Oats P er acre—read Catalog for details 
stock did not contain more than one-half of one per cent of other than 
oats. We are certain this is tlie purest seed oats obtainable. It is an 
hardy prolific—profitable. _ It will pay you to replace your other oats with “Improve* 
White Russian’’—results will please you. Your growing crops will doubtless attract th 
attention of neighbors who will be anxious buyers for seed of it for their crops next year 
Get our catalog—read full details. Sample free. 
‘side’ 
earlv sort— 
Five other varieties of Seed Oats 
Climax” from the far northwestern 
corner of the Country—wonderful yielder- as beautiful seed a:- you ever saw, “Swedish 
Select ’ ‘ ’Silvermine”, etc.—every variety a dependable kind to sow. Ask for free samples. 
Clover 
Alfalfa 
Timothy 
and all the 
Grasses 
Highest 
Qualities 
Samples Free 
Good croos of clean hay result from Hoffman’s Grass Seeds 
Prices Much Lower AI1 tl,e & rasses are way down in price this year toward those 
you have been paying. Qualities we offer you are excep¬ 
tionally high-grade. Every lot tested for freedom from weed seeds—sound in germination. 
Know they will entirely please you. Let us send you samples. 
Seed for Every Farm Crop 
Potatoes from Maine. Barley, Spring Wheat, Speltz, Buckwheat. Pasture Grasses, 
also special permanent mixture that produces a lasting pasture. Soy Beans—Field Peas_ 
all seeds of sound quality. Catalog gives full instructions for crops you are not already 
acquainted with. 
P ver - 1 °f Hoffman’s Seed you buy may 
'JUUI u/aec . be returned if you are not pleased with its 
quality. And your money will be refunded 
in full we paying round-trip freight. 
Write today 
for 
CATALOG 
and 
SAMPLES 
both are 
FREE 
Mail postcard 
or letter at 
once to 
A. H. Hoffman, Inc. 
Box 15 Landisville, Lancaster Co., Pa. 
