D. M. FERRY & CO'S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 
9 
Makintf RpH This requires careful attention, as 
/▼\al\IIU£ II US ucu future success depends largely uj>on 
the manner in which this work is done. Having cleared away 
snow and ice, build a rectangular bed one foot lurger each 
way than the frame to be used, carefully shaking out and 
spreading each forkful and repeatedly treading down the 
manure so as to make the bed ax uniform as possible in solid¬ 
ity, composition and moisture. It is of the utmost impor¬ 
tance that this shaking apart and evenly pressing down of 
the manure should be carefully and thoroughly done; unless 
it is, one portion will heat quicker than the others, aud the 
soil will settle unevenly, making it imt>ossible to raise good 
plants. The proper depth of the bed will vary with the climate, 
season, and the kind of plants to lie raised. A shallow bed 
will quickly give a high temperature which will soon subside; 
a deeper one. if well made, will heat more moderately, but 
continue much longer. For general purposes, a bed about 
two feet deep will be best. 
The bed completed, the frame and sash may be put on and 
fresh manure carefully packed around the outside to the very 
top (if the weather is at all severe, this outside banking should 
be replenished as it settles). The bed should then be allowed 
to stand with the sash partially open for a day or two to 
allow the steam and rank heat to pass off. The earth should 
then be put on and carefully leveled Care shoul I be taken 
that the soil is dry and fri ible. If wet or frozen soil must be 
used, it should be placed iu small piles until well dried out 
before spreading. The heat at first will be quite violent, fre¬ 
quently rising to 120 degrees; but it soon subsides, and when 
it recedes to 90 degrees the seed may be plante I. The impor¬ 
tance of using dry soil and allowing the first rank heat to pass 
off is very great. Every season thousands of hot-l>eds fall of 
good results from these causes, and seedsman are blamed for 
failure resulting from overheat, or wet, soggy soil. 
These frames are particularly useful in the South, and may 
be covered more cheaply with cloth shades than by sash. 
The shades are made as follows: Make light but strong wooden 
frames to fit over the bed, and of a width to receive some 
common brand of cotton cloth. The cloth may be unbleach¬ 
ed, and should be stretched over and securely tacked to the 
frames. We have found that Plant-Bed Cloth, w hich we have 
for sale, is superior to any ordinary cloth for this purpose. 
Trprwnlantind lb transplanting, the main points to be 
regarded are: care in taking up the 
plants so as to avoid injury to the roots, planting firmly so as 
to enable the plant to take a secure hold of the soil, reducing 
the top to prevent eva|»oration, and shading to prevent the 
hot sun from w ithering and blighting the leaves. In trans¬ 
planting from a liot-bed, harden the plants by letting them 
get quite dry a day or two before, but give an abundance of 
water ufeio hours before they are taken out. It is most apt 
to be successful if done just at evening, or immediately before 
or during the first part of a rain, about the worst time being 
just after a rain, when the ground being wet it is impossible 
to sufficiently press it about the plant without its baking 
hard. If water is used at all it should be used freely, and the 
wet surface immediately covered with dry soil. 
Wafprintf The best time to water plants is between sun- 
VTaix .1 III*} set and sunrise. Water may be given to the 
roots at any time, but should never be sprinkled over the 
leaves while they are exposed to bright sunshine. If water¬ 
ing a plant has been commenced, continue to supply it as it 
is needed, or more injury than good will result from what 
has been given. One copious watering is better than many 
scanty sprinklings. The ground should always be stirred with 
a hoe or rake as soon after watering as it can be done with¬ 
out making the soil muddy. 
Management 
of the Bed 
The essentials 
success are 
a steady, uni¬ 
form degree of 
heat and moisture; keeping the soil 
at all times a few degrees wanner 
than the air, and the careful ‘“hard¬ 
ening off” (by exposure to the air 
and diminishing the supply of water) 
of the plants before transplanting 
into the open air. Simple as these 
may seem to be, there are many diffi¬ 
culties in the way of securing them, 
prominent among which are over¬ 
heating the air under a bright s m. 
Without experience one would 
scarcely believe how quickly the tem¬ 
perature inside of a well-built hot¬ 
ted will rise to 90 or 100 degrees upon 
a still, sunny day. even when the 
temperature outside is far below 
freezing, or how quickly the tempera¬ 
ture will fall to that outside, if upon 
a windy, cloudy day the sash is left 
open ever so little. A rush of cold 
air driven over the plants is far more 
injurious than the same temperature 
when the air is still. Again, in clou ly 
weather, a bed will go several days 
without watering, but will dry up in 
an h >ur when open on a sunny aay. 
The details of management,however, 
must be learned by experience, but 
may be easily acquired by one who 
gives the matter careful attention, 
keeping constantly in mind the es¬ 
sentials given above. 
Cold Frame 
of boards for wintering over young 
plants, Cabbage. Lettuce, Cauliflow¬ 
er, Brocoli, etc., and is also extreme¬ 
ly useful to protect and harden off 
plants from the greenhouse or hot¬ 
bed before fully exposing them in 
the open air. 
Select a dry, southern exposure, 
form a frame from four to six feet 
wide and as long as required. The 
back should be fourteen to eighteen 
inches high, and the front eight to 
twelve, with a cross-tie every three 
feet. The frame may be covered with 
sash or cloth. Seeds of the. vege¬ 
tables to be wintered, sown in open 
bonier early in September, will be 
ready to plant in cold frames about 
the la*t of October. The soil should 
be well prepared and smoothly raked 
before planting. Admit air freely 
on pleasant days, but keep close in 
severe weather. 
is a simple 
construction 
OUR 8EED WAREHOUSE “B” 86 X 140 FEET. 
