184 
ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE 
rial, let the small plank be on the bottom. This will 
enable you to bank dirt around the frame so as to 
prevent cold air from entering the bed. Next, dig the 
pit about two feet deep and one foot larger than the 
frame. Fill the pit eighteen inches deep with horse 
manure to which a little hay has been added. Moisten 
and pack the manure firmly as it is put into the bed. 
Cover the manure with six inches of rich garden loam, 
Fig. lift—Companion crops. The corn has just been harvested, and the 
cowpeas cover the ground. 
place on the frame and mound the dirt up well around 
the sides. The bed may be covered with standard size 
hotbed sash or heavy drilling. Allow the bed to heat 
for several days, and when the temperature remains 
from 84° to 98° Fahrenheit, the seed may be planted. 
It is always desirable to locate the hotbed in a well 
protected place, with the highest side to the north. 
Cold Frame.—Cold frames are constructed similar 
to hotbeds. In the hotbed, we have a pit filled with 
manure, while in cold frames we do not need the pit or 
