j September, 1912 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
i57 
crete sets. For the outside face of our pit, we shall not need a 
form if the bank is cut down straight to make an even surface. It 
would be difficult to remove the form next to the bank, after the 
concrete hardens, without a lot of unnecessary digging that the 
value of the boards would not justify. Neither will it be necessary 
to run the sub-frame down to the full depth of the pit. If it ex¬ 
tends two feet into the ground it will answer the purpose just as 
well. 
The standard concrete mixture is the so called 1 \2.y 2 :5 mix¬ 
ture. This means that for one part of Portland cement we use 2p2 
parts of clean, sharp sand, and 5 parts of broken stone, cinders or 
some other aggregate. There are two methods of finishing the 
bed. Sometimes the sub-frame merely comes to the surface of the 
ground and a wooden frame is built on it, but the better way is to 
bring the sub-frame up to the proper level for the sash. Of 
course the part of the wall above ground must be cast in a form 
with both sides boarded. Eight inches will be wide enough for a 
wall of this kind. We must give the top surface a proper slope 
from the horizontal, and must imbed 2x4 nailers into the con¬ 
crete, while it is still soft, to nail the frame for the sash to rest on. 
The quick way for the busy man is to purchase frames and sash 
direct from the manufacturer. They will be shipped, knocked 
down, and can be put together in a short time by anyone familiar 
with the use of tools. Such frames are usually of cypress, but 
there is a great difference in this wood. See that your frames 
are of seasoned “Gulf’’ or “Coast” cypress and also that the sash 
have blind mortice joints in distinction from open mortices which 
admit water and soon decay at the most important place in their 
construction. 
The first step in making a hotbed is to procure a heap of fresh 
stable manure. All that we shall ultimately need should be 
secured at one time, and not be purchased in small quantities. The 
reason for this is that the preliminary fermentation in the open 
should be done in a careful and uniform manner to secure uni¬ 
form results later. The fresh manure is piled in a heap and mixed 
with half its bulk of dry leaves. Those from hardwood trees are 
the best, but this is not of vital importance. Sometimes the ma¬ 
nure will prove to be so strawy that the addition of leaves will not 
be necessary: in fact many hotbeds are made with neither straw 
nor leaves. But it is found in practice that the fermentation is 
less violent and more permanent, as a source of heat, if some 
filler is used. The manure must have a slow, moist, enduring 
heat. We shall need about two cubic yards of manure for each 
sash of the standard size. This estimate is based upon using our 
hotbeds and in holding their temperature up to the growing point 
even with the weather outside close to zero. 
After the heap has fermented for a day or two, it should be 
thoroughly forked over to cool it down. During this fermenta¬ 
tion the temperature will sometimes rise to no degrees; a tem¬ 
perature that of course would be fatal to growing plants. After 
forking, a second fermentation will take place and then, after 
two days more, the manure is ready to be placed into the pit of 
our hotbed. This pit should be filled to within eighteen inches of 
the sash frames. The manure must then be well watered, and 
packed and treaded down solid, especial care being devoted to 
the sides and corners. 
After the manure is in place, the sash must be put on the 
frames. In a very short time the manure will begin to ferment, 
giving off steam and fumes of ammonia. The temperature of the 
fermenting mass should then be taken with a thermometer. When 
it cools down to 90 degrees Fahr., the bed is ready for the top 
dressing of soil in which to plant the seeds. If the bed cools 
slowly, we can hasten the process somewhat by punching holes in 
the manure with a pointed stick, allowing the steam and fumes 
better freedom to escape. On the outside of the bed a bank should 
be piled against the frame, using soil or coal ashes. This is to re- 
(Continued on page 170.) 
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The watering of hotbed or coldframe plants is an important considera¬ 
tion. Here a pipe line runs along the fence with convenient connec¬ 
tions at short intervals . 
During the heat of the day the sash should be lifted to permit the vapor 
to escape and allow ventilation of the plants 
After the seedlings have started growth in the hotbed, they may be 
transplanted to the coldframe, where they grow to large size 
