HOUSE AND GARDEN 
January, iyii. 
which to build the frame, the back is made 
in the same way as the front. That’s 
practically all there is to the frame, the 
labor is slight when one considers the re¬ 
ward of a garden six weeks ahead of time. 
Into this frame must now go the heat¬ 
ing apparatus—twelve to eighteen inches 
of manure. Some persons make a prac¬ 
tice of taking manure (which should be 
all or largely horse manure), directly from 
the pit and using it. But a far better way, 
if you would be certain of results, is to 
take a sufficient quantity and build it up 
into a square heap. This should be wet, 
but not soaked, while being put up. Af¬ 
ter a week turn it and build into a heap 
again, putting the ‘‘outside inside” as 
much as possible. After a few days 
put this into the frame, tramping it 
down well, then cover this with about 
four inches of good, rich garden loam. 
If there is no soil available which is 
not frozen, you can either get some from 
the nearest florist’s or, before you be¬ 
gin work on your frame, bring in a few 
wheelbarrows of frozen earth from the 
garden and thaw it out over the furnace 
or in a warm cellar. A little dry sand or 
very well rotted manure will help bring 
it to the proper condition for use in the 
frames. The seed may be sown directly 
into this prepared bed, or in flats placed 
in the frames on top of the soil. In the 
former case, be sure that the temperature 
of the bed has receded to 70 degrees as 
indicated by a thermometer plunged in the 
soil. When the little seedling plants are 
ready for transplanting, set them in 
straight rows. Brief instructions about 
the proper way to care for plants in frames 
will be given next month. 
As the days begin to lengthen it will 
also be a good time to start new plants 
from cuttings of any favorites you may 
have on hand that may be increased in 
this manner. Firm, new growth that will 
snap off when broken is the best to use. 
Select pieces with two or three “eyes” 
(leaf nodes), and cut off neatly. Place 
these in a deep plate or shallow box (not 
more than three inches deep) filled with 
coarse, gritty sand—builders' sand is as 
good as any—kept constantly moist. Shade 
them for four or five days after cutting, 
and then give them as much light as pos¬ 
sible, without the direct full sunshine in 
the middle of the day. Most of the or¬ 
dinary flowering house plants may be pro¬ 
pagated in this way, and the small, new 
plants will be much more satisfactory than 
old ones to set out in the spring. 
Things to Do Now 
EEPING in mind the fact that every 
hour’s work done now will give us 
just that much better start in the spring 
race against time, let everything that can 
be arranged ahead receive attention now. 
Look over all your tools, and not only 
fix but sharpen them. There is almost as 
much difference between using a bright. 
sharp hoe and a rusty, dull one as there is 
between using a clean-cutting and a “pull¬ 
ing” razor. If there are new tools needed, 
why not get them now, while you have 
time to select just what you want? You 
Sow seeds in flats for both flowers and early 
vegetables. Then place the flats on top of 
the soil in a hotbed, transplanting the seed¬ 
lings into the latter when they become far 
enough advanced 
will probably want more flats and seed- 
boxes, and there are old ones to fix up. 
Look over any left-over seeds and throw 
away any carrots, leeks, onions, parsnips 
or lettuce seed unless you can test it be¬ 
fore using, for it is cheaper to buy it new 
than to take chances with old seed of these 
varieties. If you have frames already, see 
that they are in good repair and get your 
manure for them now, and treat as sug¬ 
gested above, before putting it into them. 
Do you do enough pruning? Nine 
hundred and ninety-nine out of a thou¬ 
sand beginners do not. Grapes and cur¬ 
rants and other small berries may be 
pruned now as well as later. Cut all very 
old wood out clear to the ground, and the 
newer growths back one-third to one-half. 
Perhaps the best investment you can 
possibly make at this time will be one or 
two good garden books. Word addressed 
to the editor of this department will bring 
you a catalogue of books on all rural sub¬ 
jects, which will in itself prove highly in- 
Make a hotbed frame now if you have put 
it off up to this time. Dig out the soil to 
a depth of eighteen inches and fill in with 
manure that has been stacked for several 
days. On this, spread four inches of good 
rich loam and cover it with the sash 
47 J 
•teresting. Any studying you may do along 
these lines is sure to bring big rewards next 
season. Isn’t it better to spend a few dol¬ 
lars in the beginning to find out how to do 
things in the right way, than to leave it to 
costly and discouraging experience? 
January in the Greenhouse 
N the greenhouse this is a busy month 
indeed. Towards the latter part the first 
sowings of all early spring vegetables will 
be made, and right away all stock plants 
not already started into growth should be 
given more moisture and heat, to start 
new growth for cuttings. The middle of 
this month should find the last crop of 
indoor lettuce in the beds, and plants 
stored for the first crop in the coldframes. 
Tomatoes that were sown in December 
will need repotting pieparatory to being 
put in these beds or fruiting boxes, and 
cucumbers should be brought along to fol¬ 
low the lettuce. If there are not sufficient 
pansy plants in the frames, start a second 
crop now; with care they will make fine 
plants. If you are short of cannas, start 
them new, as the new shoots taken off and 
treated as cuttings will do finely. Put up 
shelves and make all the extra room pos¬ 
sible ; it will be needed when the seedlings 
are ready to transplant, and the plants in 
pots are given their final shift, which 
should in most cases be into four-inch 
pots. Remember that all work done now 
in advance means more accomplished 
next month. 
Some Ante-Season Hints 
AKE your garden plans early, and 
be ready for an early spring. 
Plant radishes remote from the tract 
infested by wire-worms last year. 
If your beets did not do well last year, 
try giving them some more manure, not 
directly, but well worked into the soil be¬ 
fore planting. 
Do not plant your potatoes in the same 
old place and invite the scab. 
When you are in doubt about crop ro¬ 
tation, plant the beans or peas in the loca¬ 
tion. They will do as well there as any¬ 
where else with the same amount of fer¬ 
tilizer as is given the rest of the garden. 
Work a little slaked lime into the soil 
where your cabbages are to be grown to 
prevent club-root. A garden well fertil¬ 
ized better resists the attacks of pests than 
one meagerly fed. 
Carrots grow well in soil enriched with 
cleanings from the hennery without any 
other manure. 
Fine cabbage follows beans, but does 
not grow well after potatoes. 
It is wise to plant peas where the gar¬ 
den is rather moist. A spell of dry weath¬ 
er tests them severely. 
Give the radishes just a little shade. 
Lettuce should not be where the soil 
is too dry or light. Parsley will stand 
such soil a little better. 
M. Roberts Conover 
