September, 1918 
53 
cut the width of the frame, to be used as a 
guide for making the drills. The seed is in all 
cases sown crosswise of the frame to facilitate 
cultivation, which is just as necessary in a 
, frame as out of doors. 
i It is also quite essential that proper forcing 
types of vegetables be selected for this purpose, 
as they mature the most quickly. In beets, 
Early Model will be found satisfactory, being 
of good form and color and quick to mature. 
Of beans, Black Valentine is the most robust 
of any variety and is practically adapted to 
hotbed forcing. French Forcing is the best 
type of carrot to use. Extra Early Erfurt, which 
is a very productive and compact forcing cauli¬ 
flower, should be selected in preference to the 
finer types such as Snowball, which are not as 
desirable for this work. In lettuce, Big Boston 
or May King will be found satisfactory, and 
the small white or green early endive should be 
used. It is best to select the small 
turnip type of radish, although 
any of the radishes may be forced 
if desired. New Zealand spinach 
is one of the most productive vege¬ 
tables that can be grown, but it 
must be established quickly in or¬ 
der to assure returns. Either 
Bloomsdale or Viroflay may be 
used in the broad leaf types of 
spinach. Where it is possible to 
get cuttings of New Zealand spin¬ 
ach, they can be started in pref¬ 
erence to the seeds, as the latter are 
slow to germinate. Parsley and 
Swiss chard may be taken from 
the garden and transplanted into 
the frames, removing the tops to 
(assist them in becoming estab¬ 
lished. The distance required in 
the frames will be practically the 
(same as that for the garden, as the 
llsame development is possible. 
Post-planting Care 
After sowing the seeds or plant¬ 
ing the cuttings or roots, it would 
be well to keep the frame covered, 
lopening the sash both top and bot¬ 
tom to allow sufficient ventilation. 
The glass should be coated with 
whitewash to exclude the strong 
j'sun until the growth is showing, 
at which time it should be rubbed 
i off gradually until the glass is 
clear. The seeds should be 
'watered immediately after sowing, 
but in no case should the entire 
frame be saturated. It is best to 
water the drill only, leaving the 
balance of the surface moderately dry, because 
when the sash is on, the evaporation of mois¬ 
ture is not nearly so great as out in the 
open. It is also a good practice to keep the 
spaces between the drills thoroughly pulverized 
with a hand cultivator, as there is a tendency 
< for confined soil to turn sour. This, of course, 
:an be overcome by using some lime in the com¬ 
post when it is made up for use, but cultivation 
1 is always a good practice and its value should 
never be disregarded. When the seedlings are 
'showing above ground they should be thinned 
out to the necessary distance apart. In some 
cases, one end of the frame can be used as a 
>eed bed where the seeds are sown broadcast 
m the surface, and from which they are trans¬ 
planted to the other part of the frame. This 
ipplies to such vegetables as lettuce. Beets, 
carrots and others of this type should be sown 
n a drill where they are to mature. 
At the approach of cold weather it is quite 
essential that ample protection be applied to 
the frames. In some cases, boards are placed 
upright on the back and sides to afford pro¬ 
tection from cold winds. The frames, however, 
cannot be worked from both sides, making it 
necessary to remove the sash when watering or 
cultivating. The best protection is frostproof 
mats for the top. Considerable litter may be 
placed on these mats during extreme weather, 
and where board construction is used it is ad¬ 
visable to bank hot manure around all sides, as 
the frost will easily penetrate through a frame¬ 
work of this kind. Where frames are arranged 
in tandem, the spaces between them and the 
adjoining area can be filled with the manure to 
such an extent that the frames have the appear¬ 
ance of a sunken pit. The most important 
item is to be certain that enough protecting 
material such as litter or leaves is applied dur¬ 
ing bitter weather. It may be necessary virtually 
to bury the frame in 3' or 4' of this covering, 
over which a few boards can be placed to keep 
the covering from blowing away. If these in¬ 
structions are followed, it will be surprising 
what a real contribution the frames will make 
to our winter food supply. With vegetables 
that mature quickly such as lettuce, cauliflower 
and radishes, subsequent sowings should be 
made to assure a continuous supply. 
During extremely cold weather it is not ad¬ 
visable to open the frames unless absolutely 
necessary, but on fine days the sash may be 
lifted to supply just a little ventilation. The 
watering should be done on fine days and as 
early in the morning as possible. This, of 
course, is governed by weather conditions, and 
it is far better that the plants be bone dry dur¬ 
ing extremely cold weather than that they be 
the least bit overwatered. 
If the frames are not to be utilized for the 
forcing of food crops during the winter, it is a 
good practice to make use of them for various 
hardy vegetables which are grown to consider¬ 
able size in the fall, and which can be wintered 
over. The result of such methods is vigorous 
and good sized plants that are available for 
planting out in early spring. Cabbage, cauli¬ 
flower, Swiss chard and other hardy vegetables 
may be handled in this manner. There are also 
a number of our favorite flowers which are im¬ 
proved to a noticeable extent by this method. 
All types of annuals and perennials may be 
treated in this manner. These plants do not 
require the care necessary for forcing plants 
and no heating medium such as manure should 
be applied to the frames. Simply use a good 
rich soil and keep the plants moderately dry 
for the entire winter. 
Sowings for this purpose should be made next 
month. It is not well to have the plants too 
large, as that would seriously reduce the num¬ 
ber that it is possible for the 
frames to hold. The plants should 
be grown rather slowly, as they 
will become soft and very likely 
turn yellow and die during the try¬ 
ing winter months when they do 
not get any too much air or light. 
For this purpose the frames will 
not have to be opened as often as 
advised for forcing crops. The 
frames are simply serving the pur¬ 
pose of a storage pit. 
Spring Uses 
There is no denying the fact 
that spring produces the greatest 
number of gardeners, and it is 
very difficult to awaken the en¬ 
thusiasm of this class at any other 
season of the year. They will be 
found making out seed orders, 
sharpening tools, repairing lawn 
mowers and various other occupa¬ 
tions which are delightful to the 
real suburbanite. This is one 
phenomenon which may explain 
why the hotbeds are usually 
dusted off in spring and made 
ready for their annual period of 
use. 
For spring work, the frames 
should be made ready during Feb¬ 
ruary. It is not necessary to exca¬ 
vate to anywhere near the depth 
as when the frame is to be used 
during the winter, as but a few 
weeks of freezing weather are be¬ 
fore us. Usually from 12" to 15" 
of good hot manure will furnish 
heat for that period. The manure 
should be well moistened and tramped thor¬ 
oughly, after which it can be covered with 4" or 
5" of good earth and the seeds may be sown on 
the surface. For this work it is usually advis¬ 
able to use a part of the frame for seeding pur¬ 
poses, as the seedlings are transplanted when 
they have made their first character leaf. 
Practically all types of vegetables may be 
started in this manner. Egg-plants, peppers, 
cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes and various other 
vegetables that require an early start should be 
sown now. There is very little effort required 
in growing plants under these conditions, as the 
days are lengthening and the growing condi¬ 
tions improving hourly. The great tendency is 
to overwater. During the early stages of the 
use of a hotbed there is little air applied, and 
this lack of ventilation decreases the soil evapo¬ 
ration to the very minimum. Under such cir¬ 
cumstances, very little water will be necessary. 
(Continued on page 72) 
Where the frame is made of boards, fresh manure banked against 
the sides will give needed protection in extreme weather 
A modification of the usual type of frame, easily made, well placed, 
and capable of growing a greater variety of vegetables 
