SUCCESSFUL GARDENING 
{Continued from 'page 3) 
in your neighborhood. Some seeds like parsnip cannot be made to 
grow well after the ground becomes too warm. On the other hand, 
watermelon seed if planted in cold wet ground will rot. If rains 
occur after the seeds are sown and a crust forms, this should be 
carefully broken, otherwise the tender plants will not be able to 
get through to the surface. Some seeds are slow to germinate and 
these should be sown thickly in order that the plantlets may break 
the crust on the soil. It is a good plan to sow a few quick germinat¬ 
ing seeds such as radish, cabbage or turnip with slow germinating 
celery, parsnip, carrot and the like. This will mark the row for 
early cultivation and help break the soil crust. 
CULTIVATION As soon as plants in the row can be seen, begin culti¬ 
vating very shallow and close as possible without 
damaging the plants. Away from the plants, deeper 
cultivation should be practiced, gradually lessening this as the 
plants grow to avoid root injury. Cultivate and hoe often enough 
so that you are cultivating- the soil instead of ploughing out weeds. 
If under irrigation, water often enough to keep the soil in good 
moist condition; do not oversoak. Cultivate at least once between 
each irrigation until the crop is laid by. 
HOTBEDS Some provision for starting certain plants earlier than in 
the open air is desirable. A hotbed will All this need and 
pay for itself many times over. First class hardy plants 
can easily be grown and the surplus may be sold to your neighbors. 
Construction is not expensive or dilticult. It is well to plan unit 
sizes which are generally six feet wide and three feet long since 
regular hotbed sash comes in three by six feet size. If sash is not 
available locally, write and we will tell you where this can be pur¬ 
chased. The frame can be built for one or more sash as needed. Use 
good lumber, making the north side 12 inches high and sloping to 
8 inches high on the south. One by four, or two by four pieces 
should be fitted fiatwise across the inside of the frame fiush at the 
top to form a joint between the sash and properly support them, or 
better still use grooved slides for this purpose. 
The pit should be dug about two feet deep, six feet wide and 
as long as needed for the size bed desired. In districts where rain¬ 
fall is light, boarding up the sides of the pit is unnecessary. The pit 
should always be in a well drained location. 
The best heating material that is available is fresh horse 
manure containing a liberal quantity of straw bedding. What is 
wanted in the hotbed is a steady but moderate lasting heat. To 
secure this, the manure should be forked over, shaken apart and if 
dry, watered and allowed to begin heating the second time. The 
object being to get the whole mass into a uniform degree of fer¬ 
mentation. As soon as this is accomplished it is fit for use. When 
filling the pit, carefully spread each forkful of manure, treading 
it down so as to make the bed as uniform as possible in solidity, 
composition and moisture. Good garden soil should be filled in, as 
shown in the accompanying illustration, to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. 
Soon fermentation will start and an excessive heat will prevail for 
about a week. If seeds are planted at once this high temperature 
may be disastrous. 
C - >1 
The essentials for success are a steady uniform degree of heat 
and moisture. In colder climates it is well to bank up with soil 
around the outside of the frame to make it air tight. 
. On page 78 under “How to Grow Tomatoes” you will find sug¬ 
gestions regarding the watering and ventilation of the bed, also 
hardening off of the plants. 
COLD FRAMES Same directions as for the hotbed except that no pit 
is dug or heating material is used. In colder cli¬ 
mates, plants cannot be started so early; wait until 
the sun gives more warmth. During extremely cold weather it is a 
good plan to scatter straw over the sash to a depth of about one 
foot. This should be done each night or during cloudy weather, 
removing the straw during the sunlit hours. 
{Continued on page 5) 
4 
D. V. Burrell Seed Growers Co., Rocky Ford, Colo. 
