American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-02-22
How to Make Hot. Beds.

| The frame for general use, has from
three to five sashes, and is made for con-
venience about four and half or five feet
wide, and the length depends On the num-
Der of sashes. which are usually about
| forty inches wide. Use the smallest glass
| you can obtain, certainly not over seven
| by nine; a smaller size is preferable, as it
| Is not so liable to be broken, and can be
| more readily repaired. These sashes are
made without cross bars, the glass over
| tapping like the shingles of house, and
resting on bars extending lengthwise of
| the sash. The Ian of each pane of glass
| need not be over half an inch, and if the
glass is set in the sash when freshly paint
ed with two coats of paint, no putty is
necessary, if the sash is well made. The
frame should be made of inch-and-a-half
plank, as high again in the back as in the
front, to give the sashes the proper slope
to the sun, and sufficient inclination to
carry off the wet. The front, of course,
is toward the south. Let the back and
front be nailed to the corner posts, SO as
to admit the ends to fit in neatly, which
ends are to be made fast to the posts by
common carriage bolts, in order that the
frame may be taken asunder to store when
not in use. All joints in the sides and
ends should be tongued and grooved to
loss of warm air from the bed. Each end
should be made an inch and half higher
than the back and font, ana xEoOved out
one-half its thickness, to permit the sash
to slide and leave the other half to sup
port the outside. At the corner, also, OF
each sash, let another piece of scantling
be placed, and on the top of these, narrow
strips the length of the sash are to be
nailed, for the sash to slide upon. Be-
tween the sashes, nail a strip little
thicker than the sash, upon which they
slide, and put on the sash and upon this
or in, 1au
row strip, projecting over the sash
little, to cover up the joint and
keep out the cold. Provide for the
bed full supply of good horse
manure from the stable, mixed with moist
litter, preferriny that which is fresh. moist
and full of heat. If there is not sufficient
litter in the mass the heat will not be last
ing; SO as substitute add oak. leaves or
tan-bark. There should be at least one
third litter in the heap. Shake it up and
mix it well together, spr1nklihg with
water if dry, and throw it into a compact
warm, or if cold, in week, turn it over,
and if dry and musty in any part, water
again. Let it be two or three days longer,
and then work it over thoroughly as be-
fore, and water if necessary. In dry,
sheltcre 1 situation opening to the south,
mark out the dimensions of the bed,
making it fully foot longer and wider
earth about ten on twelve inches deep.
Then begin to form the bed by spreading
a thin layer of the prepared manure upon
the ground, mixing the long and short to-
gether. Upon this spread other layers
mixed in the same manner, beating each
too heavily, to keep it level and equally
firm throughout. Stakes should be placed
at the corners to work to. The edges
should be kept true and the corners firm,
to do which the outside of each layer
must be first laid down, and to make the
of long litter is required. Continue until
the bed is three feet above the surface,
then spread the fine manure that is left,
evenly over the top, and water freely. AS
soon as finished, let the frame and glass
be put on with care, and keep them close
until the heat rises and steam appears
upon the glass. AS soon as the heat rises.
give air at noon each day, but keep closed
in the evening and at night, unless the
heat is very violent, when a little air should
be given. In three days if the manure was
sufficiently moist, the bed will be ready
for use. Ii it has settled unequally, raise
the frame and level the surface. Place in
the frame six inches of fine, dark-colored,
sandy garden soil, spread it evenly, and
put on the sash. When warmed through,
sow in pots plunged in the mould, or
in small drills from one-eigth of an inch
to an inch deep, varying In depth with the
size of the seeds. and cover by sitting fine
earth on the surface. Water gently
by sprinkling with tepid water through
the fine rose of a watering pot: When
the plants appear, they should have air
every day freely (unless absolutely freeZ-
ing), which will bring them up strong,
and prevent their dropping off by excess
of confined moisture. There are very
few days which will not permit opening
the bed, not by sliding down the sashes,
but by raising them at the back, holding
them open by triangular block to slip
in, so that they can:be opent d from two to
five inches. Open the bed in the middle
of the day, as above, but close early that
the plants may not become chilled. Dur
ing warm, gentle rains, the sash should
be opened, but closed very carefully dur
ing cold or heavy washing storms. About
sixty degrees is the proper temperature
it should not rise above seventy-five de-
grees.-R4vaL Aiaban,ian for February.