Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1876-04-17
2fericulfrrral department.
THE HOT BED.

In order to secure early vegetables or
flowers, a hQt-bed is indispensable. Com
parativelyfew, however, make any attempt
to provide anything of the kind. Many
who have no hot-beds would be glad to
have one If they knew how to construct
and manage it, and for the benefit of
such we will give few directions. The
first thing to be attended to is to procure
the manure. Fresh stable manure In
which there is plenty of litter is best.
If the manure does not already contain
a sufficient amount of litter and straw,
more should be added, until at least one
third of the heap is litter. Enough of
the manure and straw should be pro-
cured to make pile about three feet
high, and one foot wider and longer than
the required bed. This must be tho
roughly forked over and mixed, adding
water if the manure is very dry, and
then left in a compact heap for week
or ten days until it begins to ferment
we'll. Then mix thoroughly again and
prepare the bed. Choose sunny aspect
when prac ticable, and if it faces the
southeast, it will be better. A high
board fence. building, or an evergreen
screen on the north, will be valuable as
protection. If the box or frame, has
been already made, mark off space
six or eight inches larger. and drive a
stake into the ground at each corner, so
as to be about three feet high. Then
commence with the manure, and build
the manure bed by placing layer after
layer, precisely as farmer builds a
haystack, except that the hot-bed should
be lighter and lower in the middle, in
stead of compact and rounded as in the
haystack. If the manure is placed too
light and loose, the heat will be short and
violent; if too solid, the heat will not
rise. The common practice is to place
with fork, even and successive layers,
beating the centre down eompactly with
the fork and treading the outer layer,
With some manure, treading would make
it too solid. The hight will also vary
some from the same cause that is, g
higher bed must be made of manure
which does not ferment freely. The bee
should be about six inches higher at the
back than in the front The frame Cal
be constructed by any handy man at ;
very small expense. 1t consists of I
/ wooden frame, generally six feet wide
, fifteen inches high at the back, AM
, twelve inches in front, and from six t
r sixteen feet long, according to the sup
/ ply of early vegetables required. TIL
e frame should be sub-divided by cross
Y bars, and each division covered by
Y glazed sash the sides and ends shoul
s be Joined by hooks and staples, to ADM
e of its being taken apart and stores
e away when not required The bed b.
ing prepared, place the frame in pos
s ton and close the sashes. The manur
will begin to heat Immediately, and
about three days it should be covere
with six or eight inches of rich and fin
ly pulverized garden soil. The SASH
v. should then be kept slightly raised
,e that the steam and vapor may pass o.
e and in about week, or as soon as Il
~ heat in the soil declines to 100
~ the seed may be planted. When Il
as manure is too dry, the bed will som
on times stop heating too soon. In su
p cases make few holes with crowd
y, in the top of bed. and pour in wat
on This will soon revive the heat, and gi
GU the plants fresh start.