American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-02-12
An Early Vegetable Frame.

Many q man might have delicacies
very early did he but think how cheap
ly they could be had. The materials
are often close to hand, but are not
thought of, or if thought of, the whole
matter is put off to some convenient
time which never comes. Garden
frames or pits are of this character.
With manure in abundance. and the
heat from fermentation wasting away,
almost every one who has barnyard
might have carly vegetables at almost
no cost.
Most early vegetables want little heat.
Lettuce, radishes. asparagus, caulifiow-
err and some others, grow when the
earth is but very little above the freez-
ing point, and the care in looking after
them is: very triiing, indeed. Cauli-
flower pits are made of stone or brick.
They are sunk in the earth about four
feet, sometimes more or little less,
and in the fall or early spring are filed
with manure mixed with leaves or 9TH
er coarse vegetable rubbish that will
keep the mass from heating too fast.
This is filled UP to the glass as well as
tramped in hard. and few inches
of earth put over the whole. On this
the young plants in September or last
of February are set. As the plants
grow; the material sinks, so that they
are always close to the glass, which is
one'of the essentials of good culture.
The plants do not grow much in the
winter, and about in the latter part Of
February radishes or lettuce may be
town between the caulif1ower plants
without interfering much with their
growth. Asparagus may also be dug
mp carefully in the fall and planted at
the same time as the caulifiowers. and
thus one can have four crops all off the
same little piece of hot-bed ground.
We skid that the frame part may be
made OF. brick or stone; but of course
Boards will do, but are too temporary.
Under the influence of fermenting ma
terials wood lasts but few years.
Stone or brick will last lifetime. The
pit may be a foot or so below the
ground at the lower portion, and a
framework for the glass fitted thereon.
The glass should slope tolerably SO as
to catch the rays of the morning sun.
A four or perhaps six-sash frame of this
character, made of the most durable
materials. could be put up in most
cases for one hundred dollars, and the
vegetables got out of it in single
spring would. be worth nearly half of
that. There would be first radishes in
use, then asparagus, then the lettuce,
following with the cauliHower in April
or May.
A day will clean out the old manure,
excellent stuff by the way for the finer
garden crops and flowers; and another
day will fill in and get ready the material
for the new crops The subsequent
attention will be little. No covering
but the sash is necessary, as the warmth
Of the fermenting material helping be-
low, with the sash above, prevents the
frost from being very severe in the
frames, and little does not hurt them.
The greatest danger is that the air may
become too warm. The sashes are gen
orally tilted so that there is air at all
times except when very cold.
All of this knowledge, however, soon
comes after one has engaged little in
managing one; and it is surprising how
very little time or care will be requisite.
We are quite sure that any one who
takes the trouble once to have some
such cold frame as this for early veg
etables, would never afterwards want
to be without one. Germantown Tel
graph,