News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-03-12
A HOT BED.
THE YOUNG FARMER TELLS US
HOW IT Is MADE.
Directions for the Proper MauaRement OF
the Same.

The cost of hot bed will depend
upon various circumstances. Let me
tell you how to make it, in the first
place. If you buy the regular hot bed
sash, they come in regular size three
feet wide and six feet long. If you use
old window sash. build to fit your sash,
but they are not quite as good. Begin
by making your frame. A good size is
six feet wide and nine feet long, which
takes three sashes. Make the front
about eighteen inches high and the back
twenty eight. Set the lower side
toward the south, and if convenient,
place on the south side of fence or
building.
Dig out the earth in this frame about
two or two and half feet deep, and
board up the sides with rough boards.
Fill this nearly full of fresh horse ma
nure from the stable and leaves from
the woods, if they can be got. Mix in
about equal quantities and tread down
solidly. In day or two it will steam
up well. Then fork it over and shake it
up well, after which put it back and
tread it down again. Do this three
times. There should be enough to fill
the pit level with the ground after last
time of shaking out. Now put on the
sash and let it heat again. If it rises to
100 degrees and then falls back to 80
degrees in day or two, you are all
right. If it goes much higher than 100
degrees, it may be necessary to shake it
out again.
After the temperature falls back to 80
degrees, cover with six or eight inches
of soil which is free from stones. Gar
deners usually make pile of sods and
manure, two loads of the former to one
of the latter, and let them rot down to.
gether to use for this purpose, but a
good garden loan mixed with fine ma
nure will do.
Now cover with the sash and wait two
or three days, keeping watch of the tenn
perature. If 1t does not go above IS
degrees at 9 o'clock in the morning of
second or third day. it is ready for the
seeds. Early cabbage, lettuce, cauli-
flower, peppers and tomatoes may be
sown in drills about four inches apart.
These may be put in in your locality
about the middle of March. Sprinkle in
the morning, after the sun is well up,
enough to moisten the ground well.
Keep watch of the temperature (you
will need a thermometer always in the
frame), and when it indicates rs degrees
open the sash and give air. Open each
sash little way, and open at the top or
north side, unless there is a north wind
blowing, as there is usually the greatest
heat.
When the heat falls below 65 degrees
close the sashes, and at night cover with
boards or mats as long as cold weather
lasts.
The cost of such a frame should not
be far from ten dollars for one who has
to buy plank, sashes, manure and all. If
you have any of these the cost can bere-
duced.
Yes, I think it would pay where one
has market for thousand plants, as
more than that can be grown in the
drills.
The outlay of another ten dollars |
would furnish you two thousand two |
inch pots, into which you could trans
plant the plants when of sufficient size,
and the frame would hole about that
amount, thus giving plant which would
be easily transplanted.
If these directions are followed, there
need be no difficulty in managing the
hot-bed, but care must be taken to
watch the temperature, and do not get
lar away from it in the morning or even
ng. A few minutes neglect, when it
S too hot or too cold, may ruin great
many plants.
Those who do not care to built hot
bed may start plants in boxes in the
house, setting them in kitchen windows
0y day and near the stove by night, and
hus get sufficient plants for garden,
out it requires almost as much care and
trouble as to make and take care of the
hot-bed. But the care and trouble usu-
ally fall upon the ladies of the house, |
which some men would think almost |
equal to an entire saving of labor.