The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-04-01

philadelphia Record.
II Is now time to prepare the hot.bed aud
SOW the seeds therein for early vegetables
A hot-bed may be very easily made, and will
be found n valuable ad unct 10 q garden. II
should face the south, and be made OF any
length or width desired. The top should
slant enough to allow the rain to fall OIL aud
also TO admit the sunlight II should be one
foot deep in front and from eighteen inches
and upward at the rear, according to the
width. The object OF a hot-bed is to gener.
ate and retain sufficient heat TO allow the
termination OF the seeds and growth of the
plants. The manure used, therefore, should
be unfermep ted, in order that heat may
be secured. Take fresh horse manure and
pack il firmly in bottom OF the hot.bed,
mixing, il preferred, wet leaves with the
manure. After filing in the manure TO the
depth OF four or five inches cover IL with an
inch of fine dirt and wood mold, but be care
full to have the covering free from Jumps
stones or sticks. The seed may be sown
broadcast or in rows, according to preference
Should the manure be slow in heating, pour
little warm lime-water over it, first remov-
ing the dirt on the top for that purpose, the
lime-water to be prepared from fresh IN
slaked lime. Should Il be too hot, sprinkle
well with cold water. The seed should not
be sown, however, until the heat has been
brought under control. On warm days the
glass sash, which should cover the top, NAV
be slightly raised for ventilation, aud the
plants should be accustomed, as much as
possible. TO the influence OF the external at
mosphere.
Ii is not well TO have the plants too thick
in the hot bed. Those removed may be
transplanted in flower pots. egg shells. old
fruit cans, or small boxes, and il well cared
for they will grow fast and be of fair size
when the time arrives for planting them in
the garden. Tomatoes and early cabbage
may be sown in the hot.bed now, and sweet
potatoes may be planted in special hot bed
any time after this month. Besides the mat.
ter OF preparing the hot-bed, there are some
garden crops that may 90 in very early, such
as onions, pess and early potatoes, which are
not killed by slight frost.
The ground for onions should be very
rich, The best manure for an onion bed
is that which is well rotted, and it
should be fine, so as to be completely
mingled with the sod. The bed for
an onion crop can not be too thoroughly
prepared, and should be entirely free from
Jumps or clods. The spade should be used.
if the location selected is In the garden, aud
the earth well TAXED over several times. The
rows should be about fifteen inches apart sor
wide enough to admit OF working with the
hoe. If the crop is 70 be grown from seed it
should not De sown too thicklY, unless the
plants are to be thiDned ont afterward. IL
sown for the purpose of securing sets the
thicker the seed is sown the better. For a
garden, however, the better plan is 10 pro-
cure sets instead of using seed. The sets
may be placed four inches apart in the 10 VS.
By simply sticking them in the ground and
they must be carefully watched and kept
clean from grass and weeds.
Peas may be sown as soon as the frost
leaves. The dwarf kinds are the earliest,
the American Wonder being an excellent
variety. As dwarf varieties seldom give
more than one picking they should be sown
in succession every week. The best favored
best when Supported with strings or sticks.
and answers we'll as sn intermediate variety.
Peas may be had throughout the entire