South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-03-15
and Cold
Frame Two Aids
To Early Crops
BY a Government Expert.


The hotbed and the cold frame
are the gardeners greatest aids in /
raising earlier crops. The hotbed |
enables him TO plant seed and pro !
duce seedlings long before the seel
planted out OF doors has begun 10 |
terminate. The cold frame enables |
him TO get the seedlings produced |
in the dollhouse gradually accus- |
toned to outdoor conditions and 10 |
raise these into strong, sturdy |
planting stock by the time the -
den is ready for them. The cold
frame is used in hardening the
plants that have been started in the
hotbed or in mild climates for start |
ing plants before the seeds can be
safely planted in the open. Reset |
ting plants from hotbed into the
cold frame gives them a better root
system and makes them stockier
and more valuable fox tTansplanting
in the open ground.
In the extreme south, the cold
frame is much more extensively
used than the hotbed. but each has
its place in garden economy. The
following suggestions for construct
ing and handling hotbeds and cold
frames so as TO hurry crops are
made by the garden specialists of
the u. S. department of agriculture.
The HOtbed.
Locate the hotbed in some shell
tered but not shaded spot which mas
southern exposure The most
convenient size is a box-Hke struc-
ture six feet wide and any multiple
of three feet long so that standard
three by six feet hotbed sash may
be used. The frame should be Il
inches high in the back and eight
inches on the front This slope is
for the purpose Of securing a bet
ter angle for the suns rays and
should be faced toward the south
The hotbed must not only collect
any heat il can from the sun, but
also must generate heat of its own
from fermentation in fresh manure.
Fresh horse manure, free from sta
BILE litter, is best for generating
heat
If the hotbed is TO be an annual
affair, make an excavation is inches
TO two feet deep, about two feet
greater in length and width than
the frame carrying the sash. Line
the excavation with plank or with
a brick or concrete wall. A drain to
carry off surplus water is essential.
After a sufficient amount Of fresh
horse manure has been accumulat-
81 q 49, e
ing filled tramp the manure as firm
ly and as evenly as possible; when
the ground level is reached place
the frame in position and bank the
sides and ends with manure. Place
about three inches of good garden
lCam on top of the manure inside
the frame and cover ii with the
sash. After the heat has reached it's
maximum and has subsidized TO be
tween so and 80 degrees F., il will
be safe to plant the seeds. Select
the plumpest, freshest seeds obtain
able. Use standard varieties and
get them from reliable seed houses. /
Keep the bed partially dark until
the seeds terminate.
After termination, however. the
BILE, exclusive of the direct rays of
the sun, TO keep them growing rap
idly. This is a crisis in plant life
and ventilating and watering with
great care are of prime Importance.
Too close planting and too much
heat and water cause the plants 10
become spindling. Water the plants
on clear days, in the morning, and
ventilate Immediately to dry the
foliage and to prevent mildew
The Cold Frame.
The cold frame, so useful in
hardening plants started in the hot
bed and for starting plants in mild
climates, is constructed in much the
same way as the hotbed, except
that no manure is used, and the
frame may be covered either with
glass sash, or with canvas. A cold
frame may be built on the surface
of the ground, but more perman-
ent structure suitable for holding
plants over winter will require a pit
IS to "a inches deep. The cold
frame should be filled with a good
potting soil. The plants should
have more ventilation in the cold
frame. but should not receive so
much water. II is best 10 keep the
soil rather dry.
In transplanting. remember that
plants usually thrive better if trans
planted into ground that has been
freshly cultivated. Transplanting 20
the open field is best done in cool, /
cloudy weather. and in the after
noon This prevents the suns rays
from causing the plant TO lose too
much moisture through evaporation. I
In TRANSFORMING. the gardener will
find a childs express wagon an eX-
cellent trolley tray for bedding out
his seedlings.
A CONTORTIONIST.