The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-21
HOT BED, COLD
 FRAME ASSETS
 TO EARLY CROPS
Aids to Earlier Garden Crops

The hotbed and the cold frame are the gardeners greatest aids in raising
 earlier crops. The hotbed enables him to plant seed and produce seedlings long before the seed planted out of
 doors has begun to germinate. The
 cold frame enables him to get the seedlings produced in the hothouse gradually accustomed to outdoor con- ditions and to raise these into strong, sturdy planting stock by the time the garden 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 starting plants before the seeds can be safely planted in the open. Reseeting plants from a hotbed into the cold frame gives them better root system and makes them stockier and more valuable for transplanting in the open ground.
 In the extreme South, the cold frame is much more extensively used
 than the hotbed, but each has it's
 place in garden economy. The fol- lowing suggestions for constructing
 so as to hurry crops are made by the
 garden specialists of the U. s. De-
 partment of Agriculture.
 The HOCDeO
 Locate the hotbed in some shelter ed but not shaded spot which has a southern exposure. The most conven- tent size is a box-like structure 6 feet wide and any multiple of 3 feet long so that standard 3 by feet hotbed sash may be used. The frame should be 12 inches high in the back and 8 inches on the front. This slope is for the purpose of securing better angle for the suns rays and should be faced toward the South.
 The hotbed not only must collect any heat it can from the sun, but also must generate heat of it's own from fermentation in fresh manure. Fresh horse manure, free from stable litter, is best for generating freat.
 If the hotbed is to be an annual af- fair, make an excavation IS inches to feet deep, about feet greater in length and width than the frame car rying the sash. Line the excavation with plank or with a brick or con- crete wall. A drain to carry off sur
 plus water is essential. After suf- ficient amount of fresh horse manure
 has been accumulated fill the pit,
 while 1t is being filled tramp the
 manure as firmly 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 inches of good garden loam on top of the. man. ure inside the frame and cover it with the sash. After the heat has reached it's maximum and has sub- sided to between so and. 90 degrees
 F., 1t will be safe to plant the seeds Select the plumpest, freshest seeds obtainable. Use standard varieties and and get them from reliable seed ! houses.
 Keep the bed partially dark until the seeds germinate.
 ; After germination, however, the plants will need all the light possible,
 exclusive of the direct rays of the
 sun, to keep them growing rapidly.
 This is a crisis in plant life and ven tilating and watering with great care are of prime importance. Too close planting and too much heat and water
 cause the plants to become spindling
 Water the plants on clear days, in the
 morning, and ventilate immed diate1y to
 dry to the foliage and to prevent mil dew.
 /, The Cold Frame
 The cold frame, so useful in hard
 ening plants started in the hotbed and
 for starting plants in mild climates, | is constructed in much the same way
 as the hotbed, except that no manure 1 is used, and the frame may be cov-
 cred either with glass sash, or with canvas. A cold frame may be built
 on the surface of the ground, but a more permanent structure suitable 1 for holding plants over winter will
 require pit of IS to 24 inches deep. The cold frame should be filled with