Year: 1875

ket gardener and seed grower of Rock


ford, ILL.,, has published a "Garden


Manual and seed catalogue" which con-
tains a great deal of useful and practi-
cal matter compacted in small space.
From it we give his plan of making
hot beds.


Frames and Corers.-The first step
is to provide ourselves with frame COW
ers. | have finally settled upon the
use of frames twelve feet long and five
and a half feet wide. This allows of
the use on each bed of four sash three
feet wide. Sash 81 feet long are as
large as are convenient, and permit
the use on the same frame of the cloth
covers hereafter described. Beds of
more than four sash are difficult to
keep Of an even temperature, and a
two-foot alley-way is needed as fire.
quent as every twelve feet. These
frames we make of inch boards, 2x4
scantling in the corners for strength.
The bottom or lower side is made IL
or Is inches high, the back or upper
side Is to 20 inches high. The cross
bars for the sash to slide on are made
of 3x2 stuff, so as to bear a mans
weight if necessary.


For use on early beds we use glass
mostly, but for the large number of
our beds in use after hard freezing is
over and we have to protect only
against spring frosts, we use cotton
cloth or coarse sheeting. Two widths
are sewn together, cut twelve feet and
six inches long, and the edges hemmed,
and small brass curtain rings sewed on
stoutly at fifteen inches apart around
the border. By hooking these over
small nails, or inverted hooks, the
cover is stretched nearly air-tight over
the whole bed. When it is desired to
open the bed they can be unlocked
and rolled down as far as desired, and
fastened, or rolled entirely off upon a
clean board at the foot of the bed.


For sprouting sweet potatoes, for
hardening plants, and for all uses af-
ter the Goth of April, | have used sim
ply cotton sheeting, but for earlier use
and to render the cloth air-tight and
warmer, use the following prepara-
ton: l quart raw linseed oil, l OF.
pulverized sugar Of lead, and 2 OF.
pulverized rosin. Heat in an iron
kettle till all is dissolved, and apply
with a brush, while hot, to the muslin
while stretched over frame. En-
deavor to apply when two successive
clear days can be had to dry it well
before placing it over the vapor and
hear OF q bctf. -


Ready for use, these cost in money
Sl.25, and in labor enough to make
the entire cost nearly equal the interest
on glass for one year. In careful hands
they will serve three seasons. They do
not gather heat so rapidly during the
day US glass, and hence there is less
danger of burning or drawing plants;
nor do they throw off heat so fast at
night, and so need less covering. Fit
ting tight to The frames they admit Of
no drafts, undergo no sudden changes,
and suffer little from dampeniug Off
Old gardeners are usually prejudiced
against them at first thought, but |
notice after once trying them they an
nually increse their number, finding
them a cheap way of increasing their
beds, causing no breakage like glass
in careless hands and are stored ut less
expense, and answer many other uses
during the year.


Our sashes are made with heavy
frames and rails, as the steam and heat
beneath and cold and sun above will
warp them if made light. The glass
is all bedded in putty and each pane
laps one-quarter inch on the one be-
meath it, and cutters must always be
cut at the foot of each row of panes,
so that water shall not stand to freeze
and heaye the glass.


Making the beas.-Other materials
than horse manure are sometimes re-
commended for heating beds, particu-
larly tan bark and spent hops, but the
former has heat so mild and slow,
and the latter one so intense and quick,
that they had best never be used except
in connection with stable manure,
which is always the chief reliance. As
gathered from town stables, if it be
scarce, it can be profitably increased
by adding one-half its bulk of leaves
or unrotted litter, or one-fourth its
bnlk of fresh tan bark. These addi-
tions prevent too intense heat and
maintain the desired temperature a
longer time. II spent hops from the
brewery be added, like amount of
tan bark or litter should be used to
reduce its intense heat. Fresh horse
manure is most desirable, but when
scarce we have always used portion
of older or frozen manure, provided it
had never heated, but this, if used,
should always be mixed with such as
is perfectly fresh. AS fast as drawn
all should be mixed together in a con-
ical pile until it begins to heat, when
it should be forked over into similar
shape, working into the center all the
eoarser and frozen parts. At every
forking over a moderate sprinkling
should be given each layer of foot or
more, to be considerably increased if
any parts are found to be dry or fire.
fanged. When heat rises a second
time it is ready to be made into bed.


When only one or two beds are~to
be made, and for earliest use in Feb
ruary, a pit, if well drained, is most
economical of heat. These are made
one foot larger each way than the
frame to be used, and are as deer, as