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Show . J. HMsWl40tp GROWING EARLY PLANTS IN BACKYARD HOTBED $1J&,T?'ZZ'ZZ "l!WBfcBBBB1aftt3kB titi-' Aw'iSiBfBBBPWBaBS Proper selection of seeds with which lo plant a garden Is stressed by th6 United States Department of Agriculture. Agricul-ture. It should be the nlm of every home gardener this year to grow a bolter garden by making the most Intelligent In-telligent use of tho available space, not only by employing better methods, hut by planting seeds of the highest quality. The flrst cost of seeds Is comparatively hinall, but It Is very Important Im-portant that the seeds planted should bo the very best obtnlnnble. Onrdeners arc advised to scctiro tho catalogues of reliable heed firms and Rpcnd n little time In going over and checking -up the seeds that will bo lioedcd for planting. Do not lie misled by the highly colored and much-ndvertlsed novelties, but stk-k a tho Htandnrd, well-known ami rfroved varieties, advise tho specialists, spe-cialists, fjood seeds should never bo wasted, sof figure carefully upon the "amount required and place your order early before tho best stocks are exhausted'. ex-hausted'. r I'crhnps the seeds can bo bought from local denlers. If not, orders or-ders should go to a seed hoime In sonle neighboring city, so the seeds niny be received in ample time. When thejy aro received, unpnek and check thejn to mo that no part of the order has been overlooked; then store the sec(ls In a moubcproof, ventilated container, such as a perforated tin box. They should bo kept In n moderate temperature, tempera-ture, and where they will not freeze or be exposed to moisture. Have Early Vegetables. Half the pleasure and profit of n garden Is derived from having something some-thing to use just as early In the spring as possible. In many cities and towns the local greenhouse men grow thousands thou-sands of plants which aro sold to home gardeners nt reasonable prices. It often happens, however, that home gardeners do not have the opportunity to purchnV well-grown plants, nnd must stnrf their own supply of early plants In the limine or In a hotbed If they desire to have their crops mature early. Among tho garden crops that may be started to advantage In this mnnner are tomatoes, early cabbage, peppers, eggplant and lettuce; even cucumbers, melons, beets, snap bf-uns, limn beans nnd sweet corn niny bo btnrted Indoors by using flower pots, pnper bands, or berry boxes to hold the soil. Where the required number of plants Is too great for growing In window boxes, a hotbed or coldframe may be provided. The usual method of constructing con-structing a hotbed Is first to dig a shallow pU 8 to 18' Inches deep, aC-cordlhg aC-cordlhg td locality', and pads' It full of fermenting stable manure. The manure, before being placed In the pit, should be turned oor oner or twjco In a pile liiordcc to Insure even heating. heat-ing. It may then be packed Into the' hotbed pit and trumped uniformly. Stnndurd hotbed Bnshes are 3- feet wide and fl feet long, and the size of the bed should bo made to su)t,thp number of suhhes employed. A framework frame-work of boards 18 to Jf'indics high nt the bads and about' i Inches high In front Is placed over tho munure-lllled munure-lllled pit tn-support the; soslu. ?- U8e.vf0r'"Thermpmoter. .- r About -3 eV-1 inches of flue-garden. loam .is prcnd evenly over tho manure and;Uift bed allowed, to jitjiml .ftnir , or, live days lo.wnnn up .before any fiel'd Is sowii At ' first the temporlrtures tf the bed "may run rnther hlgli.uid It Is best to delay planting tho seeds in it until It begins to tlecMue.. TJihvcnn best be determined by. planting u thermometer ther-mometer with the' bulb about 'three' Inches pelowtho surface of' tho soil. The tenyicrrtt'ufe' should fall below 80 degrees before seeds are planted. If glass-fllled sashes aro not. available avail-able for covering the hotbed, heavy muslin may be used instend ; the ghissj, however, makes .the piost desirable form of covering. Care must be taken to give the bed sitfllclent entilntlon to prevent oerheatlng, as It Is liable to heat up very rapidly when the sun shines full upon the glass. Watering should be done during the enrly part of tho day and the bed given enough air so that the plants will dry off before be-fore night. The bed should be closed before evening, In order to conservo enough heat to enrry It through the night In good condition. If the weather weath-er should turn severely cold, a co-erlng co-erlng of straw, blankets or canvas may be thrown over the bed to protect pro-tect It. Coldframe Construction. A coldfrnmo Is constructed In exactly exact-ly the same manner as n hotbed, with the exception that no manure s placed beneath It to supply heat. Itvfore the plants are set In the gnr den, cither from the hotbed or tho coldframe, they should be gradually hardened to outside conditions by giving giv-ing them more ventilation ench t'ay. Finally, remove the sashes entirely on bright days and replace them during the nights. The aim should be to produce strong, healthy plants that will make n quick start when placed In the garden. |