Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women - Wise Acres Yearbook (Ambler, PA)

Page 11 text:

jHni Lkbs March comes, bringing many plans for the garden. You are eager to have an early start; but you think that without a greenhouse you may not hope for the earliest matured crop. Greenhouses, however, are not the only kinds of gardens under glass. Very good results are obtained by the use of hot beds, which are sometimes started as early as January. In this district, the usual time for making the beds is March. For the location of the hot bed,choose a place that slopes to the south. There should be a few feet to the north of the place where the hot beds are to be. This may be in the form of buildings, evergreens, a wall, or a board fence. If a board fence be used it will serve also to support the sashes when they are off the frames. It is very important that the site to be used should be well drained, otherwise water will stand in the bed, which, obviously, will ruin the crops planted there. If the drainage be poor, overcome this difficulty by excavating about three feet down and putting in a layer of crushed stone and other porous material, covering this with leaves or finer stones. After having decided where to put your hot bed, the next step to be considered is the construction of the frames. They may be portable or permanent. The portable frames are 6 by 9 or 12 feet and are made of planks or boards. This will accommodate 3 or 4 sashes. The frames are usually 12 to 14 inches above ground on the north side and 8 inches on the south side, to permit the sash to slope toward the sun. The end pieces are 6 feet in length, tapering to fit the side pieces at both ends. The planks are held together by stakes or by bolts or iron rods. The entire construction must be done with accuracy. The hole is then filled with the heating material and well tramped; the frame is put on and manure is banked up around it. Rough boards or planks are used in making permanent frames. Where the north end is to be, drive in strong stakes about four feet apart; 6 feet from this line of stakes drive other stakes the same distance apart for the south side of the frame. The stakes should project above the surface of the ground just as high as the top of the frame is to be. These are boarded up and cross pieces fitted on. The dimensions for the permanent frames are the same as those for the portable ones. Concrete frames are sometimes used. They have the advantage of being more durable, though the initial expense is somewhat greater. The regulation sashes are 3 feet by 6 feet. Recently double glass sashes with a -inch air space have come into use. They have proven highly satisfactory. The air space acts as an insulator of cold and heat, thus preventing injury from cold and burning by the sun. The work of changing the ventilation is eliminated; and mats need not be put on at night. Plants grown under these double sashes are especially vigorous and are of good size and of good quality. 7

Page 10 text:

piles of about 300 to 400 pounds, each in slight excavations and covered a few inches deep with moist soil. If the land should be dry the lime should be moistened and the soil used to cover it should be made wet after it is piled on. Lime so treated will be slaked within ten days or two weeks and will be reduced to a finer powder than if it had been treated with a larger amount of water and exposed to the air. If now the piles be spread rather thinly and exposed to the air, they will become air slaked in a few weeks or months. There is very little lime lost by this treatment and no harm will result from the small amount of soil that will become mixed with the lime in this way. The few lumps that may be found may be removed by putting the lime through a sand screen. In doing this the workman should take advantage of the wind to keep out of the lime dust. Air-slaked lime is much less disagreeable to handle and apply to the land than quick-or water-slaked lime. Lime should not be plowed under, for it works downwards, never upwards. When it is applied to a cultivated crop, the land should first be plowed and disked or harrowed. The lime may then be put on with a fertilizer drill and will be well worked into the surface soil by subsequent preparation of the land. If it be applied to a pasture or meadow, autumn is a good time, as this allows the lime to work its way into the soil during the winter and early spring. The quantity of lime needed per acre depends upon the acidity of the soil and the frequency of applications. On newly drained swamp lands as much as three to five tons of quicklime or its equivalent may be needed, in some cases, to correct the soil acidity. On ordinary land that has been under cultivation for some time, from one to two tons of ground limestone, or its equivalent, every four years, wilj usually be ample. Test the soil occasionally with the litmus and give most of the field the treatment that you consider best; but set aside a small part of it for test plots and try various amounts and forms of lime on them, then follow on the entire field the practice that has given the best results on the plots. John L. Doan. 6

Page 12 text:

If single glass sashes are used, mats are very essential for cold nights. They are usually made of rye straw. Shades, too, must be included in the hot bed equipment. After pricking out in the hot sun, it is very important that the young seed lings be protected from the strong rays of the sun. Hot beds differ from cold frames in that they are artificially heated from below as well as being warmed by the sun’s rays. This is sometimes done by means of hot water or steam pipes or hot air flues; the usual method, however, is by the use of fermenting horse manure . The manure is collected with from 1 3 to l z its bulk of straw or dried leaves. It is then put into a pile 6 feet wide, 4 feet high and any desired length. If it is dry, it should be moistened with a fine spray; the manure should by no means be soaked. After 4 or 5 days steam will be given off, this shows that heating has begun. Now the pile must be turned. After it has heated through a second time, it should be put into the bed. The depth depends upon the climate, the season, and the crop. If a great amount of long-lasting heat is desired, put the material in to a depth of 2 or 3 feet. If growing a cool crop in spring, such as lettuce or radishes, the manure need not be deeper than 8 to 10 inches. Pack down with a fork when putting it in, but leave it a few days before treading. After it has again warmed up, thoroughly tread it. A layer, 5 to 7 inches, of finely sifted soil containing a large amount of sand and humus is put on top of the manure. After a few days the temperature will drop below to 90 degrees; and this is the time for sowing seeds and pricking out. The uses of the hot bed are innumerable. In it seeds are sown very early, so that large, vigorous plants can be set out early in the season. Tomatoes, egg-plants and peppers are treated in this way. Many other plants may be started in the hot bed, pricked out into a cold frame, and later planted out, thus obtaining a very early start. Lettuce and radishes are often grown and carried to maturity all winter in the hot bed. Hot beds are excellent for growing sweet potatoes and melons. Flowers may be started early in the year to be planted out later. A hot bed will take the place of a greenhouse to a certain extent with a much smaller outlay of capital; and will be found invaluable to the gardener. Great care must be exercised in managing a hot bed. The watering must be done judiciously. Water thoroughly when watering, but do not give an excess. Cultivation should follow as soon as the soil permits. Ventilation is a vital point—when the plants are overheated they will never recover. Too little air will make them soft and make them damp off. An entire lack of air will result in burning. On the other hand, do not chill the plants but watch the temperature to determine the amount to be given. Always give a little air on sunny days. A hot bed, like every other part of gardening, requires constant and careful attention but the pleasure and profit derived fully repay any expenditure of labor. 8 Ruth Anne Gerhard.