ces could be gotten, owing
to the possibility of putting competitors at a disadvantage. That
business is a large one.

In doing business on this scale, much will depend on your ability as
a merchant.

"It is useless to grow good crops unless they can be sold at a
profit; yet it is safe to say that ten men grow good truck crops for
one who markets them to the best advantage."

Three Acres and Liberty: Ch. XI-XV

CHAPTER XI

HOTBEDS AND GREENHOUSES

Whether to get an early start on the garden or for raising plants
for field crops, a hotbed is all but indispensable. In making a
hotbed what we seek to do is to imitate Nature at her best, so get
the best soil and the sunniest spot you can find.

In all hotbeds the underlying principle is the same: They are
right-angled boxes covered with glass panes set in movable frames
and placed over heated excavations. The bed may be of any size or
shape, but the standard one is six feet wide, since the stock glass
frames are usually six feet long by three feet wide. You can have
any length needed to supply your requirements. "Tomato Culture," by
A. J. Root, tells us that the cheapest plan is to get some old
planks, broken brickbats or stone, and piece together a box-like
affair in proper shape: to provide drainage, the front should be at
least ten inches above the ground and the rear fourteen inches. A
hotbed knocked together in this way is all right to start with, if
you cannot do any better, but will last only two or three seasons.
For a permanent bed, probably the best way is to make cement walls
extending to the bottom of the manure. The bed ought to face south
or southeast and be well protected on the north. It should be banked
all around with earth or straw to keep out the cold, and mats or
shutters should be provided for extra cold weather. The best
material for heating the bed and the most easily obtained, is fresh
horse manure in which there is a quantity of straw or litter. This
will give out a slow, moist heat and will not burn out before the
crops or the plants mature. Get all the manure you need at one time.
Pile it in a dry place and let it ferment; every few days work the
pile over thoroughly with a dung fork; sometimes two turnings of the
manure are enough, but it is better to let it stand and heat three
or four times.

"You can make a hotbed also on top of the ground without any
excavation. Spread a layer of manure evenly one foot in depth and
large