HOT 



t^oiyanthus, where there are in fame vailetles tsvo 



petals. 



IIOT-BEDS are of general 



nfc in thefe northern 



parts of Europe, without which we could not enjoy 

 fo many of the products of warmer climes as we do 



nor could we have the tables furnifhed with 



now 



the feveral produfts of the garden, during the winter 

 and fpring months, as they are at prefent in moft parts 

 of England, better than perhaps in any other country 

 in Europe : for although we cannot boaft of the cle- 

 mency of our climate, yet England is better furnifhed 

 with all forts of efculent plants for the table, much 

 earlier in the feafon, and in greater quantities, than 

 in the p-ardens of our neighbours, which is owing to 

 our fkill in Hot-beds, 



The ordinary Hot-beds which are commonly ufed in 

 the kitchen-gardens, are made with new horfe dung, 

 in the following manner : 



ift, There is a quantity of new horfe dung from the 

 ftable (in which there fhould be part of the litter or 

 llraw which is commonly ufed in the ftable, but not 

 in too great proportion to the dung,) the quantity of 

 this mixture muft be according to the length of the 

 bed intended ; which, if early in the year, fhould not 

 be lefs than one good load for each light j this dung 

 ihould be thrown up in a heap, mixing therewith a 

 few f^-a-coal alhes, fome leaves of trees, and tan, which 

 will be of fervice to continue the heat of the dung ; it 

 fhould remain fix or {even days in this heap ; then it 

 ihould be turned over, and the parts well mixed toge- 

 ther, and caft into a heap again, where it may con- 

 tinue five or fix days longer, by which time it will 

 have acquired a due heat ; then in fome well flieltered 



part of the garden, you muft dig a trench in length 

 and width, proportionable to the frames you intend 

 it for ; and if the ground be dry, about a foot deep ; 

 , but if wet, not above fix inches j then wheel tlie dung 

 into the opening, obferving to ftir every part of it 



:■ ivith ,a fork, and lay it exaftly even and fmooth thro' 

 ; every part of the bed j as'alfo tolay the oottom part 

 " of the heap (which is corhfrionly free from litter) up- 

 V \ oh the far face of the bed ; this.wiil prevent the fteam 

 ,' frpoi rifing fo plentifully as it >y6uld otherwife do. To 

 . h. prevent this, and tKe heat frorn Hfing fo violently as 

 " tol)urh the roots of whatever plants are put into the 

 '. ground, it will be a very good way to fpread a layer 

 '' of neats dung all over the furface of the horfe dung, 

 which will prevent the mould from burning : if the 

 [ bed is intended for Cucumbers or Melons, the earth 

 ; Ihould not be laid all over the bed at firft, only a hill 

 of earth ihould be firft laid in the middle of each light 

 on which the plants fliould be planted, and the re- 

 maining fpace ftiould be filled up from time to time 

 as the roots of the plants fpread*, but this is fully 

 ^ explained under thole two articles. But if the hot- 

 ;bed is intended for other plants, then after the bed 

 IS well prepared, it ftiould be left two or three days 

 for the fteam to pafs off, before the earth is laid upon 



\ 



the dung. 



In the making of thefe hot-beds, it muft be carefully 



■ obferved to fettle the dung clofe with a fork ; and 



if it be full of long litter, it Ihould be'equally trod 



■ down clofe in every part, otherwife it will be fubjeft 



to heat too violently, and confequently thelieat will 



. ' be much fooner fpent, which is one of the ereateft 



{ dangers' there fort of beds may be liable to. During 



dung is frefli 



,,the firft week or ten days after the bed is made, you 



- fhould cover the glafl^es but flightly in the night, and 

 in the day time "carefully raife them to let out the 

 fteam, which is fubjed: to rife very copioufly while the 



but as the heat abates, fo the cover- 



icreafed i otherwife the plants in the 



.*! beds will be ftinted in their growth, if not entirely 



'C rf^ffroyed. In order to remedy this evil, if the bed be 



. Verj^Cold, you muft put a pretty good quantity of 



' new hot dung round the fides of it, which will add a 



Irefh heat thereto, and caufe it to continue a confidera- 



- b'e time after ; and as the fpring advances, the fun 

 wiij fupply the lofs of the dung's heat; but then it 

 w^iil be adv'ifcabic to lay fome mowings of Grafs round 



H O T 



the fides of the bed, efpecially if the nights fhould 

 prove cold, as it often happens in May, which is many 

 times, even at that fealbn, very hurtful to tender 

 plants on Hot-beds. 



But although the Hot- bed I have dcfcribed is what 

 the kitchen-gardeners commonly ufe, yet thofc made 

 with tanners bark are much preferable, efpecially for 

 all tender exotic plants or fruits, which reciuire an 

 even degree of warmth to be continued for leveral 

 months, which is what cannot be etFeflcd by horfe 

 dung only. The manner of making thefe beds U-,. 

 loUows: 



There muft be a trench dug in the earth about three 

 feet deep, if the ground be dry ; but if wet, it muft 

 not be above a foot or fix inches deep at moft and 

 muft be raifed in proportion above ground, fo as to 

 admit of the tan being laid three feet thick. The 

 length muft be proportioned to the frames intended 

 to cover it, but fliould never be lefs than eleven or 

 twelve feet •, but if it is twice that length it will be 

 better, and the width not lefs than fix, which is the " 

 leaft fize of thefe beds for to continue the heat. Thii 

 trench fhould be bricked up round the fides to the 

 above-mentioned height of three feet, paving the bot- 

 tom with bricks to prevent the earth mixing with the 

 tan, and fhould be filled in the Ipring with frelh tan- 

 ners bark (i. e. fuch as the tanners have lately drawn 

 out of their vats, after they have ufed it for tanning 

 leather) which Ihould be laid in a round heap for a 

 week or ten days before it is put into the trench, that 

 the moifture may the better drain our of it, which, if 

 detained in too great a quantity, w^ill prevent its fer- 

 mentation ; then put it into the trench, and gently 

 beat it down equally with a dung-fork; but it mult 

 not be trodden, which would alfo prevent its heating, 

 by fettling it too clofe; then you muft put on the 

 frame over the bed, covering it with the glafles, and 

 in aboutjen days or a^fortnight it will begin to heat; 

 at which time you may plunge your pots of plants 

 or feeds into it, obferving not to tread down the 

 bark in doing it. 



■ A Bed thus prepared (if the bark be new and not 

 ground too fmall) will continue in a good temper of 

 warmth for two or three months ; and wheii you find 

 the heat decline, if you ftir up the bark again pretty 



deep. 



g<t 





the old, it will caufe it to heat again, and preferve its 

 warmth two or three months longer. There are many 

 people who lay fome hot horfe dung in the bottom of 

 the trench, under the bark, to caufe it to heat; but 

 this is what I would never pradlife, unlefs I wanted the 

 bed fooner than the bark would heat of itfelf, and thea 

 I would put but a fmall quantity of dung at bottom, 

 for that is fubje6t to make it heat too violently, and 

 will occafion its lofingthe heat fooner than ordinary; 

 and there will never be any danger of the bark's heat- 

 ing if it be new, and not put into the trench too wet, 

 though it may fometimes be a fortnight or more be- 

 fore it acquires a fufficient warmth, but then the heat 

 will be more equal and lafting. 

 The frames which cover thefe Beds fhould be propor- 

 tioned to the feVeral plants they are defigned to con- 

 tain : for example, if they are to cover the Ananas or 

 Pine-apple, the back part of the frame fhould be three 

 feet and a half high, and the lower part fifteen inches, 

 which will be a fufficient declivity to carry off the wet; 

 arid the back fide will be high enough to contain the 

 large fruiting plants, and the lower fide will be fuffi- 

 cient for the fhorteft. plants ; fo that by placing them 

 rtgularly according to their height, they will not only 

 have an equal diftance from the glaffes, but alio ap- 

 pear much handfomer to the fight. And although 

 many people make their frames deeper than what I 

 have allotted, yet I am fully perfuaded, that where 

 there is biK height enough to contain the plants, with- 

 out bruifiug their leaves, it is much better than to al- 

 low a larger fpace ; for the deeper the frame is made, 

 the lefs will be the heat of the air inclofed therein^ 

 there being no artificial warmth but what the bark 



affords, which will not heat a large fpace of air? and 



is 



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