s 



o 



s 



o 



r I 



J - 



quire no more light •, therefore thcfe glaflcs niould 

 HOC be longer than is abrolutely neceflary, which will 

 Lender them more manageable ; but the annexed plan 

 will render this more intelligible, than any written de- 

 fcription can do. 



The other fort of Stove, which is defigncd for raiGng 

 of young plants until they are of a proper fize to 

 produce truit, need not be built fo high as the former, 

 therefore there will not be wanting any upright glafles 

 in the front -, but the frames may be made in one 

 flope, as in the annexed plan : indeed of late years, 

 many perfons have made tan-beds with two flues run- 

 ning through the back wall to warm the air in wm- 

 ter; and thefe beds have been covered with glafles, 

 made in the fame manner as thofe for common hot- 

 beds, but larger ; thefe were contrived to fave expence, 

 and have in many places anfwered the intention, but 

 to thefe there are feveral objeftions. i. That of hav- 

 ing no pafl^age into them, fo that the glafles mult be 

 taken off when the plants want water, &c. 2. The 

 damps very often rile in the winter fcafon, when the 

 glaflTes are clofely fhut, which often prove very in- 

 jurious to the plants. 3. There is danger of the tan 

 taking fire, v/here there is not great care taken that 

 It doth not lie near the flues ; fo that although the 

 fmall Stoves here propofed require more expence in 

 their building, yet, being greatly preferable to thofe 

 pits, and the after expence being the fame, they will 

 be found fo much more convenient as to render them 

 more general where this fruit is cultivated. 

 Where there is no danger of the wet fettling about the 

 tan in winter, the bark-pit may be Junk two feet deep 

 in the ground, and raifed one fobrabove the furface ; 

 the only walk which is neceflTary in thefe Stoves, is that 

 on the back of the tan-bed, which may be on the level 

 with the furface of the gro'ufid; fo that the tan-bed 

 will be more than one foot above the walk -, and the 

 flues beginning from the level of the walk, there will 

 be room to return them three times, which will warm 

 the air much more with the fame fire than when they 

 are carried but twice the length of the Stove", i ', IJ . 

 But in wet l;.nd the tan-bed fl:iould be wholly raifed 

 above the level of the ground, in order to preferve the 

 tan from being chilled by moifl:ure •, and in fuch 

 places the walk on the back fhould be railed near two 

 feet above the level of the ground, becaufe the tan- 

 bed fliould not rife much more than one' foot above 

 the walk •, for if it is higher," it N?vill be more difficult 

 to^each the plants when they req^uire water ; the brick 

 wall of the pit, on the fide next the walk, need not be 

 more than four inches thick, fo far as rifes above the 



' walk, but below that it flaould be nine inches thick; 

 the reafon for reducing the wall above, is to gain 

 room for the walk, which would otherwife be too much 

 contrafted ; and if there is a kirb of Oak laid on the 



" top of the four inch wall, it will fecure the bricks 

 from being difplaced, and fufficiently ftrengthen the 

 wall, which being but one foot above the walk, 

 will not be in any danger of falling ; and on this kirb 

 there may be two or three upright iron bars fixed with 



• claws, to fupport the crown-piece of timber, which 

 will fecure it from hanging in the middle, which in 

 a great length is very often the cafe, where there 

 are no fupports placed under it : there may be more 

 'or lefs of thefe bars, according to the length of the 

 Stove; but if they are about ten feet afunder, it 

 will be near enough. " If thefe iron bars are one inch 



- 1 



which are faflencd broad hoops which are bent over 

 circularly, as is rcprcfcntcd at fig. i. The width of 

 this frame fiiould be from five to iix {1:^1, for lefs than 

 five feet will not be fufficicnt to cover the bed, and if 

 they are more than fix feet broad, they will be too* 

 heavy and troublcibme to move, a fiicws the feition 

 of the width, ^ the frame of wood at the bafe, c the 

 arch of hoops, and d a fmall flip of wood which is 

 faftened to the under fide of the hoops to keep them 

 in their proper pofition. 



The difl:ance between each hoop fhould not be more 

 than one foot, and there fliould be two rows of 

 llrong packthread or rope-yarn on each fide of the 

 arch running from hoop to hoop at the places marked 

 e, if. e. e, to keep the oiled paper from finking down 

 with wet. The length of each frame fliould not be 

 much more than ten feet, which will be fufficicnt 

 length for covering three plants, that being about the 

 fize of a three light frame, for if they are longer they 



' will be heavy and troublefome to move ; therefore 

 there fliould be as many of thefe frames made, as may 

 be neceflary for covering the quantity of plants de- 

 fired. Fig. 2. rcprefents two lengths of thefe frames 

 joined ; G. fiiews the profile of the frame, and //. re- 

 prefents the paper turned back, that it may be ken 

 how it is laid over the frame. 



Fig. 3v reprefents' the other fort of frame which is 

 contrived like the roof of a houfe, a fliews a feftion 

 of the bafe ; h b the t\vo flopes, c one of the fides . 

 which is contrived to be railed at any time to admit 

 air to the plants ; d fliews the place v^here this fliuts 

 down, and e the prop which fupports it. If in the mak- 

 ing of thefe frames every other light is made with 

 hinges fo as to be raifed, and on the oppofite fide they 

 are contrived to rife alternately, it will be a very good 

 rnethod, for then air may be given at the fide contrary 

 to the wind ; and in very warm wea:ther,' when the .. 

 plants require a large Ihare of air, they may all.be 

 raifed on both fides, which will make a thorough air- 

 to the whole bed. Fig. 4. fliews the plan of thefe 

 frames, and fig. 5. the fame erefted ; g reprefents 

 the profile of it, and/ the covering of paper. This 

 fort of frame may be made of pantile laths, or of flips 

 of deal of hke dimenfions, becaufe they fliould not 

 be too heavy ; but the bafe of the frame to which 

 thefe are faftened, fliould be more fubftantial. Some 

 perfons who have made^tnal of both, recommend the 

 latter for the convenience of giving air to the plants^ 

 "%r there is no other* contrivance In the firft fort fof 



'^^ admitting the^ air,^ but by raifing the whole frame on 



one fide in proportion to the quantity of air intended 



' to be^clmitted; and when the feafon is warm they 



generally raife thofe frames on both fides, and per- 



' mit the plants to run out from under them. 

 Wheti' thefe frames are made, if they are well painted 

 ' over, \yith the follovnng compofition, it will greatly 

 preferve them, viz.- to every fix pounds of melted 

 pitch, 'add half a pint of Lintfeed-oil, and a pound of - 

 '. brick-duft ^ thefe ftiouYd be well mixed together, and 

 'iifed warm; when" this 'dries it becomes a hard ce- 

 meritj fo that no moifture can penetrate through it, 

 .and is the beft fort of pigment for all timber expofeci 

 to the weather, I have ever fcen ufed ; fo that where 

 ■'tlie colour is not oftenfive to the fight, it fliould be 

 ■ preferred to eveiy other; * ^ , 



: When the' frames' are ' thoroughly dry, the paper 

 fliould be pafted on tP ^t|ie frames. , The beft: fort of 



fquare, they wilf be ftrong enough to anfwer the /paper for this purpofe is what they caU 



-^•i ' ^ . :° - I per; this is ftrong, and when Oiled over becomes pel- 



defign. r t • r 11 



But as it is hoped that the annexed plan of this Iniall 



Stove will convey a clear idea of the whole contri- 

 vance, this will render it unncceflfary to add any far- 

 ther defcription here. 



An Explanation of the Plate ivhicb reprefents the two 

 . forts of frames with , oiled paper for covering oj 

 Melons. 



r T 



The firft of tlicfe frames is'contrived like the covers 

 of wa^<^ons ; it has a frame of wood at the bale, to 



I . 



well. After the pafte is well dried, the paper fliould 

 be oiled over on the outfide, which if well done v^ith 

 Lintfeed-oil will be fufficient, for the oil will foak 

 quite through the paper, fo there will be no necefllty 

 for oiling both fides, nor for doing it over more than ' 



The oil fliould be dry before the frames are 

 expofed to the wet, otherwife the paper will tear. In 

 the pafting of the paper on the frames, there fliould 

 be care taken to ftretch it very fmooth, and alfo to 



pafte it to all the ribs of tlie fram.es, and alfo to the 



once. 



t 



