HOT 



H O T 



for pricking out, carrots, small white turnip- 

 radishes, Dutch turnips, mint, tarragon, lanse\-, 

 basil, capsicums, love-apples, coriander, pur- 

 slane, early dwarf potatoes, and nuishrooms, 

 in a bedot a peculiar sort. But those tor which 

 these beds are absolutely nccrss.iry arc all the 

 first sort, and basil, capsicum, love-api)le, and 

 iiuishrooms. 



HOT-HOUSE, a sort of garden-erection, 

 mostly Ibrnicd ot glass work, in \\ hich aconstant, 

 regular degree of artificial heat by fire and bark 

 hot-beds is kept up. 



It is made use of for procuring some sorts of 

 fine fruits, such as the pine-apple, and for rais- 

 ing and preserving various sorts of tender exo- 

 tics from the hot parts of the world. 



In the construction of these houses, a wall of 

 eight or ten feet high or more, is raised behind, with 

 a low wall in front and both ends, on which is 

 placed upright glass-work, four, five, or six feet, 

 and a sloping glass roof, extending from the top 

 of the front to the back wall. Internal tlues for 

 fire-heat, in winter, are also contrived, and a 

 capacious oblong or square pit in the bottom 

 space, in which to have a constant bark-bed to 

 furnish a continual regular heat at all seasons ; 

 so as in the whole to warm the inclosed internal 

 air always to a certain proper high degree. 



Besides the above, these Houses are of great 

 utility in forwarding many sorts of choice or de- 

 sirable hardy plants, flowers, and fruits, to early 

 perfection, which being sown or planted in pots, 

 and placed in them in winter, or early in spring, 

 the constant heat thus produced forwards them 

 to maturity two or three months or more before 

 their natural season in the full ground ; such as 

 kidney-beans, strawberries, Sec.: also many sorts 

 of flowering plants, both annuals and perennials, 

 of moderate growth, are forwarded to early 

 bloom ; and vines planted in the outside, close 

 to the front, the stem of each introduced 

 through a small hole above, and the internal 

 branches trained up under the glasses, produce 

 crapes at an early period, as in May. In Hot- 

 nouses, likewise, early cucumbers maybe raised 

 in good perfection ; and the seeds, cuttings, 

 slips, Sec. of many curious tender plants for- 

 warded exceedingly in their growth, by plunging 

 the pots containing them in the bark-bed. See 

 Stove. 



These Houses are mostly ranged lengthways 

 nearly east and west, that the glasses of the 

 front and roof may have the full influence of 

 the sun. This is the most convenient situation 

 for common Ilot-housts, either for pines or 

 other exotics. 



Some Houses of this sort, instead of being 

 placed in this direction, have lately been rang- 



ed directly south and north, having a skipid 

 roof to each side like the roof of a house ; 

 also to the front or south end ; both sides and 

 the south end front bcmg of gia'is. These 

 Houses are made from ten or twelve to fifteen 

 or twenty feet wide, the length :<t pleasure ; 

 and from ten to twelve feet high in the middle, 

 both sides fully head height ; Geing formed by a 

 brick wail all round, raised only two or three 

 feet on both sides, and south ciid; but at the 

 north end like the gable of a house. Upon the 

 top of the side and south end walling is erected 

 the framing for the glass-work, which is some- 

 times formed two or'three feet upright, immedi- 

 ately on the top of the wall, having the sloped 

 glass-work above; and sometimes wholly of a 

 continued slope on both sides, innncdiately 

 from the top of the side walls to that of 

 the middle ridge. They are furnished either 

 with one or two bark-pits; but if of any con- 

 siderable width, generally with two rannng 

 parallel, one under each slope of the top gtas'i, 

 separated by a two-feet path running along the 

 middle of the House, and sornetimcs continued 

 all round each pit, with flues ranged along 

 against the inside walls; the whole terminating 

 in an upright funnel or chimney at the north 

 end. 



Other Hdl-houses are fonned entirely square, 

 having a ten- or twelve-foot brick wall' behind; 

 that of the front and both sides, onlv two or 

 three feet high for the support of the glass-work, 

 placed upright nearly the same height, and 

 sloped above on both sides and front, which are 

 wholly of glass. These are furnished within 

 with bark-pits and flues, as in the others. 



In particular cases they are likewise made 

 semicircular, or entirely circular, being formed 

 with a two or three feet brick wall siipportinf 

 the glass framing, which is continued quite 

 round ; having the bark-pit also circular, and 

 flues carried all round the inside of the walline, 

 terminating in a chimney on the northern side^ 



The first forms are probably the best for 

 general purposes. 



Hot-houses on these plans arc madcof different 

 dimensions, according to the sizes of the plants 

 they arc designed to contain ; Out for common 

 purposes they should beouly of a moderate height, 

 not exceeding ten or twelve to fourteen fcet'be- 

 liiud, and five or six in front: some arc, how- 

 ever, biult much more lofty behind, to admit 

 of the taller growing exotics placed towards the 

 back part, to grow up accoj-dingly in a lofty sta- 

 ture ; but the above are best adapted to the cul- 

 ture of pines, and other moderate growing 

 plants, as wall as for forcing in ; as verv lofiy 

 houses rccjuire a greater force of heat, aiul by 

 3 N2 



