THE MAKING OF HOT-BEDS. 127 



tianie, they are built with brick in many different ways, and 

 are called pits. The common dung-bed -wiR always be used ; 

 for, notwithstanding the great facilities afforded by means of 

 hot-water apparatus, there are many advantages attached to the 

 ordinary frames and lights heated by means of stable-dung, 

 leaves, and other fermenting matter. In the first place, the 

 dung, after it has performed its office, is, at the end of the 

 season, almost invaluable as manure, and especially for mixing 

 vnih. pot compost for plants. 



In almost all the instructions for growing potted plants, we 

 find among the principal ingredients mentioned for the compost 

 a portion of well-rotted dung from an old melon or cucumber 

 frame, and in most cases it is found to be sufficiently decom- 

 posed at the end of one season to answer the purpose well ; 

 in fact, it is dung rotted into mould. In the next place, the 

 cucumber and melon can be grown well enough in such frames 

 to compete with any that are grown with the more expensive 

 pit. The dung-bed may require more attention to keep up 

 the heat, but it seems to repay us well for all the extra 

 attention that we have to pay. And, thirdly, we have 

 all the advantages of beginning when we please, and of 

 placing the beds where we please ; moreover, frames and 

 glasses are always useful, as the means of protecting many 

 potted plants through the winter, even when used without 

 the dung. The only difficulty we have to contend with is 

 to keep up the heat pretty regularly in the forcing season, 

 and our object is to show the correct method of accom- 

 plishing this. 



FoRMATioisr. — Let us ffrst, then, choose for the situation a 

 place well open to the south to catch the benefit of the sun 

 as soon as it is well up, and retain it until it goes down. 

 Here we place the frame on the ground, and drive into the 

 ground, at one foot distance from each of the four corners, a 

 stout upright stake, leaving three or four feet out of the 

 ground. We may then remove the frame and build our dung 

 up to the height of the four stakes, and even a little higher. 

 But that we may have a regular heat, and plenty of it, the 

 dung must be well prepared for the work before we use it. 

 This is done by shaking the heap out with the fork every 

 four or five days, changing the place of the heap each time, 

 and, if the dung appears at all too dry, it must be sprinkled 

 with water every now and then, — say every foot that we add 



