CHAr. X VILLA GARDENING 371 



olDtaiued with a two or three-light frame aud an ordinary duugbed 

 of substantial size as with a more elaborate arrangement. Very 

 great pains were taken in the fermentation or sweetening of the 

 dung, and the building up of the bed. Where only an ordinary 

 hotbed can be had for Melons, February is time enough to begin. 

 If a warm forcing-house is at work anywhere, the seeds may be 

 sown and brought on in that ; but, generally speaking, it is best 

 to make up a small hotbed for raising plants for dungbeds. This 

 should be done about the first week in February, and probably 

 Cucumbers and similar things will require to be sown about that 

 time ; thus there is plenty of work for a small one -light frame 

 to do. In hotbed-making, early in the season, the mixing and 

 fermenting of the materials must be carefully done. If the bed is 

 made up wdtli rank manure, the heat will be of too fiery a nature 

 at first, and too cold afterwards. To make up a hotbed at the 

 beginning of Februaiy the manure and leaves should be thrown up 

 in a heap about the middle of January, and when hot it should be 

 turned and well shaken together, the outsides of the heap placed 

 in the middle, aud any dry spots moistened by watering. This 

 may require repetition until the whole is in a nice sweet condition, 

 when the bed should be made of sufticient size to accomplish the 

 end in view. A one-light seed frame in January will require a bed 

 5 feet high at back and 4 feet at front. It should also be 1 foot 

 wider and longer than the frame. Some care must be taken in 

 building it up to give uniform pressure all over the surface, so that 

 it may settle equally all over the bed. The site for the bed should 

 be set out by driving in a stake at each corner ; then place a layer 

 of equal thickness all over the space enclosed by the stakes, and 

 either tread or beat it down to the requisite degree of firmness. 

 This is a matter of some importance and requires a little experi- 

 ence, for, if made too firm, it will hardly heat sufticiently to pro- 

 duce the requisite temperature. On the other hand, if packed 

 together too loosely, it will heat too violently, and afterwards 

 become cold and give endless trouble in lining. It will thus be 

 seen that simply throwing a heap of dung together, and then plac- 

 ing a frame and light on the toio, will not lead to success. Not 

 only must the stuft", whatever is used, be sweetened by mixing and 

 tm-ning for a fortnight before using it, but the bed must be so 

 constructed that the heat will be regular and steady. Some saw- 

 dust or Cocoa -fibre may be placed in the frame to plunge the 

 pots in, and at night it must be well protected with warm cover- 

 ings. Linings must be added to the bed when the heat declines, 

 and this period will need watching, to arrest the decline before the 

 temperature gets too cold. The fruiting-bed must be built up so 



