18 ON THE CULTURE 



It is requisite that both the boxes and lights 

 should be painted every year, at least a month 

 before they are wanted for use ; but if this can- 

 not be conveniently done, be particular in wash- 

 ing them with boiling water, in which some 

 unslacked lime must be mixed. This will in 

 some measure answer the purpose of paint in 

 effectually destroying the vermin, or the eggs 

 which may have been deposited in the crevices of 

 the wood. 



After the plants are ridged out, wash 

 every morning, on the outside, and about once 

 a week in the inside, which will tend to reflect 

 the light, and cause them to thrive much better. 

 When you wash the outside, push them down 

 about two or three inches, which will prevent the 

 water from perishing the lining at the side of the 

 boxes. If the plants have received no injury, and 

 are able to bear the heat of the bed, ridge them 

 out, letting the hills be about nine inches high, 

 covering the roots about an inch round, and 

 being an inch higher than they were when 



