HOTBED 



438 



HOUSELEEK 



the building of it, the whole bed should have a thorough 

 watering. It is now well to close it until the heat is 

 well up again, when a second and lighter watering may 

 be applied; and now it will be ready for the hills of 

 soil any time. 



In making the hills of soil for the plants, in forcing 

 melons or cucumbers, make a hollow in the centre of 

 each light, half the depth of the bed. In the bottom of 

 this, place nearly a barrowful of brick-bats, on this some 

 half-rotten dung, and finally a flat square of turf, on 

 which the hillock is placed. It is almost impossible for 

 the roots of the plants to " scorch " with this precaution. 



As the heat declines, linings, or, as they might be more 

 properly called, coatings, are made use of, which consist 

 of hot fermenting dung laid from eighteen to twenty-four 

 inches, in proportion to the coldness of the season, &c., 

 all round the bed to the whole of its height; and if 

 founded in a trench, one equally deep must be dug for 

 the coating, it being of importance to renew the heat as 

 much as possible throughout its whole mass. If, after 

 a while, the temperature again declines, the old coating 

 must be taken away, and a similar one of hot dung 

 applied in its place. As the spring advances, the warmth 

 of the sun will compensate for the decline of that of the 

 bed ; but as the nights are generally yet cold, either a 

 moderate coating, about nine or ten inches thick, is 

 required, or the mowings of grass, or even litter, may be 

 laid round the sides with advantage. 



Various structures have been suggested, whereby the 

 heat only of fermenting dung is employed, and its steam 

 is prevented from penetrating within the frame. One 

 of the best of these structures is the following, proposed 

 by Mr. West : 



Beneath the floor of the intended hotbed there is a 

 chamber in which the dung is placed, three and a 

 half feet deep, surrounded by nine-inch brickwork. 

 One-half of this is filled longitudinally with dung at the 

 commencement, which, if kept close shut up, will last 

 twelve or eighteen days, according to the quality of the 

 dung. As the heat declines, the other side is filled, and 

 the temperature is further sustained by additions to the 

 top of both as the mass settles. When this united heat 

 becomes insufficient, the side first filled being cleared, 

 the old manure must be mixed with some fresh, and re- 

 placed, this being repeated alternately to either heap 

 as often as necessary. Four doors are provided, two 

 on each side for the admission of the dung. They are 

 two and a half feet square, fitted into grooves at the 

 bottom, and fastened by means of a pin and staple at 

 the top. There are small areas sunk in front, surrounded 

 by a curb of wood ; three bars are passed longitudinally 

 as a guide and support in packing the dung ; below the 

 bed is a bar of cast-iron, two inches wide, and three- 

 quarters of an inch thick, placed on the edge of which 

 there is a row, a foot asunder, across the chamber, to 

 support a layer of small wood branches and leaves, for 

 the purpose of sustaining the soil in the upper chamber ; 

 a number of small orifices, of which there are a series 

 all round the pit, communicate with the flue, which 

 surrounds the beds ; the exterior wall of this flue is 

 built with bricks laid flat, the inner one of bricks set on 

 edge. The flue is two inches wide, and, for the sake of 

 strength, bricks are passed occasionally from side to 

 side as ties. The top of the flue, and the internal part 

 of the wall, which rises at the back and front to the level 

 the earth is meant to stand, are covered with tiles, over 

 the joints of which slips of slate, bedded in mortar, are 

 laid, to prevent the escape of the steam of the dung ; 

 two plugs are provided, which stop holes left to regu- 

 late the heat and steam as may be necessary. The 

 outer wall supports the lights. For the convenience of 

 fixing the dung, it is best to fill half of the chamber at 

 the commencement, before the branches, mould, &c., 

 are put in. 



Hot-water Beds.li hot water be the source of heat, the 

 following description of the bed and frame employed by 

 Mr. Mitchell, at Worsley, is about the best that can be 

 employed. The objects kept in view when it was con- 

 structed were ist. A circulation of air without loss of 

 heat. 2nd. A supply of moisture at command, propor- 

 tionable to the temperature. 3rd. A desirable amount 

 of bottom-heat. 4th. A supply of external air (when 

 necessary) without producing a cold draught. 



The method by which the first of these is accomplished 

 will be understood by referring to the action of flow- 



pipes above, and return-pipes in a heated chamber be- 

 low. It is evident that, as the air in the chamber becomes 

 heated, it will escape by the opening provided, and the 

 air from the cold passage will rush in to supply its 

 place ; but the ascending current of heated air, coming 

 in contact with the glass, is cooled, descends, and enter- 

 ing the cold passage, passes into the chamber, where it 

 is again heated ; and thus a constant circulation is 

 produced. In order to obtain the second object, to 

 some extent are combined the tank-and-pipe systems. 

 The flow-pipe is put half its diameter into a channel, 

 which, when filled with water (or so far as is necessary), 

 gives off a vapour, exactly proportionable to the heat 

 of the pipe and pit. 



The third requisition is produced by the surrounding 

 atmosphere and heating materials. The fourth is 

 accomplished simply by lowering the upper sash ; the 

 cold air thus entering at the top only, falls directly into 

 the cold passage, and passes through the hot chamber 

 before coming in contact with the plants. When the 

 heat in the chamber is 95, in the open space over the 

 bed it is 71 ; in the bottom of the passage only 60 ; 

 and in the mould in the bed it is 80. The amount of 

 vapour is regulated with the greatest facility, even from 

 the smallest quantity to the greatest density. Gard. 

 Chron. 



HOTEI A BARBA TA. See ASTILBE JAPOMCA. 

 HOTHOUSE. See STOVE. 

 HOTTENTOT BREAD. Diosco'rea. 

 HOTTENTOT CHERRY. Cassi'ne Mauroce'nia. 

 HOTTENTOT FIG. Mcsembrya'nthemum edu'le. 



HOTTONIA. Water Violet. (Named after P. Motion, 

 a Dutch botanist. Nat. ord. Primeworts [Primulaceae). 

 Linn. ^-Pentandria, i-Monogyma.) 



A hardy aquatic or marsh plant. Divisions in spring ; 

 ponds or ditches. 



H. palu'stris (marsh), i. Flesh. May and June. 

 England. 



HOT WALL is a hollow wall, the interior air being so 

 heated by flues or hot water as to keep the bricks of 

 which its faces are composed so warm as to promote the 

 ripening of the wood and fruit trained against them. 

 See WALL (Flued). 



HOT WATER, as a source of heat for gardening pur- 

 poses, is preferable to any other for large structures. 

 In these it is less expensive, and in all it is more manage- 

 able and less troublesome than any other. See GREEN- 

 HOUSE, HOTBED, and STOVE. 



HOULLE'TIA. (Named after M. Houllet, a French 

 gardener. Nat. ord. Orchids [Orchidaceae]. Linn. 20- 

 Gynandria, i-Monandria. Allied to Stanhopea.) 



Stove orchids. Division of the plant ; peat, broken 

 pots, charcoal, and rotten wood ; plants elevated above 

 the pot, or in a shallow basket. Summer temp., 60 to 

 90 ; winter, 50 to 60. 

 H. brocklehurstia'na (Brocklehurstian). 2. Brown, 



yellow. June. Brazil. 1841. 

 ,, chrysa'ntha (golden-flowered). Yellow, purple. 



Colombia. 1871. 

 ,, Lansbe'rgii (Lansberg's). i. Orange ; lip white, 



tinted with purple. Costa Rica. 



,, lowia'na (Lowian). White, yellow. Colombia. 1874. 

 ,, odorati' ssima (sweetest-scented). Yellow. Colombia. 



1887. 

 ,, antioque' nsis (Antioquian). i. Deep red-purple, 



white. Antioquia. 1870. 

 xanthi'na (orange). Orange ; lip sulphur, white. 



1884. 

 ,, pi'cta (painted). Red-brown, yellow, purple. 



Colombia. 1855. 

 Sandc'ri (Sander's), i. Pale yellow, large. Peru. 



1910. 

 ,, tigri'na (tiger-striped). Yellow, crimson. Colombia, 



1852. 



,, vitta'ta (striped). See POLYCYCNIS VITTATA. 

 Walli'sii (Wallis's). Colombia. 1868. 



HOUND'S TONGUE. Cynoglo'ssum. 

 HOUSELEEK. Sempervi'vitm. 



