274 General Notices. 



blanks in the most extensive garden in Britain, to say nothing about their 

 adaptation to a regular bedding system. 



The first matter of import is to procure turves three inches thick, from 

 any rest land which possesses a strong and tough sward or turf. I need 

 scarcely point to very old pastures. I have, however, seen turf cut from 

 common lands, nay, from country lanes, which was not to be excelled for 

 the purpose. Having procured a lot of these in the early part of Febru- 

 ary, the next thing is to wait for bad weather, and, during such, without 

 hindrance to other business, the little turf pots, as I must call them, may be 

 cut off by hundreds in the course of a few hours by a man or two, who, 

 not only can, but will work. It is best to place a level and strong board on 

 the floor of the shed where the operation is performed ; on this the turves 

 may be cut with facility. Four inches square would seem to be the most 

 eligible size of all others for the purpose ; and if the turves have been cut 

 one yard in length, by one foot in width, each turf will of course make 

 twenty-seven of these little squares. This done, the next thing is to cut 

 little hollows in the centre of each ; these are scooped out with great ease 

 with the point of an old knife ; care must be taken, in this part of the oper- 

 ation, to leave an edge or bordering intact ; such will constitute the rim, 

 and will serve to retain the necessary amount of water. 



The next point is to subject them to as strong a heat, either moist or dry, 

 as will at once destroy not only all the vegetation which may exist, but also 

 insects and their eggs. This is the only really tedious part of the process ; 

 we, however, find no difficulty worthy of consideration ; for, during bad 

 weather, we have recourse to one of Burbidge and Healy's boilers, which 

 heats our Orchid house. Close to the shed which contains this, and as 

 close to a permanent supply of water, we have established our depot; here 

 the turf pots are placed when sown, in order to chime in witli a system of 

 watering which exists in that position ; and where of course no neglect can 

 take place. 



Our boiler has a tap in the bottom for clearing out the pipes, being at the 

 lowest level ; and from this tap we can draw water heated to nearly 200°. 

 Placing a large tub then beneath this tap, we three parts fill it with the cut 

 turf pots, for so we must now call them. The tap is then turned on to 

 them, and when the tub is full, the tap is graduated, so as to run away 

 slightly, and in fact just enough to keep the water in the tub hot enough to 

 destroy vegetation, the surplus water of course running over slightly, es- 

 caping by the stoke-hole drain close at hand. Our rude turf pots remain 

 in for half an hour, and then give place to another lot, and so on. 



I must now, before concluding, advert to one more most essential part of 

 the plan, and which omitted, success would be rather problematical. This 

 is a plot of ground so contrived as to bid defiance to slugs and snails. I 

 have got some beds prepared by making an excavation of six inches, and 

 then filling the hollow with clean cinder ashes. On these the slugs will 

 not travel ; but, in order to prevent all possibility of their doing so, I water 

 the whole ash-bed, when completed, with the scalding water before alluded 

 to, infusing as much salt in the water as it will carry previous. 



