24 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JAN. 



principally only to the earth, about the roots, not over the tops of the 

 plants ; which done, shut down the glasses close for about half an 

 hour or an hour, then opened again a little, and shut close towards 

 the evening ; when continue to cover the glass every night with garden 

 mats. And at this time also, if the heat of the bed is strong and the 

 weather not very severe, raise the glass a little behind with a prop, 

 when you cover up in the evening, to give vent to the steam ; and 

 nail a mat to hang down over the ends of the glass that is raised, to 

 break off the sharp edge of the external cold night air from the plants; 

 but when the heat is more moderate, the glasses may be shut close 

 every night, observing to uncover in proper time every morning, to 

 admit the essential benefit of day-light, sun, and air, to the plants ; 

 being careful to continue the admission of fresh air at all proper op- 

 portunities in the day-time, to promote strength in the plants, other- 

 wise they would run weak, and very long and feeble-shanked ; raising 

 the glass as before observed, and if windy or very sharp air, to hang 

 a mat before the place as above. 



On the day that the plants appear, sow a little more seed in the 

 same bed, in the manner before mentioned ; for these plants being 

 liable to suffer by different causes at this season, it is proper, there- 

 fore, to sow a little seed at three or four different times in the same 

 bed, at short intervals ; for, if one sowing should miscarry, another 

 may succeed. 



When the plants, however, both of the first and succeeding sow- 

 ings, are two, three, or four days old, they should be planted in 

 small pots, which pots must be placed also in the hot-bed, in the 

 manner following : 



Observe to fill the pots, the day before you intend to remove the 

 plants, with some rich, dry earth, and set them within the frame till 

 the next day, when the earth in the pots will be warm ; then proceed 

 to planting, take the plants carefully up in the seed-pots, raising 

 them with your finger, &c., with all the roots as entire as possible, 

 and with as much of the earth as will readily adhere about the fibres ; 

 and thus, the pots of earth being ready, and forming the earth thereof 

 a little concavely hollow a small depth, place the plants in the hol- 

 lowed part of the earth slopingly, with their roots towards the centre, 

 and earth over their roots and stems near an inch thick ; observing 

 to plant three plants in each pot ; and if the earth is quite dry, give 

 a very little water just to the roots of the plants only; and directly 

 plunge the pots into the earth on the bed, close to another, filling up 

 all the spaces between with earth ; and let every part of the bed 

 within the frame be covered with as much earth as will prevent the 

 rising of the rank steam immediately from the dung, which would 

 destroy the plants by its pungency. 



Be careful to examine the bed every day, to see that the roots of 

 the plants do not receive too much heat ; if anything like that ap- 

 pears, draw up the pots a little, or as far as you see necessary for the 

 preservation of the plants, re-plunging them again to their rims when 

 the danger is over. 



Two or three days after planting, if the bed is in good condition, 



