JAN.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 



N. B. In forcing strawberries, the plants may be taken up out of 

 the natural ground with balls of earth, if not prevented by too hard 

 a frost, and placed immediately in the earth of the hot-bed without 

 potting them. However, when it is intended to force strawberries, 

 either in a common hot-bed, or in a hot-house, it would be the best 

 method to plant some bearing plants in pots, in September or Oc- 

 tober, and so place the pots close together in a garden frame, till the 

 time they are to be placed in the hot-bed. 



But where there is the convenience of a pine-apple stove, or any 

 kind of fruit forcing-house or hot-wall, &c., may raise plenty of early 

 strawberries in great perfection, with but very little trouble : having 

 some bearing plants ready in pots, place them in the hot-house, any- 

 where near the glasses, giving frequent light waterings; they will 

 fruit early in great abundance. 



FORCING-FRAMES. 



The great convenience of forcing-frames, either to force fruits or 

 flowers into early perfection, or to preserve during winter, various 

 kinds of exotic plants, may induce persons of taste to go to the ex- 

 pense of erecting such ; to whom the following descriptions may not 

 be uninteresting. 



A forcing-frame is a sort of glass case, or light building, fronted 

 with glass-frames, in which to force flowers and fruits to early per- 

 fection, by aid of artificial heat, either of dung, tanner's bark, or 

 actual fire. 



The general acceptation or meaning of forcing-frame is, a fixed 

 erection full to the south sun ; the length may be from ten to fifty 

 or one hundred feet ; the width from five to fifteen, and from five to 

 ten feet high ; having an upright back wall, of wood or brick ; and 

 a front of glass work, made sometimes in one continual range of 

 slope, from near the ground in front to the top of the back wall ; and 

 sometimes with upright glass work, head high, ranging immediately 

 along the front, and from the top of which a glass roof is carried to 

 the top of the back or main wall; either of which may be for general 

 use, for the reception of various sorts of flower-plants, small flowering 

 shrubs, esculents, and dwarf fruit-trees, &c., occasionally, to force 

 into bloom or fruit in winter, or early in spring and summer ; whereby 

 many sorts of the more curious flowers and fruits may be obtained 

 some months before their natural season, which will be a great curi- 

 osity, and which is effected as aforesaid, by aid of dung, bark or fire 

 heat; the first (dung heat), both by applying the dung principally 

 against the outside of the back wall, and by forming it into a bed 

 internally ; the second (bark heat), by forming it into a bed, in a pit 

 within side : and the third (fire heat), by having several returns of 

 flues against the inside of the back wall, and that of the front and 

 both ends, for the heat to pass along ; each of which are hereafter 

 described ; for these kind of frames are of different construction, ac- 

 cording to the sorts of plants chiefly intended to be forced ; and the 

 materials of heat, as dung, bark, or fuel, most convenient to be ob- 



