52 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN. 



By Fire-heat. This kind of forcing-frame is worked by actual 

 fire, burned in a furnace behind, at one end or middle, from thence 

 communicating the heat by internal flues or funnels, running the 

 whole length of the back wall in three returns, one above another, 

 and continued in a flue round the front, and the frame thus con- 

 structed is often employed for ripening several of the more valuable 

 fruit-trees at an early season, or for forwarding such to perfection 

 which do not ripen freely without artificial aid. 



This frame or forcing-house, must be formed of brick-work, at 

 least the back or main wall, for the convenience of having fire and 

 flues, and the whole front, &c., must be glass, like the other sorts ; 

 the length may be from twenty to forty feet or more, though one fire 

 will not warm more than that length ; the width may be from five or 

 six to twelve or fifteen feet, and height eight or ten. It may be con- 

 trived either of moderate width for one row of trees only, to range 

 against the back wall, or may be capacious enough to have a range of 

 trained wall-trees behind, as just mentioned, and some small half 

 standard, ranging also from the back to the front. 



If it is therefore intended to have a narrow frame for only a row 

 of trained trees behind, the width from four to five or six feet is suf- 

 ficient, having the back or main wall formed of brick or stone, as 

 aforesaid, eight or ten feet high, with several flues withinside, re- 

 turned over each other, running the whole length of the wall ; in the 

 front must be a low wall a foot high, on which to lay a plate of tim- 

 ber, and from which are ranged glass frames or lights in one con- 

 tinued slope to the top of the back wall, there received into proper 

 framework ; but for the greater convenience, the lights may be in 

 two tiers or ranges, an under and upper tier, the upper range made 

 to slide up and down over the others, but so as all the glass-work can 

 be moved away occasionally, to admit the full air to the trees after 

 the work of forcing ; the whole bottom space within this frame must 

 be of good loamy earth, or any good garden mould, two spades deep, 

 which must be dug or trenched in the common way j then plant a 

 range of trees behind, towards the wall, and two or three yards 

 asunder, erecting a trellis behind them, upon which to train the 

 branches as against a wall or espalier ; besides these trees, there may 

 be other inferior plants set in the border or in pots, in front of the 

 trees, as strawberries, dwarf kidney beans, dwarf peas, &c., dwarf 

 roses or the like, that will not rise high enough to shade the fruit- 

 trees in the back range. 



A frame of this construction, forty feet long, may be worked by 

 one fire ; but if longer, two furnaces for fires will be requisite.* 



But to have a more capacious frame both for trained trees and low 

 standards, it may be of any length from twenty to fifty feet or more, 

 but must be ten or fifteen feet wide, having an upright back wall of 

 brick ten feet high, with flues as above directed, and a low wall in 



* Hot water circulated through cast iron pipes is much better than com- 

 mon flues, and though more expensive on first erection, is afterwards most 

 economical. One fire, if large enough, may be made to heat several large 

 houses. 



