JAN.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 105 



which require to be kept constantly plunged in their pots in it, such 

 as pine-apple, &c., in order to enjoy the benefit of that durable, moist 

 bottom heat about their roots, peculiar to bark beds, whose heat also 

 evaporates and warms the air of the stove at all times, that even the 

 plants on the surrounding shelves are comforted by its influence ; so 

 that with the aid of fire-heat in winter, regulated by a well graduated 

 thermometer placed constantly in the stove distant from the fire 

 place, and as much in the shade as possible, there are hardly any 

 exotics from the hottest regions of the world, either woody, her- 

 baceous, or succulent, but may be cultivated in it, by replacing them 

 in such different situations as their nature may require. 



In the arrangement of the plants in this stove, some require the 

 bark-bed, others succeed in any part of the house, and others, such 

 as the succulents, require the dryest situation near the flues ; many 

 of the more tender, herbaceous and shrubby plants, natives of the 

 hottest countries, generally succeed best when plunged in the bark- 

 bed, though many sorts, both herbaceous and woody, thrive tolerably 

 well in any part of the bark stove. 



Such stoves as are intended principally for* pine-apples, and for 

 forcing flowers, strawberries, and some sorts of culinary esculents, 

 &c., may be only ten or twelve feet high behind, which generally 

 answers better for such than those of more lofty dimensions ; or by 

 raising the bark-pit within wholly above the surface, and sinking the 

 front walk about a foot, the roof may be lower, and such plants by 

 that means be brought nearer to the glass, which proves extremely 

 advantageous to their growth. 



When stoves are erected for cultivating and bringing to the great- 

 est possible perfection the taller kinds of exotics, they are made from, 

 sixteen to twenty, or even to twenty-five feet high in the back wall, 

 with width in proportion, by only six feet height in the front glasses, 

 in order to suit low as well as high plants ; and with the roof sloping 

 quite from the top of the back wall to the front, and wholly of 

 glass-work, having a capacious bark-pit within, formed towards the 

 front; behind which is sometimes a pit of earth, either on a level 

 with the bark-pit or with the back walk, to receive particular plants ; 

 in rear of this is a walk, between which and the back wall is formed 

 a border of good earth, to receive the tallest growing plants which are 

 intended to be cultivated. In this kind of stove you may cultivate 

 exotics, &c., from the lowest to almost the highest stature, by placing 

 those of the shortest growth forward, the tallest behind, and so on 

 according to their several gradations of height. 



However, these very lofty and capacious stoves are not recom- 

 mended for general use, they being both very expensive in erecting 

 and in the consumption of a great quantity of fuel, and not so well 

 calculated for the growth of the general run of exotics as stoves of a 

 moderate height, and the hot-water apparatus. 



Flues ought not to be erected along the back wall in such stoves 

 as have plants trained thereto or growing immediately close to them ; 

 and one range round the front and ends will not be sufficient to keep 

 up a due warmth in such large houses in severe weather, without 

 consuming an immense quantity of fuel, and at times raising a scorch- 



