112 THE HOT-HOUSE. [JAN. 



water, which will help the plants to rise ; when they are up, water 

 them frequently. 



Let the plants be supplied with proper waterings two or three 

 times a week, and they will grow freely, and produce plentiful crops 

 of beans in March and April. 



Plant a successional crop in a fortnight or three weeks after, in 

 small pots, ready for turning out with balls of earth into the larger 

 pots, &c. 



OF CUCUMBERS IN THE HOT-HOUSE. 



Cucumbers are sometimes raised early, in tolerably good perfec- 

 tion, in the hot-house. 



This is effected by sowing the seed or planting young plants in 

 large pots, or oblong narrow boxes, which are to be placed in a con- 

 venient situation in the hot-house near the glasses. The boxes for 

 this purpose may be the same length and depth as for kidney-beans. 

 Fill the pots or boxes with rich earth, and place them up near the 

 top glasses, behind or upon the top of the back or end flues, with 

 the bottoms raised or detached two or three inches that the heat of 

 the flues may transpire freely, without injury to the plants. 



But the best situation in the hot- house for cucumber plants is to 

 place them by means of supports within about fifteen or eighteen 

 inches of the top glasses, nearly under or towards the upper ends 

 of the superior tiers of lights, not to shade, &c., the other plants 

 below. 



The seed may either be sown in small pots and placed in a dung 

 hot-bed or in the bark-bed in the hot-house to raise the plants, or may 

 be sown at once in the pots or boxes, six or eight seeds in a small 

 patch, or in a box of two or three feet long you may sow two such 

 patches; and when the plants are up they should be thinned out, 

 leaving two or three of the strongest plants in each place. 



Or, if you raise the plants first in small pots plunged in the bark- 

 bed or in a dung hot-bed, let them be afterwards transplanted, with 

 a ball of earth about their roots, into the boxes or larger pots. 



When the runners of the plants have advanced to the outside of 

 the pots or boxes, you may fix up some laths to support the vines or 

 runners, which should be fastened thereto. Let them have water 

 frequently, for they will require a little every other day at least. 



EARLY STRAWBERRIES IN THE HOT-HOUSE. 



Strawberries may be brought to early perfection in the hot-house ; 

 and, if desired, this is the time to begin to introduce therein some 

 pots of good bearing plants. 



The Jjongworth's prolific, large early scarlet and alpine strawber- 

 ries are the kinds that succeed for forcing; for this purpose they 

 should be taken up and planted in proper sized pots, either in the 

 months of September or October, as then directed, and protected in 

 garden-frames, till wanted for forcing ; but, if the weather permits, 

 you may take them up at any time, with balls of earth about their 



