148 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [FEB. 



a year or two before the borders, &o., of the forcing departments; or 

 you may have some also in large pots or tubs, to remove therein at 

 forcing time occasionally. The trees may be both as wall-trees and 

 espaliers, training the branches to a trellis erected for that purpose, 

 and some may be in dwarf standards; you may also have some 

 cherries, both in small-headed standards, half standards and dwarfs ; 

 and vines trained up under the sloping glasses. (See Hot-house, De- 

 cember.} 



Let moderate fires be made every afternoon and evening ; and if 

 there is a pit within the forcing-house, in wh,ich to have a bark or 

 dung hot-bed, you may make the bed a week or ten days before you 

 begin the fires ; and if a bark-bed is intended, fill the pit with new 

 tanner's bark ; or if a dung hot-bed, make it with fresh, hot horse- 

 dung; and when it has settled down six or eight inches, lay that 

 depth of tanner's bark at top. These beds will support a constant 

 moderate warmth in which you may plant pots of dwarf-cherries and 

 of scarlet and Alpine strawberries, which will have fruit very early, 

 and in great perfection. Continue making fires every evening, and 

 support them till ten or eleven o'clock to warm the air of the house 

 till morning, when the fire may be renewed moderately, but not con- 

 stantly the whole day, except in very severe weather, especially if 

 there is the assistance of a bark hot-bed; unless it is required to for- 

 ward the trees as much as possible. However, where there is no in- 

 ternal hot-bed you must continue a constant, regular, moderate fire heat. 

 With this management the trees will soon begin to advance in 

 blossom-buds, &c., when you must be careful to continue a regular 

 moderate heat in the house. 



Admit fresh air to the trees every mild day when sunny, especially 

 after they begin to bud and shoot, either by sliding down some of 

 the upper sloping glasses two or three inches, or drawing some of the 

 uprights in front a little way open, shutting all close towards the after- 

 noon, or as soon as the weather changes cold ; giving air more fully as 

 the warm season increases, and as the trees advance in blossom and 

 shooting. 



Give also occasional waterings both to the borders and over the 

 branches of the trees before they blossom ; but when in flower and 

 until the fruit is all fairly well set, desist from watering over the 

 branches, lest it destroy the fecundating pollen of the anthers des- 

 tined for the impregnation of the fruit. 



The fires may be continued till towards May, being careful never 

 to make them stronger than to raise the internal heat to about 60 

 of Fahrenheit's thermometer, in peach and cherry-houses, and 70 

 in vine-houses; for in vineries, having only principally vines in 

 forcing, the heat is generally continued stronger, as they bear it in a 

 higher degree, whereby to forward the fruit to the earliest perfection. 

 According as the fruit advances to full growth, continue assisting 

 them by waterings, and give them free air every warm sunny day ; 

 and when advancing towards ripening, encourage a strong heat in 

 the middle of the day, by admitting less or more air, in proportion 

 to the power of the sun, to forward their maturity, and promote a 

 rich flavor. 



