28 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN. 



vineries the beginning of the month : and in these forcing depart- 

 ments, where there is a pit in which to make a hot-bed of tanner's 

 bark, or hot horse-dung, make the hot-bed first, and in a fortnight 

 after let the fires be continued every night.. ..See the Fruit Garden 

 for next month. 



Forcing Frames. 



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

 or flowers, into early perfection, or to preserve during winter, va- 

 rious kinds of exotic plants ; may induce persons of taste, to go to 

 the expence 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 a 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 continued 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 imme- 

 diately 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, Sec. occa- 

 sionally, 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 curiosity, and which is effected, as aforesaid, 

 by aid of dung, bark, or fire heat ; the first, (dung heat) both by ap- 

 plying the dung principally against the outside of the back wall, and 

 by forming it into a bed internally ; the second, (bark heat) by form" 

 ing it into a bed, in a pit withinside ; 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, according to the sorts of plants chiefly in- 

 tended to be forced ; and the materials of heat, as dung, bark, or 

 fuel, most convenient to be obtained for forcing them ; so that the 

 construction of each kind of frame is separately explained. 



These frames may be employed to advantage in the vicinity of 

 large towns, for forcing various plants early for market, by the as- 

 sistance of which you will have for sale, in February, March and April, 

 various sorts of flowers, fruits, and esculents, that would not in their 

 natural state of growth have appeared till May, June or July. 



But, for private use, where there is a roomy pine-apple stove, it 

 may also be used occasionally, for forcing many sorts of plants, 

 flowers, and some sorts of fruits, with equal success, sufficient for 

 the supply of a family. 



