30 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [!AN 



The season to begin to work this frame is January and February, 

 and may be continued occasionally till May ; but for any kind of fruit 

 trees, the beginning of February is time enough, though those 

 plants of any kind that are designed to be forced, may be placed in 

 the frame a month or two before forcing time, to be occasionally 

 protected with the glasses in hard frosts ; but at other times, let 

 them enjoy the full air till you begin forcing. 



The method of working this frame is thus: after having placed 

 the pots of plants in regular order, the tallest behind, and the lowest 

 in front, &c. then put on the lights, and having sufficient quantity 

 of fresh stable-dung, full of heat, prepared as for common clung 

 hot-beds, let it be piled up close against the outside of the 

 back and ends a yard wide at bottom, drawing it gradually 

 into a foot width at the top of the frame, finishing it some- 

 what sloping, to throw off wet ; observing, that according as the 

 dung settles or sinks down, a fresh supply must be added at the top, 

 to maintain the lining to the full height of the frame. 



This lining will effectually throw in a fine growing heat, and 

 soon set all the plants in motion ; observing to give air in the mid- 

 dle of fine days, by sliding one or more of the lights a little down ; 

 especially when the plants begin to push ; give also moderate wa- 

 tering occasionally in mild sunny weather, and cover the glasses in 

 cold nights with mats. 



In three or four weeks, when the heat begins to decrease considera- 

 bly, it must be renewed, either by entire fresh dung, or if new dung is 

 scarce, by shaking up the old, taking the worst away, and mix the 

 remainder with a due quantity of new, working the whole again in 

 a pile close against the back and ends as before, which work must 

 be repeated every three weeks or month, or as often as you shall 

 see occasion ; for the heat must be constatly preserved to a regular 

 brisk temperature. 



A frame of the above construction may be appropriated entirely 

 for fruit trees, planting them in a border prepared within the frame 

 against the back part, and trained in the manner of wall-trees to a 

 trillis, ranged five or six inches from the back erection ; in which 

 may be planted early dwarf-cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, 

 grapes* figs, currants, 8cc. so may be worked by dung-heat against 

 the back of the frame as above directed ; beginning in February, 

 and continuing the glasses on, as well as support the dung-heat 

 until May ; and there is no doubt, with good management, but that 

 the different sorts of fruit may be brought to perfection early. 



But a dung-heat Forcing Frame may be constructed of more ca- 

 pacious dimensions, to admit of making a substantial hot-bed of 

 dung internally, both to produce an increased degree of heat, and 

 wherein to plunge pots of several sorts of flowering and esculent 

 plants to bring them forward in growth, being assisted also with a 

 lining of hot dung applied to the exterior of the back part of the 

 Frame, as explained in the foregoing : and for the internal hot-bed 

 should formabotom pit of proper width, length, and depth, making 

 the bed therein a yard depth of good hot dung, covering the top 



