32 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [J AN , 



for private use, they will always be acceptable as a rarity and cu- 

 riosity in the family. 



Fresh air must be admitted in fine sunny days at all opportuni- 

 ties, by sliding some of the glasses more or less open, keeping 

 them close at night ; and in very severe weather, the glasses must 

 be covered with mats, or closed with sliding shutters made for that 

 purpose, particularly at night ; which trouble might be avoided if 

 there was a fire-flue, by which, heat could be introduced to counter- 

 act the extreme rigour of the frost, when necessity required. 



When the heat of the bark declines considerably, do not omit 

 forking it over to the bottom which will revive the decaying heat 

 six or eight weeks longer. 



A bark-heat forcing-frame, nearly of the above dimensions, might 

 be contrived entirely for forcing fruit-trees, having a border within- 

 side along the back wall, three or four feet wide : there plant young 

 bearing dwarf fruit-trees, of any sorts before mentioned, at six or 

 eight feet distance, in the manner of wall or espalier trees, training 

 them also in the same manner as directed for the respective sorts in 

 their natural state of growth. The bark-pit should here be almost 

 half sunk ; and in the beginning of February fill the pit with new 

 tan -bark, which will soon set the trees into bloom, and will ripen 

 their fruit early. 



But the most eligible general forcing-frame for various sorts of 

 plants, is one of the above mentioned construction, having also flues 

 for fire-heat ; the walls must be of brick-work, having two or three 

 returns of flues formed of the same materials, running the whole 

 length of the back wall within, and one or two along the front and 

 ends, by which to convey fire-heat occasionally in severe frosts, cold 

 nights, and in all >ery cold and intemperate weather ; which will be 

 a great improvement in very early forcing, so that this kind of 

 frame will be nearly of the plan of a stove or hot-house. 



In default, however, of any of the above kinds of bark-heat forc- 

 ing-frames, one might be effected by a common bark-pit, made in 

 any dry sheltered situation, with a brick, wall, to any convenient 

 size, and covered with glass-lights. This pit is to be principally 

 above ground and filled with good fresh tan to the depth of four 

 feet, in which you may plunge pots of roses, or any other shrubs ; 

 any sort of low herbaceous flowering plants, fibrous, or bulbous 

 rooted ; kidney-beans, strawberries, &c. observing however, that in 

 severe frost, the wall of this pit must be protected by hot-dung, 

 leaves, or straw, in order to prevent the frost penetrating into the 

 bed, and it must be carefully covered with mats at night, and 

 even in the day time in very severe weather. 



-By Fire-heat. ...This kind of forcing frame is worked by actual 

 fire, burned in a furnace behind at one end or middle, from thence 

 communicating the heat by internal flues or funnels, running the 

 whole length of the back wall in three returns, one above another, 

 and continued in a flue round the front, and the frame thus con- 

 structed, is often employed for ripening several of the more valua- 

 ble fruit-trees at an early season ; or for forwarding such to perfec- 

 tion, which do not ripen freely without artificial aid. 



