JAN.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 97 



Water should be given to the pine-apple plants once a week, or 

 as often as it may seem necessary, and always very moderately; 

 and let as little as possible fall into the heart or between the leaves 

 at this season. 



For die conveniency of watering the pines and other plants that 

 are plunged in the bark -bed, a long pipe, made of tin, would be 

 eligible to use occasionally : this should be in three different joints, 

 in order that it may be shortened or lengthened, as you see it con- 

 venient : one of these joints should have a funnel made at the largest 

 end, that, by pouring the water out of a handy watering-pot into 

 the funnel, the water is conveyed to the pots in any part of the bed, 

 with greater exactness, without pouring it into the heart of the 

 plants. 



All other tender exotic plants in the hot-house or stove should be 

 supplied with water as they require it. 



The woody kinds will require it often, those of the succulent 

 tribe but seldom j or, at least, but very little must be given them 

 at a time. 



Be sure to have soft water for watering the different sorts of 

 plants, for which purpose you may have a tub or cistern in some 

 convenient part of the house to contain it, in which it is to remain 

 till the cold chill is completely off. 



In the management of the plants in the bark-bed, there must be 

 a particular regard had to the temperature of the bark, and the air 

 of the house, that neither be too violent ; as also to water them fre- 

 quently, but sparingly, especially the shrubby kinds, because when 

 they are in a continual warmth, which will cause them to perspire 

 freely, if they have not a proper supply to answer their discharge, 

 their leaves will decay and soon fall off. 



In very severe weather, when necessity requires strong fires to 

 be kept up for any length of time, and that the internal air becomes 

 thereby of a dry and parching nature, it will be well to sprinkle the 

 flues occasionally with water, to raise a comforting steam in the 

 house, and to restore the air to its true atmospheric quality, which 

 is always most congenial to the health of plants. 



Every plant in the hothouse or stove, should be kept perfectly 

 clean from dust or any sort of foulness ; if any thing of that nature 

 appears on their leaves, let the large-leaved sorts be washed with a 

 sponge, SvC. the others by occasionally watering them all over the 

 top. 



Kidney -beans raised in the Hot-house. 



Those who have the conveniency of a hot-house may raise early 

 kidney-beans with little trouble. The early cream-coloured dwarf, 

 speckled-dwarf, and yellow-dwarf, are proper sorts for this purpose. 



The method is this : fill some large pots, or oblong narrow boxes, 

 with rich dry earth, and place them on the top of the surrounding 

 wall of the bark -bed, or upon any of the shelves near the glasses, 

 observing to plant four or five beans in each about an inch deep ; 

 or if oblong boxes, of about two feet length, plant the beans triangu^ 



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