98 THE HOT,HOL7SE. [JAN. 



lar-ways along thj middle, two or three inches asunder : and thus, 

 the pots, 8cc. being placed as above, the beans will soon sprout anci 

 come up. 



When the beans have sprouted, sprinkle the earth with a little 

 water, which will help the plants to rise : when they are up, water 

 them frequently. 



Let the plants be supplied with proper waterings two or three 

 t*mes a week, and they will grow freely, and produce plentiful crops 

 of beans in March and April. 



Plant a successional crop in a fortnight or three weeks after, in 

 small pots, ready for turning out with balls of earth into the largev 

 pots, &c. 



Of Cucumbers in the Hot-house. 



Cucumbers are sometimes raised early, in tolerable good perfec-s 

 tion, in the hot-house. 



This is effected by sowing the seed, or planting young plants, in 

 large pots, or oblong narrow boxes, which are to be placed in a con- 

 venient situation in the hot-house, near the glasses ; the boxes for 

 this purpose may be the same length and depth as for kidney-beans : 

 fill the pots or boxes with rich earth, and place them up near the 

 top glasses, behind, or upon the top of the back or end flues, with 

 the bottoms raised or detached two or three inches, that the heat of 

 the flues may transpire freely, without injury to the plants. 



But the best situation in the hot-house for cucumber plants, is to 

 place them, by means of supports, within about fifteen or eighteen 

 inches of the top glasses, nearly under or towards the upper ends of 

 the superior tier of lights, not to shade, &c. the other plants below. 



The seed may either be sown in small pots, and placed in a dung 

 hot -bed, or in the bark-bed in the hot-house to raise the plants, or 

 may be sown at once in the pots or boxes, six or eight seeds in a 

 small patch ; or in a box of two or three feet long you may sow two 

 such patches : and when the plants are up, they should be thinned 

 out, leaving two or three of the strongest plants in each place. 



Or, if you raise the plants first in small pots plunged in the bark- 

 bed or in a dung hot-bed, let them be afterwards transplanted, with 

 a ball of earth about their roots, into the boxes or larger pots. 



When the runners of the plants have advanced to the outside of 

 the pots or boxes, you may fix up some laths to support the vines 

 pr runners, which should be fastened thereto. Let them have wa- 

 $r frequently, for they will require a little every other day at least. 



Early Strawberries in the Hot-house. 



.Strawberries may be brought to early perfection in the hot-house ; 

 a-id, if desired, this is the time to begin to introduce therein some 

 pots of good-bearing plants. 



The scarlet and alpine strawberries are the kinds that succeed 

 best for forcing ; for this purpose they should be taken up and 

 in proper sized pots, either in the months of September or 



