112 THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. [FEB, 



the great steam to pass off; and it is necessary to cover the lights 

 every night with mats, putting them on about half an hour before the 

 time of sun-setting, or a little earlier or later as the weather happens 

 to be either mild or severe, and uncover them in the morning, 

 as soon after the sun begins to shine on them, or after sun-rising as 

 the state of the weather will permit : in covering up, observe, that 

 while the bed is very hot, and the st^am copiously rising, never to let 

 the ends of the mats hang down over the dung outside of the frame, 

 which would draw up a hurtful steam, and stifle the plants. 



Air must be admitted to them every day, when the weather is 

 any way favourable, by raising the upper ends of the glasses from 

 about half an inch to an inch or two, or in proportion to the sharp- 

 ness or mildness of the outward air and internal heat and steam of 

 the bed. 



In giving the plants air, it is a good method, at this season, 

 especially in severe cutting weather, to fasten a mat across the ends 

 of the lights, where titled, to hang down detachedly over the place 

 where the air enters the frame ; the mat will break the wind and 

 sharp air before it reaches the plants, and yet there will be a due 

 proportion admitted, without exposing them directly to it ; and 

 there will also be full liberty to let the steam pass off. 



Likewise, in covering the glasses on nights with mats, if 

 there be a strong heat and great steam in the bed, let the lights be 

 raised a little behind when you cover up ; let them remain so all night, 

 and use the mats as above mentioned, to hang down low before the 

 place where the glasses are raised, but this must be done with cau- 

 tion in very severe frost. 



One great article to be attended to now, is to support a constant 

 temperate heat in the hot-bed, so as to keep the plants in a regular 

 growing state. The first thing to be observed towards this is, that 

 in six or eight days after ridging out the plants, provided the heat 

 of the bed is become moderate, it will be very proper to give some 

 outward protection of dry, long litter, waste hay, fern, straw, leaves 

 of trees, Sec. laying it close round the sides a foot thick, and as 

 high as five or six inches up the sides of the frame ; but this will 

 be particularly serviceable in very wet weather, but more especially, 

 in drivng cold rains, or snow, and also, if there be cold piercing winds, 

 all of which would chill the bed, and, without the above precaution, 

 would sometimes occasion such a sudden and great decay of the 

 heat, as to prove the manifest destruction of the plants ; whereas 

 the above lining will defend the bed, and preserve a fine heat till 

 the dung begins naturally to decline or decay of itself, which is 

 generally in about three weeks or a month after the bed is made, 

 when the warmth of it must be renewed by adding a lining of fresh 

 hot clung close to its sides and ends. 



But for the first week or ten days after the plants are ridged out 

 into this hot-bed, mind that their roots have not too much heat ; for 

 it sometimes happens that a bed, after the mould and plants are in, 

 (the earth confining the heat and steam below in the dung,) 

 will begin afresh to heat so violently, as to be in danger of burning 

 the earth at the bottom of the hills: and with;*:t some precaution 



