156 THE PLEASURE, OR [FER 



Forcing early Flowers. 



Where early flowers are required, either for ornament or for 

 sale, you must prepare for this business in October^ and then plant, 

 in suitable sized pots, the various kinds that you intend to force ; 

 such as carnations, pinks, sweet-williams, double daisies, and other 

 fibrous rooted plants. The earliest kinds of hyacinths, van-thol and 

 other early ulips, anemones, ranunculus's, jonquils, narcissus's of 

 sorts, dwarf Persian iris's, crocus's in different varieties, and many 

 other kinds of early flowering bulbs, having been protected in a 

 suitable manner, as heretofore directed ; you may, about the begin- - 

 ning of this month, plant these pots, or such of them as you wish 

 to force for the earliest bloom, in any forcing department now at 

 work, such as hot-houses, forcing-houses of any kind, hot-beds, 

 &c. By plunging the pots into the bark-pits or hot-beds, you will 

 have them to flower the sooner. As the hyacinths, carnations and 

 pinks advance, tie their flower stems to neat sticks, or to pieces of 

 painted wire stuck into the pots for that purpose. 



You may likewise force pots of roses, honey -suckles, jasmins, 

 double flowering almonds, thorns, cherries and peaches, and also 

 any other early flowering and desirable plants, by the same means. 



Either of the preceding kinds may be forced, in board forcing- 

 frames, with the assistance of hot dung applied to the back and 

 ends thereof ; these being constructed of strong inch and half, or 

 two inch plank, made eighteen inches high in front, and five or six 

 feet high in the back, the ends in proportion, and length at plea- 

 sure. The width to be five or six feet, and the whole covered with 

 sloping glasses. 



Having such a frame in readiness, fill the inside thereof, to a 

 level with the front, with fresh tanner's bark, into which to plunge 

 your pots ; or if you have not the convenience of bark, sink a pit 

 into the earth about eighteen inches deep, which fill to the surface 

 with fresh horse-dung ; place the frame thereon, and add more 

 dung till it reaches within six inches of the upper part of the frame 

 in front ; then fill the remainder to that level with good dry earth. 



In either case, plunge the pots to their rims in the bark or earth, 

 and add a lining of good horse-dung to the back and ends of the 

 frame, to its entire height, which will produce a strong growing 

 heat in the inside, sufficient for any purpose of forcing small plants. 

 The glasses being placed on this kind of frame, with a considerable 

 degree of elevation, will receive the rays of the sun in a more direct 

 manner, than if not elevated so much, by which means more heat 

 will be accumulated. 



Shelves may be erected in this kind of frame, towards the back 

 part, if the plants intended to be forced are not large, and the lining 

 can be renewed as often as necessary. 



