FRA 



F R A 



inches thick, being spread equally to prevent 

 the heat from injuring the roots of the plants, 

 and upon this two inches of a loamy mould ; when 

 this lias lain two days to u arm, the plants should 

 be taken out of the first hot-bed and turned 

 carefully out of the pots, preserving all the earth 

 to their roots, and placed close together upon 

 this new hot-bed, filling up the vacuities be- 

 tween the balls with loamy earth : the roots of 

 the plants bqoh strike out into the fresh earth, 

 which strengthens their flowers, and causes 

 the fruit to set in plenty; proper care should 

 then be taken to admit fresh air to the plants, 

 and supply them properly with water, that they 

 may produce ripe fruit in April. 

 • By these means a succession of this fruit may 

 be obtained from March, April, or even earlier ; 

 and in the open air from June to October and 

 November, should the weather prove mild ; for 

 not only the Alpine but the White Wood 

 Strawberry will continue bearing in tolerable 

 abundance until the autumn frosts come on; 

 especially in warm situations and soils not 

 too light. 



FRAME, GARDEN, a sort of box furnished 

 with glass covers or lights at top to slide, used 

 in gardens for protecting and forwarding tender 

 and early plants of different kinds. 



Frames of this sort are mostly formed of inch- 

 or inch-and-quarter deal-board, made of differ- 

 ent dimensions, the largest about three yards 

 and a half long, and one and a half wide, as 

 high again or more in the back as in front, 

 to give the top a due slope to the sun, and 

 proper declivity to carry off the wet, when 

 covered with glass lights occasionally as they are 

 wanted. 



Common Kitchen-garden Frames may be of 

 three different sizes, as, for one light, two lights, 

 and three lights; the two last of which, however, 

 are the most material, and employed for general 

 uses : but it is necessary to have one or more 

 one-light and two-light frames, especially in 

 private gardens, the former as a eetd-frame for 

 a small hot-bed, particularly the seeds of cu- 

 cumbers and melons for the earlv crops, and 

 other tender plants ; and the lattei as a nurscrv- 

 frame to the young plants of the same kinds, 

 &c, to forward them to a due size for the three- 

 light frames. 



The one-light frame may be about four feet 

 and a half width from back to front, and three 

 feet six the other way; fifteen or eighteen inches 

 high in the back, and from nine to twelve inches 

 high in front, with a glass sash or light, made 

 to fit the top completely, so as to slide up and 

 down and remove when necessary. And the 

 two-light frame may be seven feet long, four 



and a half wide, and fifteen or eighteen inches 

 high in the back, and from nine to twelve in 

 front, having one cross bar, three inches width, 

 ranging from the middle of the back at top to 

 that of the front, serving both to strengthen 

 the frame and help to support the lights ; the 

 two lights to be each three feet six wide, made 

 to fit the top of the frame exactly. But a three- 

 light forcing-frame should be ten feet six inches 

 long, four and a half wide, and from eighteen 

 inches to two feet high in the back, and from 

 nine to twelve and fifteen inches in front ; those 

 designed principally for the culture of melons 

 being rather deeper than for cucumbers, as they 

 generally require a greater depth of mould o'r 

 earth on the beds ; though frames eighteen or 

 twenty inches in the back, and from nine to 

 twelve in front, are often made to serve oc- 

 casionally, both for cucumbers and melons ; 

 each frame should have two cross bars ranging 

 from the top of the back to that of the front, at 

 three feet six inches distance, to strengthen them 

 and support the lights : the lights should be each 

 three feet six inches wide; the whole together 

 being made to fit the top of the frame exactly 

 every way. 



They arc sometimes made of larger dimen- 

 sions than the above, but they are very incon- 

 venient to move to different parts where they 

 may be wanted, and require more heat to warm 

 the internal air : in respect to depth, if they arc 

 but just deep enough to contain a due depth of 

 mould and for the plants to have moderate room 

 to grow, they will be better than if deeper, as 

 the plants will be always near the glasses, which 

 is an essential consideration in early work, and 

 the internal air be more effectually supported in 

 a due state of warmth ; as the deeper the frame, 

 the less the heat of the internal air in propor- 

 tion ; and the plants, being further from the 

 glasses, will be disadvantaged in their early 

 growth ; for which reason London kitchen-gar- 

 deners have often many of their forcing-frames 

 not more than fourteen or fifteen inches high 

 behind, and eight or nine in front, especially 

 tJiose which are intended to winter the more 

 tender VOiir.g plants, such as cauliflowers, let- 

 tuces, fee.; and those for raising early small sal- 

 lad herbs, radishes, and many others. 



But when for the protection of tailcr plants, 

 they should be deeper in proportion. It ae-- 

 signed as a nursery-frame for young pine-apple 

 plants, three feet six, by fifteen "or eighteen 

 inches, is the proper depth; arranging the 

 largest plants behind, the young yearling ones 

 more forward, and the crowns and suckers of 

 the year in the front of all : a frame of these di- 

 mensions may serve also for anv of the hardier 

 3 D 



