F R A 



F R A 



k'nds of low green-house plants, as myrtles, 

 &c.j where there js not a proper green-house, 

 or a* an easement to it when too much crowded. 

 Ii is useful also as an occasional winter shelter 

 to many sorts of' curious young- plants, ever- 

 greens and others of the lull ground, which, 

 Being tenderish in their younger growth, require 

 protection for two, tiiree, or more years, till 

 they iric rease in strength, and are gradually hard- 

 ened to the full air. 



Deep sorts of frames are sometimes made use 

 of in the culture of particular sorts of plants, to 

 bring them up to a proper height. See Draw- 

 ing Frame. 



In all these sorts of frames, the wooel-work of 

 the backs, ends, and fronts should be of such 

 thick deal as has been mentioned, which must 

 be all neatly planed even and smooth on both sides ; 

 and the joints, in framing them together, be so 

 close that no wet or air can enter; the cross 

 bars or bearers at the tops, for the support of the 

 glasses, should be about three inches broad and 

 one thick, and neatly dove-tailed in at the back 

 and front even with both edges, that the lights 

 may shut down close, each having a groove or 

 channel along the middle to conduct oiF all wet 

 falling between the lights: at the end of each 

 frame, at top, should be a thin slip of board 

 four inches broad, arranged from back to front, 

 joining close up to the outside of the lights, 

 which is necessary to guard against cutting 

 winds rushing in at that part immediately upon 

 the plants; when the lights are occasionally 

 tilted behind for the necessary admission of 

 fresh air, or other purposes. In regard to the 

 lights, the wood-work of the frame of each 

 should be inch-and-half thick, and two and-half 

 broad; and the bars for the immediate support 

 of the glass-work about an inch broad, and not 

 more than inch-and-half thick; as, when too 

 broad and thick, they greatly intercept the rays 

 of the sun. They should only be just suf- 

 ficient to support the glass-work without 

 bending, and be ranged from the back part to 

 the front. 



The glass-work may either be laid in lead and 

 well trimmed with cement, air and water tight, 

 or in the bars of wood in putty, lapping at the 

 ends : the latter method is by some preferred, as 

 being more effectual for the discharge of wet, 

 the lapping of the panes being left open or un- 

 puttied at bottom, that the rank vapour na- 

 turally arising in hot- beds, and all condensed 

 drops against the glasses, niav be discharged at 

 these places, as well as admit a perpetual mode- 

 rate current of fresh air, which may be benefi- 

 cial to the plants : this mode, however, of 

 leaving the lappings open, is by some objected 



to, especially for very early work, on accouut of 

 the too free admission of air in cold weather. 



All the wood-work, both of the frames and 

 lights, should be painted in oil, to preserve them 

 from decay ; a lead colour will be the most eli- 

 gible, and if done three times over, outside and 

 in, will preserve the wood exceedingly from the 

 injuries of weather, and from the moisture of 

 the earth and dung. 



Frames for these purposes are sometimes made 

 in a sort of hollow brick-work, so as to admit 

 the heat from without. See plate on Forcing 

 Frames. 



FRAME-WORK, that sort of forcing or 

 raising vegetable productions that is effected by 

 means of frames and artificial heat. 



FRAMING, the art of raising different sorts 

 of tender plants and vegetable productions to 

 perfection at an early period, by the use of 

 frames and hot-beds, or by heat applied in some 

 other way. 



FRAXINUS, a .genus containing plants of 

 the hardy deciduous tree kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Tolygamia 

 Dioecia, and ranks in the natural order of Se- 

 piarice. 



The characters are : that in the hermaphrodite 

 there is no calyx : or a one-leafed, four-parted 

 perianthium, upright, sharp, small : there is 

 no corolla : or four linear petals, long, sharp, 

 upright : the stamina consist of two upright 

 filaments, much shorter than the corolla : an- 

 thers upright, oblong, four-furrowed : the pis- 

 tillum is "an ovate, compressed germ: style 

 cylindric, upright : stigma thickish, bifid : 

 there is no periearpium, except the crust of the 

 seed : capsule two-celled, leafy, and flatted at 

 top : the seed lanceolate, flatted, and mem- 

 branaceous, one-celled : female the same, ex- 

 cept that it has no stamina. 



The species are : 1 . F. excelsior, Common 

 Ash-tree; 2. F. rotundifolia, Manna Ash-tree; 

 3. F. ornus, Flowering Ash-tree; 4. F.Ame- 

 ricana, American Ash-tree. 



In the first the leaves have generally five pairs 

 of leaflets (lour to six), and one odd one, of a dark 

 green colour. The flowers are produced in loose 

 spikes from the side of the branches, and are 

 succeeded by flat seeds, which ripen in autumn. 

 The lateral buds produce the flowers, and the 

 terminating one the leaves. 



It is observed by Marty n, that, as " there are 

 not only hermaphrodite and female flowers, but 

 also male ones, this species should seem refe- 

 rable to the order Trioecia, and that care should 

 be taken in observing the flowers ; as in those 

 which are hermaphrodite the germ which lies 

 between the two stamens does not grow up till 



