P I s 



P I s 



Hiav be employed, which should be laid eight or 

 Icn inches thick ;ill over the bed ; then in a dry 

 mild dav the plants may be taken up, raising 

 them with their roots as entire as possible, with 

 what earth will readily hang about the fibres ; 

 and after drawing small drills in the earth of 

 the hot-bed, from the back to the front of the 

 frame, a foot and a half asunder, and about an 

 inch deep, the plants should be put in the drills, 

 not more than an inch apart, covering in the 

 earth close to their roots and steins, and giving a 

 very light watering, just to settle the earth ; alter 

 which the lights should be put on ; being care- 

 ful to raise them occasionally at the upper end 

 to give vent to the steam, &c. : and at first plant- 

 ing out, when in sunny weather, if the plants 

 should flag, a moderate shade should be given in 

 the middle of the dav, till the plants have taken 

 root and established themselves. 



Alter this, fresh air must be admitted to the 

 plants daily in fine weather to strengthen them, 

 by tilting the upper end of the lights according 

 to the temperature of the bed and outward air ; 

 keeping them close in cold nights, and covering 

 also with mats : occasional moderate waterings 

 should likewise be given in fine days, and, as 

 the plants advance in grow th, a little earth be 

 drawn up to their stems once or twice; repeat- 

 ing the moderate refreshments of water fre- 

 quently as the warm season advances; which 

 may be given more freely when the plants are in 

 bloom. And according to the advanced growth 

 of the plants and increased warmjh of the wea- 

 ther, a larger share of fresh air in proportion 

 should be given ; and when they are in blossom, 

 if the sun at any time appears too violent for 

 them through the glasses, it is advisable to give 

 a very slight shade an hour or tw'o in the heat 

 of sunny days ; likewise, when in full blossom 

 and fruiting, to admit plenty of free air, even 

 sometimes in fine days shoving the glasses en- 

 tirely oflT ; also still continuing the waterings 

 more abundantly during the time of setting and 

 growth of the pods, and indulging them with 

 the benefit of warm showers of rain. In this 

 way the plants may be brought to bearing in 

 March or April ; and by a succession of two 

 crops, in hot-beds made at three or four weeks' 

 interval, and managed as above, a supply be 

 continued till the natural ground crops come 

 into bearing in May. 



Where there is the convenience of fruit for- 

 cing-houses, hot-walls, &;c. a few of the earliest 

 kinds, either previously raised in young plants 

 an inch or two in growth, as in the hot-bed cul- 

 ture, or in default of it, the seed sown ; and 

 which being in pots, are placed in these depart- 

 ments ; or where there are internal borders of 



Vol. II. 



earth, some young plants may be placed therein. 

 The internal moderate iieat of the above depart- 

 ments, effected eithL-r by bark -beds, &c. or fire, 

 or both occasionally, in a requisite degree for 

 forcing the fruit-trees to early production, for- 

 wards the malso, so as to have some for gathering 

 in the most early season, in a small proportion. 

 Cullure in the Field. — Where designed to 

 raise crops in order to gather the produce ffreen 

 and young for the supply of markets, Novem- 

 ber, or rather December, is soon enouch to be- 

 gin the first sowings, especially in open exposed 

 grounds ; a <lry light soil being chosen for the 

 more forward sowings. As to the sorts, any of 

 the Hotspurs may be used for the forward cro])s, 

 and for a general crop the Reading Hotspur i» 

 excellent ; and after that sort, theMasters's and 

 Ormrod's, he. but of the large kinds the Mar- 

 rowfats and Spanish Morattos should be chosen 

 for the main crops. 



The ground for their reception must be pre- 

 pared by proper ploughing and harrowing ; drills 

 are then to be drawn with a hoe crossways the 

 lands, or with a drill-plough lengthways, two 

 feet at least, or two and a half asunder for the 

 early and three for the larger sorts. As no sticks 

 are intended for these large field crops, having 

 sown the seed, it should be covered in either 

 with the hoe, rake, or harrow ; but the hoe or 

 rake will cover them more evenly, and almost as 

 expeditiously. When they come up thev must 

 be kept clean from weeds, by broad-hoeing ; 

 but this is sometimes performed in fields by 

 horse-hoeing for the sake of expedition; which, 

 having hoes fixed in a sort of plough horizon- 

 tally, is drawn by a horse between the rows, a 

 man holding the plough-shafts to guide it : 

 but as this can only cut down the weeds, a com- 

 mon drawing hand-hoe must be used to earth 

 up the plants : though this is often disregarded 

 in the field-culture, it however proves very be- 

 neficial to the crops. 



In these eases the rows should be laid down 

 so as to face the sun as nmeh as possible. 



Saving Seed. — In order to save seed, some of 

 each sort should be suffered to stand entirely for 

 that purpose, or some sown of each purposely in 

 different parts, and the whole produce suffered 

 to remain and ripen for seed. 



In the latter mode they should be sown in 

 February in some open ground, in rows tv.o or 

 three feet asunder, no sticks being required, and, 

 when the plants come up, be kept clean from 

 weeds by hoeing, the earth being laid up to their 

 stems once or twice. When they are in bloom, 

 they should be examined row by row, to sec if 

 there be any degenerate sort, which, when pre- 

 sent, must be pulled out; or if any improved 

 2 II 



