Vol. VIII.— No. 25. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



195 



tobea scandens. e. May, Oct. 20. purple. Mexico. 1792. 



Tliis is the most rapid growing green house 



iiiber known, hiiving been found to grow 200 



lylet in length in one summer in a conservatory. — 



will thrive equally well in the open air during 



turner, hut is destroyed by frost ; and its shoots 



e of only annual, or at most of biennial duration. 



strikes in .sand in moist heat, but it generally 



jens seeds, which sowed early in the spring will 



)wer in the green house, or open air the same 



(ason. (To be continued,) 



From the New American Gardener. 



HOT BED. 



A hot bed, in gardening, is a small bed 

 ound of earth, composed of certain substances, "'olons, as well as in forcing flowers. 



by successive layers of dung, laid on by a fork, 

 raising it to the desired height, pressing it gently 

 and (Miually throngliout. In general, such bed-; 

 are formed oji a level surface ; hut Knight's mode 

 is, to lorm a surface of earth as a basis, which 

 shall incline to the horizon, to tlie extent of fifteen 

 degrees ; on this he forms the dung bed to the 

 same inclination ; and, finally, the frame, when 

 placed on such a bed, if, as is usual, it be deepest 

 behind, will present its glass at an angle of twenty 

 degrees, instead ofsix or eight ; which is, undoubt- 

 edly, of great advantage in the winter season. 

 This seems a very desirable improvement, wheie 

 light is an object, which it must be in a high de- 

 gree in the case of the cidture of cucumbers and 



the premium of £65. They have risen with great 

 rapidity since tlie experiments at Rainhill. 



The success which has attended the use of iron 

 iailways in England, has led to their introduction 

 into France ; and the great one which is now lay- 

 ing down between St Etienne and Lyons, will bo 

 partially open at the beginning of the ensuing 

 year, and the whole will be completed by the end 

 of the year 1831. 



if- 



hich, by their fermentation, give warmth to ve 



tables or .=eeds, set or sowed in ihem, and th^^3 



jnlsten their growth. The fermenting substances 



ed ii)r forming hot beds are, stable litter or dung, 



a recent or fresh state, tanners' bark, leaves of 

 ses, grass, and the herbaceous parts of plant^ 

 nerally. 



"Stable dung is in the most general use for 

 •ming hot beds, which are masses of this dung 

 er it has undergone its most violent fermentation, 

 lese masses are generally in the form of solid 

 rallelograms, of magnitude proportioned to the 

 inies which are to be placed on them, the degree 



heat required, and the season of the year in 

 lich they are formed. 



"Tanners' bark is only preferred to dung, be- 

 use the substance, which undergoes the process 



putrid fermentation, requires longer time to de- 

 Hence it is found useful in the bark pits of 

 t houses, as requiring to be seldomer removed 



renewed than dung, or any other ferraentabli* 

 jstance, that can be procured in equal quantity. 

 '' Leaves, and es]>ecially oak leaves, come the 

 irest to bark, and have the additional advantage, 

 It, when perfectly rotten, like dung, they form a 

 h mould, or excellent manure ; whereas, rotten 

 mers' bark is found rather injurious than useful 

 vegetation, unless well mixed with lime and 

 •th. 



" Preparation of Manures. — The object of pre- 

 raiion in these three substances being, to get 



of violent heat, which is produced when the 

 Ij mentatioti is most powerful, it is obvious, that 



paration must consist in facilitating the process. 

 For this purpose, a certain degree of moisture 

 J air in the fermenting bodies is requisite ; and 

 nee the business of the gardener is, to turn 

 ti sm over frequently, and apply water when 

 ff, 5 process appears impeded for want of it, and 

 elude rain when it seems chilled and impeded 



too much water. Recent stable dung generally 

 juircs to lie a month in ridges or beds, and bo 

 •ned over in that time thrice, before it is fit for 

 cumber beds of the common construction. Bui 

 i linings, or for frames with moveable bottoms, 

 •ee weeks, a fortnight, or less, will suffice ; or 



time at all need be given, but the dung formed 

 once into linings. Tan and leaves, in general, 



t[uire a month ; but much depends on the state 

 the weather, and the season of the year. Fer- 

 intation is always most rapid in summer : and if 

 i materials arc spread abroad during frost, it is 

 tally impeded. 



"The formation of the duug beds is effected by 



ht marking out the dimensions of the plan, 



nich sliould be six inches v/ider on all sides than 



t of the frame to bo placed over it ; and then, 



.\shes are often mixed with the dung of hot 

 bed.s, and are supjjosed to promote the steadiness 

 and ihn-ation of their heat, and at first to revive 

 it if somewhat decayed. Tan and leaves have 

 becti used for the same purpose ; and it is gene- 

 rally found, that about one third of tan and two 

 thirds of dung will form a more durable and less 

 violent heat than a bed wholly of dung. The heat 

 of dung beds is revived by linings or collateral and 

 surrounding walls or banks of fresh dung, the old 

 climg of the bed being previously cut down close 

 :o tiie frame. These linings, as before observed, 

 '■e(piire less [ireparation than the dung for the beds. 

 The dung bed, being formed, and having stood 

 two or three days with the frame and lights placed 

 over it to protect it from the rain, is next to be 

 covered with earth of quality, and in quantity, ac- 

 cording to the purpose to which it is to be applied. 

 In severe weather, the sides of the bed are often 

 protected by bundles of straw or fagots, which 

 ttud to prevent the escape of the heat." 



Endive, or Succory, substitute for Coffee. — A coin- 

 nnmication made to the London Medico Botanical 

 Society, states, that the root of Endive, or Succo- 

 ry, roasted and reduced to a powder, is an excel- 

 lent substitute for tea or coffee. It is in general 

 use in Russir.. This information is considered 

 valuable in England. 



SILK WORMS. 

 M. Tin-ck of Plombiers, in France, having pro- 

 posed the employment of the leaves of the Srori- 

 onera, to rear silk worms, Madile, Cage, ofEpinal, 

 was repuested to try the experiment ; the success 

 was conq)lete. The silk pro<luced, <lid not yielil 

 in excellence to that produced by the worms fed 

 upon Mulberry leaves, and surpassed the speci- 

 mens obtained from worms fed upon Lettuce 

 leaves. This new food does no: in the least de- 

 gree derange the vital functions and habits of these 

 insects. The quantity of silk obtained was at 

 least double to that procured by employing the 

 lettuce leaves ; and the facility with which the 

 plants of the Scorionera can be raised, renders it 

 desirable that further experiments should be made 

 in this country on this interesting subject. We 

 learn with pleasure that Mr E. C. Cyuet, member 

 of the Linna;an Societies of Paris and New York, 

 has written to bis friends, in France, to obtain an 

 ample supply of the seeds of that valuable plant, 

 which, naturalized here, would much accelerate 

 the time at which the importation of silk, exceed- 

 ing now in value the whole exportation of our 

 bread stuffs, would be much reduced. ^—.^mcricaji 

 Farmer. 



The quantity of cider produced in the county of 

 Devon this yedr exceeds all former precedent in 

 the memory of man ; one individual is stated to 

 calcul.ite on making more than 4,000 hogsheads. 

 The lunnber of empty casks landed at Exeter, 

 from London and other places, has been extraor- 

 dimirily large, it being computed that, including 

 home manufacture, at least 12,000 have been sold 

 in Exeter. 



Leeches. — The Egyptians adopt the following 

 method of keeping leeches for repealed use ; im- 

 mediately on falling off, the leech is taken by the 

 head, and gently squeezed downward between the 

 thumb and fore finger of the other hand, so as to 

 force through its intestinal canal a portion of the 

 hlooil. It is then put into water sweetened with 

 sugar, in which it empties itself of blood. The 

 sweetened water is renewed three or four times a 

 day, till it remains clear, when the leech may be 

 rcusea ; aim wni, u is aaM, bito wUt <nuub great- 

 er avidity than before the operation. The same 

 leech may be used every day, and will serve for 

 three years. Mr Roes Price in his treatise on the 

 leech recommends a similar treatment, with the 

 exception of employing river water instead of wa- 

 ter with sugar. — Gazette of Health. 



It is said that the tolls on the Chesapeake and 

 Delaware Canal already amount to about one hun- 

 dred dollars a day. On Monday week no less 

 than 20 sloojis and schooners passed the western 

 locks. 



The unli-duelling law in Florida makes no dis- 

 tinction whether the duel occurs in Florida or not. 

 If one party is killed, the other is to be hung. 



RAIL ROADS. 



A motion has been made in the Virginia 

 House of Delegates, to instruct the proper 

 Committee to report a bill incorporating a Com- 

 pany to construct a Rail Road from Petersburg to 

 the Roanoke River. 



The shares in the Manchester and Liverpool 

 Railway, which, a few months ago, were selling at 

 £118 a share, are now selling for £175, being at 



In the early times of this State, as we learn 

 from Lewis's History of Lynn, a person was de- 

 puted to wake the sleepers in church. He bore a 

 long wand. On one end was a fox's tail with 

 which he gently touched the faces of the drowsy 

 fair ; but on the other end was a ball with which 

 he bestowed on the sconces of the snoring men, a 

 startling rap. 



Receipt for a sore throat. — Take a glass of sweet 

 oil and a lialf a glass of spirits of turpentine, niix- 

 them together, and rub the throat externally, wear- 

 in" tlanncl round it at the same time. It proves 

 most effectual when applied early. 



The Bedford (Pa.) Enquirer says that Mr Dil- 

 lon, of that place, treated his guests with a service 

 of str.iwberries and cream last week, by way of 

 dessert to a good dinner. 



