94 The Gardkner's New Director. 



and no other. This is particularly to be attendefl to, if 

 you expe£t large Afparagus under forcing frames. 



The next thing to be provided is a good quantity of 

 new horfe-dung, to be layed up with the litter, mixing 

 both well together lo heat, ferment, and fweeien for 

 eight or ten days. Then dig a trench one foot and a 

 half deep, in breadth and length according to the dimen- 

 fions of the frames, with which you are to cover your 

 beds ; work your dung well, and lay it level to the 

 depth of four or five feet, prelTing it even with the fork; 

 then cover it to the depth of four inches with good rich 

 moift mould, m.ixed with a fifth of whitifh or yellowifh 

 loam ; then raife fmsW ridges near two inches high, 

 upon which lay your Afparagus roots, very clofe to one 

 another, filling up the fpaces between the roots, with 

 the fame rich earth, covering them to the depth of two 

 inches above the tops of the buds ; but at this time you 

 are not to lay on your framing, notwithflanding it is the 

 practice ; and the reafon I objefl is, that the heat of the 

 fun coming through the glafs, would hurry up the grafs 

 before their roots had fuf^ciently ftruck to maintain them, 

 which would make them fmaH, ill-taffed, and worfe co- 

 loured. However, the bed fhould every evening, and 

 in frolly days, be covered with one or two matts, and 

 if that is not fufticient to proteft it, put a covering of 

 dry wheat-ftraw over all, and round the fides of the 

 bed, let fome clay be laid to protect the roots of the Af- 

 paragus. In a fortnight after the bed is fet to work, 

 examine it, and if you perceive ihe buds of the grafs 

 above the earth, lay on two inches more; and if in ten 

 days they pufh above this lafl covering, then lay on 

 as much more of the fame earth, when you are to lay 

 on the frames with their glaffes. It will be proper, when 

 the roots are planted, to have two or three pieces of 

 wood, of two feet in length, to be thrufl into the dung, 

 by which, when drawn out, you can judge of the tem- 

 perature of your bed, which is not to be neglected ; 

 for if the heat declines, you muft give it a lining all 

 round of new dung, firft removing fome of the old, 

 which will foon revive its heat. Before laying on the 

 frames let two ll^raw-ropes be made, five or fix inches 

 thick, and fo long as to go round your bed, to be fecured 



with 



