The Gardener's New Director. 95 



■with wooden pins of two inches long, and fo ralfed to 

 the furface of the bed, as to receive the frames, which 

 are to be covered at night with matts and Ibavv ; but m 

 the day to be removed, to admit the fun through the 

 glafTes, for the better colouring of the grafs, obferving 

 not to open the piaffes in frofty v.eather; but when 

 the weather is mild and open, negle6l not to raife 

 them to give air, provided the grais is two or three 

 inches above the earth, and near ready for cutting ; this 

 will alfo help to give them a fine colour. In about five 

 weeks after fetting this bed to work, you may cut good 

 grafs, which obferve to cut an inch or more, below the 

 furface of the bed. 



A bed of three good lights will produce 900 or loco 

 good Afparagus, io that by this means you may have a 

 fuccefhon ot them, until April. And obferve, that what- 

 ever frames you ufe, that they are conftru6ted after the 

 manner directed in the beginning of this work, that is, 

 where the glafs Aides one over another, to have a good 

 lap, ard to b^ left open, and no bars to be ufed, but fuch 

 as come from the rear to the front. 



T^he Manner of raifmg early Cucumbers. 



THE next crop I fhall treat of, in the forcing way, 

 is Cucumbers ; and the early prickly Cucumber is 

 the beft to ufe for this purpote. I fhall be very particular 

 in my directions in making the beds, and in the manage- 

 ment of the plants, in order to have fruit fit for ufe 

 in February y or the beginning of March. I fhould not 

 have given myltlf the trouble to attempt fuch early pro- 

 duftions ; but that, I had a paiTion to be equal in per- 

 fection to the inore fouthern climates of this iflard, in 

 which I fucceedcd fo well, as not to be excelled by any 

 Britijlj gardener. 



Seed of two or three years old, which has been well 

 kept, is much better tlian that of the preceding year, and 

 fhould the feed be foft, keep it in your breeches-pocket 

 for a month or fix v/eeks ; by which the fuperabundant 

 moirture will be better carried off, than in any other way, 



and 



