96 The Gardener's New Director. 



and is eflfential to render the plar.ts fruitful, and to ripen 

 well. So foon as you perceive your feeds fit for fowing, 

 that is, when they are quite dry, ard the outward coat of 

 their veflels entirely free from any clammy luhllance; 

 then prepare your bed for them. This I did about the 

 tenth of November, or at farthefl: the middle of the 

 month, and not later ; and it thefe plants are well at- 

 tended, their vines will be ftronccr and more mature 

 than thofe which are fown in 'January^ confequeniiy 

 fitter to produce good and early fruit. 



For this bed you are to take from the flable, a large 

 heap ol horfe dung and litter, to ferment for ten or twelve 

 days, and when the firff violence of the heat is over, 

 take one of your fmaliefl frames, or, two large bell- 

 glafTes; lay the dung level to the depth of three feet, 

 covering the fame with the following compofl; two 

 barrows of an old Melon- bed, two of a good rich 

 virgin-earth, and two of yellow loam and' white fand, 

 to be well mixed and incorporated the preceding year, 

 which it muft be for the Meicnry as v/ell as the Cu- 

 cumber bed. In the center of the glafles or frame, 

 make a fmall pit as broad as your hand, to receive the 

 Cucumber-feeds, in two days after the earth is heated, 

 obferving to cover the whole furface of the dung three 

 inches deep with this earth, and to cover the feeds to 

 the depth of haif an inch; in bad weather, and at night, 

 cover the frame or glafTes with matts and litter. In 

 five or fix days, if the dung is properly tempered, the 

 plants will come up. When they appear, if the earth is 

 dry, and they begin to fpire, give them a very gentle 

 watering from a bottle, which has been funk in the 

 bed, to bring the water to the fame heat with the 

 air, in which thefe young plants live, earthing them 

 up almoft to their feed-leaves, which will wonderfully 

 flrengthen their weak ftalks. If your plants are under 

 bells, as foon as you uncover them in the morning, 

 replace the glafles, with dry ones, as the moifliire the 

 glafs colledfs, from the fteam of the dung, which (hould 

 it fall on them? not any thing can be more injurious. 

 If you ufe glafs frames, let them be made the breadth and 

 length of your hot-bed, having under them light frames 



covered 



