54 The Kitchen Garden. [Feb. 



t^ie fiefli earth to the fides of the hills, let it firft be a night 

 in the fram«, laying it up towards the outfides, that it 

 rnay acquire an equal degree of warmth with that in the 

 bed : then it will not be in danger of chilling the roots of 

 the plants. 



I'he next parti-cular care, is that of lining the hot-bed,^ 

 when the heat declines ; therefore, when you find the heat 

 of the bed begins to decreafe much, let a lining of good 

 hot dung be applied in due time to the back or front of tlie 

 bed, or to both, if the heat is very low. The dung for 

 this purpofe Ihould be prepared in the fame manner as at 

 making the bed. Remember, that if there was a lining 

 ■of dry litter laid round the fides of the bed, to defend it 

 from wet, &'c. as before directed, this mull hrlt be re- 

 moved, before you apply the lining of the dung, for this 

 niuil be piled up clofe to the fides of the bed, about eigh- 

 teen inches wide, and Ihould be raifed about four or five 

 inches higher than the dung of the bed to allow for fet- 

 tling 1 lay feme earth on the top of the lining,_to keep the 

 fteam of the dung from coming up that way; which, if 

 it did, would be apt to enter the frame, at the^place where 

 the lights are raifed to admit air, and prove of bad confe- 

 ^uefiCe to the. p]i.nts. 



Or SiGjping or Pruning the ahcve P hints. 



The young plants, both cucumbers and melon?, flicukl 

 i r itoppcd, < r pruned, if not done before, at the hrfl joint ; 

 •;is \\\\\ caufe thera to fend out fruitful runners. 



This operation ihould be performed v/hen the plant? have 

 ?\vo rough leaves, r.nd when the fecond rough leaf is about 

 r'le bre?jdf,h of a fniUing before it is fully expanded ; for 

 the ionnci: it is done, the focner the plants acquire ltr(?ngth, 

 and put out fruitful runners. 



It is to be dene in the follovVing nianner : 



You will fee arifing at the bottom of the fecond rough 

 leaf, and as it were enclofed within it, the end of the firft 

 ri-nner. This appears like a fmail bud; which bud, or 

 runner, being the top of the plant, is now to be taken off 

 clofe, and may be done cither with tlie point of a pen- 

 knife or {mall' fcilTars, or pinched off carefully with the 

 dinger and thumb; or, when it is very fmall, it may be 

 picked off with the point of a pin or needle; but, which- 

 ever 



