169 



beds will be in production a fortnight sooner than 

 those made about Christmas. 



If the forcing be conducted in a pit or hotbed, and 

 the plants are placed very close together, each light 

 will afford a gathering once in three days, and yield 

 altogether between 300 and 400 heads. 



In Vinery or Peach-house. — Mr. Niven says that, 

 perhaps there is no more simple or successful mode 

 of forcing than that of placing the roots in the border 

 of an early vinery or peach-house at work, where, by 

 being closely placed together, the spaces between the 

 roots filled up with fine mould, and covered over 

 about two inches above the crowns, the produce will 

 be rapid and regular, in proportion as the house may 

 be more slowly or quickly forced. A succession may 

 be kept up in this way, where there may be several 

 such forcing-houses ; as it is only in the early stage 

 of the forcing of such houses that Asparagus vvdll 

 succeed best when grown in them. In a similar way 

 a good succession of Asparagus may be kept up from 

 an exhausted tan-pit, where pines have been grown 

 the preceding season. {Gard. and Flor. iii. 147.) 



We must here observe that, where the establish- 

 ment possesses a peach-house and early vinery, there 

 is also generally a spare frame or pit, and such will 

 be found more eligible for the purpose. There is 

 generally some inconvenience arising from applying 

 such houses to this purpose ; nevertheless, when no 



