74 <5N THE CULTURE 



in 1792, but few or none make ufe of a thermometer^ 

 nor is it abfolutely neceflary fo to do. About three 

 weeks before the plants are ready for planting out 

 for good, a quantity of dung is procured, and caft: 

 up in a heap to heat, and let lie about a fortnight 

 or three weeks, and during that time it is turned 

 twice or thrice, and well worked. It is then made 

 up into a bed of about four or five feet high, and the 

 frames and lights fet upon it. It is afterwards fuffered 

 to {land for a few days to fettle, and until its violent 

 heat be fomewhat abated ; and when it is thought to 

 be in a fit ftate for the plants to grow in, its furface 

 is made level, and a hill of mould laid in juft under 

 the middle of each light, and when the mould gets 

 warm the plants are ridged out in it. 



After this, if the bed has become perfectly fweet,and 

 there be heat enough in it, and the weather prove 

 fine, the plants will grow finely ; but in the courfe of 

 a few days the heat of the bed begins to decline, and 

 perhaps the weather changes from fine, and becomes 

 cold, wet, and gloomy ; and in that cafe a lining of 

 frefh dung to enliven the heat of the bed is undoubt- 

 edly required. 



When this frefh lining is applied, it fets the bed 

 into a frefh fermentation, and very frequently gives 

 too much bottom heat, and it even often happens that 

 the heat becomes too great under the plants before a 

 lining is applied; for the heat of a dung bed is 

 changeable, and is raifed and lowered by the changes 

 of the weather ; and every perfon knows how vari- 

 able the weather is in this part of the world. 



When 



