Dec] THE HOT-HOUSE. 591 



to check the piercing wind. If there are short roof- lights, they 

 must be covered with mats, or with strong canvass, during the con- 

 tinuance of severe weather; these may be so contrived as to roll up 

 and fall down, by means of lines and pullies, at pleasure. 



During the continuance ofsevere frost, accompanied by piercing 

 cutting winds, the windows must never be opened, that is, you must 

 neither slide the lights up or down, but always keep them and the 

 door or doors close; and any plants that are too near the glass must 

 be removed into the interior of the house, especially at night and in 

 cloudy dark weather. 



If you find the frost likely to reach your plants, notwithstanding 

 all this care, you must heat the flues by gentle fires at night, and 

 also in the day time when the frost is very piercing and the weather 

 dark, and indeed without such a convenience it is almost useless 

 to attempt the erection or trouble of a green-house either in the 

 middle or eastern states, on account of their extremely rigorous 

 winters. But you must be particular never to heat the air above 

 40 or 45 degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer; for all the heat that 

 the plants require at this season, is only just as much as will pre- 

 serve them effectually from frost. 



However, be very particular every day, when the weather is mild 

 and the sun shining on the windows, to slide down the sashes, even 

 if but half an hour, in the middle of the day, to admit fresh air and 

 ventilate the house; for if the plants are kept too close they will 

 become tender and weak, and besides, it will cause the leaves of 

 some kinds to turn of a yellowish sickly colour, and afterwards to get 

 mouldy and drop off. 



N. B. The plants must never be deprived of light by keeping 

 the shutters closed a moment longer than it is found absolutely ne- 

 cessary for their preservation; and though I am not an advocate for 

 much fire-heat in a green-house, yet I would prefer it to keeping 

 the plants too long in darkness, which has an extremely bad eflfect 

 upon them. 



For particulars respecting watering and other information, I 

 would recommend to your perusal at this term, the entire of the 

 article green-house, in January, and also in February, pages 85 

 and 165; the general care during each of these months is nearly 

 the same. 



The plants which you are wintering in garden-frames, must now 

 be carefully attended, agreeably to the directions given in page 572. 



THE HOTHOUSE. 



The frost generally sets in very severe in this month, and the 

 winds are keen and cutting; therefore it will be necessary to keep 

 up your fire heat in proportion to the severity of the weather, which 



