Dec] THE HOT-HOUSE. 593 



best effected at this season, by sliding open a few of the roof-lights, 

 if it can be done with convenience. 



Pick oft" such decayed leaves as you perceive on the various 

 plants, keep them free from insects and tilth of every kind, and the 

 whole house as sweet and clean as possible. 



Sprinkle your flues and walks occasionally with water to raise a 

 comforting steam of moisture in the house; especially when you 

 are obliged to burn fires constantly night and day. This will pre- 

 serve the plants from the bad effects produced by the parching 

 influence of a constant fire-heat, and also tend to prevent an 

 increase of insects. 



You may, towards the latter end of this month, introduce into 

 the hot-house pots of strawberries and flowering plants of various 

 kinds,* sow cucumber seed and plant kidney-beans as directed in 

 January, in order to force them into early perfection. Pots or tubs 

 of bearing grape-vines may also be now introduced for early fruit- 

 ing if there are none trained in from the outside. Such vines as 

 are planted in front of the house, and trained in under the lights, 

 should have the parts of their stems, which are exposed to the 

 weather, well wrapped around with hay or straw neatly tied on, 

 also their roots covered sufficiently with long litter; for their juices 

 being put into full circulation by the forcing heat, renders the 

 exposed parts much more vulnerable to frost than if the entire 

 plants stood inactive in the open air. 



Having now gone through the work of the several months, and 

 endeavoured to adapt the whole to the seasons and local situations 

 of the different parts of the Union, to explain and simplify the 

 various operations, and to render the work of as much general 

 utility as possible, it is offered to the public as the result of many 

 years' experience, solely devoted to horticultural and botanical 

 pursuits, without presuming to say that it is either infallible or 

 incapable of improvement. 



4C 



