HOT 



[441 ] 



HOT 



materials, such as half-worn linings, fresh 

 leaves, &c. This will, in general, secure 

 it from the danger of burning, whilst it 

 will also add to the permanency of the 

 bed. 



For winter-forcing a bed should be at 

 least four feet high at the back if five 

 feet, all the better ; and as soon as built 

 let some littery manure be placed round 

 the sides, in order to prevent the wind 

 searching it. As soon as the heat is well 

 up, or in about four days from the build- 

 ing of it, the whole bed should have 

 a thorough watering. It is now well to 

 close it until the heat is well up again, 

 when a second and lighter watering may 

 be applied; and now it will be ready for 

 the hills of soil any time. 



In making the hills of soil for the 

 plants, in forcing melons or cucumbers, 

 make a hollow in the centre of each ligbt, 

 half the depth of the bed. In the bottom 

 of this, place nearly a barrowful of brick- 

 bats, on this some half-rotten dung, and 

 finally a flat square of turf, on which the 

 hillock is placed. It is almost impossible 

 for the roots of the plants to "scorch" 

 with this precaution. 



As the heat declines, linings, or, as 

 they might be more properly called, coat- 

 ings, are made use of, which consist of 

 hot fermenting dung laid from eighteen 

 to twenty-four inches, in proportion to 

 the coldness of the season, &c., all round 

 the bed to the whole of its height ; and if 

 founded in a trench, one equally deep 

 must be dug for the coating, it being of 

 importance to renew the heat as much as 

 possible throughout its whole mass. If, 

 after a while, the temperature again de- 

 clines, the old coating must be taken 

 away, and a similar one of hot dung ap- 

 plied in its place. As the spring advances, 

 the warmth of the sun will compensate 

 for the decline of that of the bed ; but as 

 the nights are generally yet cold, either 

 a moderate coating, about nine or ten 

 inches thick, is required, or the mowings 

 of grass, or even litter, may be laid round 

 the sides with advantage. 



Various structures have been suggested, 

 whereby the heat only of fermenting dung 

 is employed, and its steam is prevented 

 from penetrating within fhe frame. One 

 of the best of these structures is the fol- 

 lowing, proposed by Mr. West : 



D D, chamber in which the dung is 

 placed, three and a half feet deep, sur- 

 rounded by nine-inch brickwork. One 



half of this is filled longitudinally with 

 dung at the commencement, which, if 



kept close shut up, will last twelve or 

 eighteen days, according to the quality 

 of the dung. As the .heat declines, the 

 other side is filled, and the temperature 

 is further sustained by additions to the 

 top of both as the mass settles. "When 

 this united heat becomes insufficient, the 

 side first filled being cleared, the old 

 manure must be mixed with some fresh, 

 and replaced, this being repeated alter- 

 nately to either heap as often as neces- 

 sary. A A, are the doors, two of which 

 are on each side for the admission of the 

 dung. They are two and a half feet 

 square, fitted into grooves at the bottom, 

 and fastened by means of a pin and 

 staple at the top. B B, are small areas 

 sunk in front, surrounded by a curb of 

 wood ; G G G, are bars passed longitudi- 

 nally as a guide and support in packing 

 the dung; c, represents a bar of cast-iron, 

 two inches wide, and three quarters of an 

 inch thick, placed on the edge of which 

 there is a row, a foot asunder, across the 

 chamber, to support a layer of small 

 wood branches and leaves, H, for the pur- 

 pose of sustaining the soil, K, in the 

 upper chamber; E E, represents the ori- 

 fices, of which there are a series all 

 round the pit, communicating with the 

 flue F F F, which surrounds the beds ; the 

 exterior wall of this flue is built with 

 bricks laid flat, the inner one of bricks 

 set on edge. The flue is two inches wide, 

 and, for the sake of strength, bricks are 

 passed occasionally from side to side as 

 ties. The top of the flue, and the internal 

 part of the wall, which rises at the back 

 and front to the level the earth is 

 meant to stand, are covered with tiles, 

 over the joints of which slips of slate, 

 bedded in mortar, are laid, to prevent the 

 escape of the steam of the dung ; i, re- 

 presents one of two plugs, which stop 

 holes left to regulate the heat and steam 



