III. AND GREEN-HOUSES. 



out such assistance, or for the raising of such things as 

 are not to be had at all in our climate, without artificial 

 heat of some kind. Before we speak of the form and 

 dimensions of a hot-bed, it will be best, perhaps, to de- 

 scribe the frame, which is to go upon it -, because the 

 reasons for the directions for the making of the bed will 

 then the more manifestly appear. A frame consists of 

 four pieces of wood j and, let us suppose it to be twelve 

 feet long, and four feet wide. Frames are sometimes of 

 greater and sometimes of less dimensions j but for the 

 sake of illustration, let us take a frame of this size. There 

 must be one board or two boards joined together, to 

 make the back, twelve feet in length, and eighteen inches 

 wide ; one board, to make the front, twelve feet in length, 

 and nine inches wide. One board at each end, to be 

 joined on to the ends of the front and the back 5 eighteen 

 inches at the back, and nine inches at the front. These 

 boards being well dove-tailed together at the four cor- 

 ners, and being about two inches thick, form the frame. 

 Upon this frame, glazed sashes are put, which are called 

 lights, and which rest upon the back and front and ends 

 of the frame, and also upon bars put across and fastened 

 into the sides of the frame, in such a way as to form 

 resting-places for the sides of the lights. This is quite 

 enough of description j because the carpenters know 

 how to make these things ; and all that I have to do in 

 this place, is, so to designate them that the reader may 

 know what I am talking about. 



50. Having the intention to make a hot-bed, you must 

 first see that you have a sufficiency of materials. You 

 take the stable dung, carry it into the hot-bed ground 



