V. CUCUMBER. 



especially about four days before their removal out of the 

 pots -, and now again, at this final transplanting, a little 

 water should be given, gently poured on in one place, 

 between the stems of the two plants, and the hole that 

 that water makes should be covered over again with a 

 little fresh earth. The other four pots of plants which 

 you do not want, may be sunk in the earth in any part of 

 this new bed, being watered occasionally, arid finally flung 

 away if you do not want them. But, at this time of the 

 year, the water must not be cold : it must have stood in 

 the bed, in a small watering-pot, to get warm, and this 

 must be observed continually until a much later season 

 of the year. By the time that you have these plants in 

 the bearing-bed, the latter end of January will have 

 come, and you will have all the difficulties of hard 

 weather to contend with. The bed itself will not have 

 a sufficiently strong heat for more than about a fortnight, 

 and, therefore, linings must be prepared, the dung for 4 

 which must be got ready in time, as mentioned in Chap- 

 ter III., and the lining is to be made thus : the first lin- 

 ing is put at the back, or north side, of the bed. It is, 

 in fact, another narrow hot-bed, built up along at the 

 back of the original one, perpendicular, as near as may 

 be, till you approach the top, twenty inches through, 

 made of good materials, and put together with the 

 greatest care. It is to be carried up even to the height 

 of the top of the frame, where a board is to be laid on 

 upon it, close against the frame, in order to prevent the 

 steam, arising from it, finding its way in upon the 

 plants. This lining will send great heat into the bed, 

 and will continue so to do for a great while j but still a 

 fresh supply of heat will be wanted ; and, therefore, in 



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