SMALL HOLDINGS 63 



aid of frames, with mats for their protec- 

 tion, cloches or bell glasses, and abundance 

 of manure. Just as the crops grown in 

 glass-houses are pushed forward by the aid 

 of hot-water pipes, so are these which are 

 planted in frames or beneath bell glasses 

 grown by the aid of heat produced from 

 decomposing horse dung. This is used so 

 freely that with time the top four inches 

 become an almost equal mixture of soil 

 and manure, with the result that the heat 

 created forces the growth of the unpro- 

 tected plants as well as those in the 

 frames. We take an example case: strong- 

 plants of the cauliflower are placed in hot 

 beds under frames in December, and out- 

 side in groups in March, cloches being 

 provided for their protection. On the soil 

 around each group are turnips, carrots, 

 lettuce, radishes, and other hardy plants, 

 all pulled while small and tender, and sell- 

 ing at good prices. The secret of success 

 which we noticed in Continental cities, 

 as long ago as twenty years, is in the 

 fact that these very young and tender 

 crops are incomparably superior to the 

 coarser produce of the later months, and 

 coming in so early realise a much higher 



