392 Dutch Maimer of Forcing, 



or apricot trees, and to reflect back the heat of the dung- 

 where it is too violent ; but they are not used at all for the 

 vines or raspberries, as the steam of dung, at least such as 

 arises through a stratum of tan or leaves {fig. 139. k), does 

 these plants no injury. The paper used is what is called 

 fine cartridge, but unsized printer's demy will do. The pre- 

 sent price of printer's demy is \l. 7s. per ream, and a ream 

 consists of 4-80 sheets, each 1ft. 10 in. by 1ft. 5 in. ; so that 

 the panes of the frame should be made of the latter dimen- 

 sion. They are oiled with common linseed oil boiled, being 

 previously pasted on with a paste made of starch boiled up 

 with a little glue. 



Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots. — The earliest crops of 

 these at Hylands are obtained from pits, in which the trees 

 are placed at different periods, from the last week in Novem- 

 ber, to the first week in January ; the second crops are ob- 

 tained from small houses of the kind described by^Mr. 

 Lindegaard {Fmcyc. of Gard., §2666), and to be afterwards 

 noticed ; the third successional crops are obtained from 

 larger houses, built by Mr. Atkinson in his usual manner. 

 The pits have already been very well described by Mr. 

 Lindegaard {Encyc. of Gard., §2665), and it is rather sur- 

 prising that they have come so little into use in England. No 

 gardener, we are persuaded, can visit Hylands without being 

 convinced of their very superior excellence for early forcing. 



In commencing the preparations for forcing peaches in 

 pits, a division is made choice of which has an unoccupied 

 division on each side of it, in order that when first the one 

 of these unoccupied divisions, and then the other of them 

 shall be occupied, they may act as linings to the middle one. 

 Two loads of littery dung, as it comes from the stables, with 

 a proportion of tree leaves fresh gathered, is found sufficient 

 for one division ; it is thrown in, levelled, and covered with a 

 foot of tan {fig. 139. k), the paper frames [i) after a few days are 

 laid on, caulked tightly, and over them is placed the trellis. A 

 tree of a sufficient size to fill the division is then taken from the 

 garden, wall ; and laid down on the trellis with its roots 

 through the stem hole. {fig. 140. a) If the stem of the tree 

 and roots are flexible, it is laid down on the trellis as it grew 

 against the wall : but if the stem and roots are old and rigid, 

 the tree is turned on its face, and the side which was next 

 the wall, presented to the light ; this indeed is the general 

 practice. The shoots being tied to the trellis, and the roots 

 covered with vegetable mould, mixed with a little loam, the 

 movable rafter is put in its place, and the sashes put on, and 



