practised at Longleat. 1 73 



dam, where he gained the principal part of his knowledge in 

 gardening, and that of framing in particular. The only sort 

 he grew was the Hammersmith hardy, which, under his 

 treatment, far exceeded its usual size when grown in the open 

 ground. Other sorts were tried, but none found to equal 

 this ; which perhaps may be accounted for by its being less 

 succulent than most of the other sorts, and thereby better 

 calculated to resist the ill effects of damp, or steam, which 

 might occasionally take place, although the greatest possible 

 care was always taken to endeavour to prevent the latter. 

 His method was as follows : — 



In the early part of September the seeds were sown either 

 on a warm south border or in some sheltered situation. As 

 soon as the plants were sufficiently grown, they were pricked 

 out at 3 or 4 in. apart in a cold cucumber frame, where they 

 had the advantage of being covered with the lights, more or 

 less according to circumstances, particular care being taken 

 not to draw the plants by keeping them too warm. 



About the time of pricking out the plants, a sufficient quan- 

 tity of leaves, with one sixth part of long dung from the 

 stables, was well mixed, and thrown together in a heap to 

 ferment, and while in a state of fermentation a six-light bed 

 was made of about 3 ft. in height, and well beaten while 

 making, so as to make it as compact as possible, which pre- 

 vented the heat from rising to more than milk-warm. The 

 compost used was a mixture of old melon and cucumber 

 mould, one half of each. This was introduced into the frame 

 to about 10 or 12 inches in depth, and beaten down during 

 the operation so as to make it tolerably compact. As soon as 

 the heat rose, which was always of the most gentle kind, the 

 surface was covered with tolerably dry sifted mould, about an 

 inch thick, and smoothed down as level as possible. This 

 being done, a rod or straight-edged piece of wood was used 

 so as by pressure to make lines on both the long and cross 

 way of the bed, so contrived as to intersect each other exactly 

 under the middle of each pane of glass. Great care was then 

 taken in making the best selection of strong healthy plants 

 from the nursery bed, and also in taking them up with good 

 balls ; and after carefully displacing any decayed leaves that 

 might be found at the bottom of the plants, they were planted 

 at the intersections of the lines in the bed prepared for them ; 

 thus presenting, when the lights were on, a plant under each 

 pane of glass. This operation took place in the first week 

 of November. Another bed of nine lights long was in the 

 mean time preparing to be planted out, in the last week of 

 November. It was an every- day practice, for several weeks 



