¢ be ‘Manner of making a Bark Hot-bed. - 
Procure from the Tanners a good Quantity of 
their Bark, after they have us’d it; and lay it up | 
in a Heap to drain a little: the next Day mix’ | 
“with it fome old Tan that has been us’d, and 
fome Saw -duft. 
The Quantity of each fhould be saaakl: but | 
“no exact Rule can be given for the Proportion } ; 
they fhould bear to the Tan; becaufe that is of | 
various Kinds. 
It will be proper for the Service of the prattical | ) 
Reader to diftinguifh the Bark, according to the | 
Size, into three Kinds , the large, the middling, | | |—~6©~Pit; and let the Surface be well levelled, and 
sand the fmall. 
Where there is choice of feveral Sorts, let the | 
middling be chofen; for it heats the. moft regu- 
larly, and continues its Warmth the moft cayelly 
and uniformly. | 
If the Bark be of this kind, about one-fixth 
Part of Sawdutt, and the fame of old ‘Tan, is | 
the beft Proportion. 
When the Bark 1s larger, ‘more Sawduft and 
~ old Tan muft be ufed, for otherwife it will not 
heat readily. If it be the mall Tan nothing need 
be added to it. 
The Difference in the Ufe in the three Kinds 
is this, the large grows warm flowly; but it 
keeps heat a long Time: the fmall heats quick- 
dy, but does not laft: the middling kind grows 
warm gradually, and retains its Heat regularly 
and equally a fufficient Time. 7 
A Bed of this made with the Proportion of | 
‘Sawdutt and old Tan we have mentioned, will 
retain its Heat four Months very well ; and after 
that, if it be ftir’d up with a little frefh Bark, it 
— hwill anfwer the Purpofe again for a very confider- 
able Time longer. 
This Length of Continuance of Heat in the 
Bark-beds is their great Advantage, for many of 
the tenderer Plants require it; and no Art can 
make a Dung Hot-bed anfwer the fame Pur- 
pote. 
If there be no old Tan in Readinefs, the Quan- 
tity of Sawduft muft be encreafed.in proportion ; 
and the Heap mutt lie two or three Days longer 
than ufual before it is ufed. 
The Gardener now underftands the Nature 
of the feveral kinds of Bark: it will be ufeful 
always to add fome Sawduft and old ‘Stuff to 
the Heap; and larger the Tan the more of 
- this muft be added ; the {maller it is the lefs will 
ferve. 
“When the Bark has been broken from the 
firlt Heap, and the old Stuff and Sawduft mix’d 
with it, the whole mutt be ‘raifed up in a Heap 
a gain ; ; and thus it mutt continue gradually heat- 
fh COMP ELEC ACT. <B OO: IY 
ing while the Gardener is preparing’ the Pit for Feb. 
| its Reception, _ | 
Mark out upon adry Part of the Ground a long 
{quare Piece twelve Foot in Length, and fix and. a 
half in Breadth. 
Dig out the Soil. to. the Depth of two Foot and 
tar half s; and loofen. it.at the Bottom when it is 
‘| at this Depth with a Pick-axe. 
Then. let the Sides be: brick’d up, and it will 
be ready for the Reception, of the Bark. 
We will fuppofe about five Days employ’d in 
this Work, and the Bark which has lain fo long: 
| in its laft Heap, will be juft in a Condition to ufe. 
Let it be thrown by a little at a Time into the 
the whole laid clofe, and beat down gently from 
time to time as it is laid in. 
This will prevent any Hollows which would 
cool the Mafs; and being thus taken in its firft 
Heat, and laid clofe, it’ vail ferment with a per- 
feé& Regularity. 
Let the Gardener take a oreat deal of Care in ~ 
the laying and beating it down, for upon that 
depends did eile Succes It muft not be beat 
hard, much lefs- be trod down, as fome direct ; 
for in that Cafe it will heat but very poorly. © 
The three-prong’d Spade we directed for dig- 
ing about Fruit ‘Trees, will be the beft Inftru- 
ment to ufe for the Purpofe; and all the beat- 
ing it fhould have, fhould be lightly with the 
Back of this every Time a frefh Parcel is laid 
{mooth.. 
The Ronndach of he Back of this Inftrument 
will prevent its falling too heavily ; and this’ will 
properly lay it too clofé for any great Cavities, 
and yet not fo compact as to ftop Fermentation. 
‘The Bark thus carefully laid, the Frame mutt 
be put on, and the Glafies fhut clofe. Thus, the 
Warmth being kept in, the Bark will eradual- 
ly heat, and in about twelve Days elie Bed 
will be fit to receive the Pots of Earth with the 
Seeds.. We fhall then dire&t in what manner 
they are to be manag’d; all that remains here 
to be mention’d, being the Shape of the Frame. 
It is a common Error to make this too deep. 
The Meafure I have found fucceed beft is a Foot. 
and a half Height at the Back, and eight Inches 
at the Front. | 
When it is deeper, the Space being larger, the 
Air is not well warm’d,; and this is as effential 
as the whole to the eferqurable Growth of the 
Plants. 
The Bed may 'be requir’d deeper for parti- 
cular Purpofes, and of thofe we have fpoken in 
their Place. This is the beft Meafure for the 
Bark-bed for Seeds. | 
The beft Thicknefs of Bark is about three Foot, 
but a few Inches more or lefs are not material. 
ee ee ee ee te - 
