71 



humidity in the fruiting house, giving also more liberal 

 supplies of water and liquid manure. The perforated 

 water pipes are to be taken advantage of pretty freely 

 on bright days, and all the arrangements assume a 

 forcing appearenee. At Bicton, the night maximum 

 rarely reaches 68 degs. in this month, but ranges 

 about 65 degs., a degree or two under or over, accord- 

 ing to the light received by day ; if two or three bright 

 fervid days succeed each other, Mr. Barnes occa- 

 sionally advances by night the heat to 68 degs. or 

 thereabouts. 



In the Succession Pit, too, they attempt to advance 

 a little by turning the linings lower, maintaining, if 

 possible, by night a heat of about 60 or 62 degrees, 

 admitting at the time air, and a light covering with a 

 single mat, which is left off altogether by the middle or 

 last week in the month, and the linings continued 

 well topped up with the previous year's dried short 

 grass and kindly worked leaves, &c. 



April. — In the fruiting structure the degree of 

 heat is still advanced a little. About the end of the 

 month its usual night temperature standard is 68 degs., 

 if there occurs a succession of light days, but if dark 

 and stormy, ranging a degree or two less. Humidity 

 and liquid manure, too, are now applied pretty liberally 

 over the whole surface of the fruiting structure, plung- 

 ing materials, as well as to the base of the trunk and 

 roots of the plants ; always, of course, in a diluted, clari- 



