SECT. XIII. OF HOT BEDS. • . ITo 



one toot and a half wide at bottom, and narrower at 

 top, Ihould be applied fitft to the back, and in about 

 B week after to the front, before the heat is greatly 

 gone off; and if very bad weather comes, there Ihould 

 be a lining of it-raw all round this. In cafes of great 

 decknfion of heat, the ends Ihould have hot dung applied 

 to them, or, at leaft, a good thick nefs of litter, or 

 ftraw* Lay all Ainings a few inches higher than the 

 bed, to allow forfinkirijg ; or, not being laid quite fo 

 high at firft, add more afterwards, when a little fettled, 

 Early made beds may require two or three repeated 

 linings. Should dung of a brifk heat for a new linin'g 

 be wanting, the old lining may be worked up with 

 what there is, and if fhook up with quite frefh (but 

 foul) dung from the liable, do very well. 



To decreafe the heat of a bed, feveral holes may be 

 made in it, by thrulting an iron bar, or a thick fmocth 

 iharp pointed flake, up to the middle, which hotes are- 

 to be clofe ftopt again, with dung or hay, when the 

 heat is fufficiently abated. 



The ufes to which hot beds may be applied are va- 

 rious, but chiefly for the cultivation of cucumbers and 

 melons, for which fee the next fecliom At the fpring 

 of the year, hot beds are commonly made ufe of for 

 forcing crops of feveral vegetables, as radijhes, carrots, 

 cauliflowers, lettuces, potatoes, tumeps, kidney beans, 

 pur/lane, tarragon, /mall /allading, &c. Fruits of 

 ieveral forts, as cherries, ftrawberries , ra/pberrus^ 

 &c. arc fometimes brought forward by dung heat ; as 

 alfo various jhrubs and floivers, by means of forcing- 

 frames* Tender annuals, as bal/ams, and other flow- 

 ers, that neceffarily require heat to bring them up ; and 

 the lefs tender, and fome even of the hardy forts,- are. 

 alfo cultivated on hot-beds, or other affiitance from 

 dung, to produce an earlier blow than could other- 

 wife be had. Directions for which, will be given in 

 their proper places. See Sect. 18. 



I 4 As 



