Jan.] THE FORCING GARDEN. Gl 1 



required to be removed into the forcing-house or pit. Sucii as 

 are the earliest and fullest in flower, should be removed in 

 November into a slight hot-bed prepared for them, and if they 

 remain here till their fruit be set, they may be removed into 

 the pine-stove or succession-house, and placed upon shelves 

 erected as near to the glass as possible. These shelves are 

 generally suspended by wires, or slight brackets of iron, fixed 

 into the under side of the rafters of the house, directly above 

 the footpath, or such parts of the house, as the water spilt in 

 watering the strawberries will not fall to injure the pines. 

 Each pot is placed in a pan, both to prevent an unnecessary 

 loss of water, as well as to keep the roots moist and cool ; 

 strawberries, by this means, may be had during the winter 

 months with tolerably good success. 



But for a more general crop of this esteemed fruit, the be- 

 ginning of January ; the beginning and middle of February ; 

 the beginning, middle, and end of March are much the best 

 seasons for beginning to force. At these seasons, the plants 

 in pots still remaining in the open borders, covered with litter, 

 rotten tan, or any preferable substitute, and such Alpines as 

 still remain in the cold frames, particularly such of them as 

 have not come into bloom, or such as have had their flowers 

 cut out of them, should now be brought in, in regular rota- 

 tion. The number of pots introduced at once being in pro- 

 portion to the stock potted, or the demand for the fruit. 



The pots should be well cleaned, and all dead or decayed 

 leaves removed ; the surface-mould in the pot5 carefully stirred 

 up, and a part removed, the pots should then be filled up with 

 rich yellow fresh loam, well manured with rotten dung. Place 

 each pot in a pan, and give them a little water, if at all dry ; 

 and once or twice during their period of forcing, give them 

 a watering with the drainings of the dunghill, or water in 

 which sheep or cows' dung has been steeped. For the general 

 crops of strawberries to be forced, if there be the convenience 

 of frames and dung, they will be much improved by being 

 kept in them till the fruit be set ; but if there be the conve- 

 nience of a cherry-house, or peach-house, beginnhig to be 

 forced, a few weeks in either of them will be a good situation 

 for them. Indeed, the temperature of the cherry-house is the 



