Jan.] 



THE FORCING GARDEN. 



64S 



the drought fi'om checking their growth during summer. If 

 well attended to in this respect, they will be in pretty good 

 state for slight forcing the first season after planting, and will 

 be completely so the second, and will continue so for several 

 years. The tops of the w^alls should be secured by having a 

 wooden plate, by way of coping, both to resist the wet and 

 render the bricks less liable to be displaced. The spaces left 

 empty are intended to be filled with dung, or leaves, or any 

 other fermentable matter, the heat from which will penetrate 

 through the open brick-work in the walls sufficiently to warm 

 the roots in the beds ; but as that heat would not, in the mid- 

 dle of winter, be powerful enough to accelerate vegetation 

 sufficiently fast, a provision is made which will prevent the 

 escape of the heat of the linings, and at the same time blanch 

 the crop and keep the wdiole dry, by having covers con- 

 structed of wood, which should rest upon every fourth wall, 

 so as to include two beds of plants, and one lining only, which 

 lining should be made of well-fermented dung or leaves, so as 

 to produce as little steam as possible ; but, in order to guard 

 more effectually against any accident of that kind, the lining 

 so enclosed should be covered with rotten tan, or dry light 

 mould, sufficiently to keep down the steam, if too powerful ; 

 and in the top of the wooden cover should be two, three, or 

 more small ventilators, according to the length of the beds, 

 four inches square, which can be opened and shut at pleasure, 

 both for the escape of any superfluous steam, as well as for 

 the examination of the progress of the crop and state of the 

 beds. Steam, if not too powerful, will not injure the crop, 

 and we have never had one instance of any accident arising 

 from that cause. Every alternate lining will be on the outside 

 of the wooden frame or roof, and can be turned over, watered, 

 or more fresh dung or leaves added, according to circum- 

 stances, and may be made up to any height required. When 

 the crop is fit to gather, remove one of the boards on the side 

 of the frame, which for this purpose is left moveable, being 

 hinged to the other parts of the frame ; when one bed is cut, 

 proceed in the same manner to the opposite side, and remove 

 the moveable board there. We have sometimes covered the 

 beds nine inches or a foot over with rotten tan, and some- 



