Fvb.] THE FORCING GARDEN. 657 



75° OT 78°. Whether the houses be ventilated by proper ven~ 

 tilators in the walls, or by the opening of part of the lights, 

 it will, in frosty days, be advisable to hang a thin mat opposite 

 the aperture, to temperate the current of air. When the house 

 is closed for the night, let plenty of water be spilt upon the floors 

 and flues to produce a plentiful steam ; this should be attended 

 to regularly every night ; and, in fine clear weather, a little fire 

 should be made in the morning early, to heat the flues just 

 sufiicient to produce a like effect. If the bed should get rather 

 warm, but not so as to render necessary a removal of the 

 plants, give plenty of water to the roots ; if this be attended 

 to, there is little to be apprehended from their being injured 

 by a rather brisk heat at this season. The heat of the bed 

 can always be ascertained by keeping watch-sticks thrust into 

 it fit or near the ends, and towards the middle, which an ex- 

 perienced person will ascertain by pulling out the sticks, and 

 feeling the heat of them by the hand ; but the most accurate 

 mode, of course, is to plunge the bulb of a thermometer into 

 the bed to the depth of the bottom of the pots, the heat then 

 will be thereby ascertained to a sufficient nicety, which should 

 now be not less than 80^ at the bottom of the pots, or if it be 

 90° no harm will ensue. 



FORCING PEACHES. 



The peach-house being put in order, as directed last month, 

 the trees pruned and tied, the flues cleaned, and the borders 

 forked up and watered with liquid manure, the lights should 

 now be finally shut up, and only opened to admit air as ne- 

 cessity may require. This should be admitted in large por- 

 tions while the buds are swelling, and until the blossom begins 

 to expand, no harm can come over them by a free admission of 

 this necessary agent, provided that the temperature be not 

 allowed to fall too low ; and if frost be excludcxl, the slower 

 that the sap is put into motion, the stronger will the buds 

 break, and the blossom will, consequently, be stronger: the 

 wood-buds will also push with greater regularity and strength. 

 The temperature should not be allowed to exceed 45^ for the 

 first part of the month, but be kept as near that point as pos- 

 sible by the admission of air. Towards the middle of the 



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