TOO THE PRACTICAL GARDENER. l^^f^ff^ 



have ripened. Where there are a great many forcing-houses, 

 the crops of one or two, or more, may by this time be ga- 

 thered ; and as the hghts are better off* than on, they may be 

 })laccd on portable rafters against those hot walls, which 

 ire intended to be brought forward, and thus accelerate the 

 crops, in many cases, without the aid of tire-hcat ; or, if fire- 

 heat be added, the maturation of both fruit and wood will be 

 hastened. 



The middle or end of the montli will, in most cases, be 

 early enough to apply fire-heat, whether the trees be covered 

 with the gliisses or not ; that, however, must depend greatly 

 on the season, for sometimes we have cold and wet weather 

 in August, and in that case, the fires may be sooner used. At 

 all events, whenever fire-heat is applied, it should be only in 

 moderation ; for nothing can be more injurious to the trees 

 than to be placed close against a burning heat on the one hand, 

 whilst the other, as has been observed in April, is exposed to 

 all the vicissitudes of the weather. The fires should be 

 made moderate at first, increasing them by degiees as the 

 cold weather advances. They should be lighted in the after- 

 noon about four or five, and made up for the night by eight. 

 The cavities, if the walls be built hollow, or if only with 

 common flues, will be sufficiently charged with heated air, 

 which will be given out through the bricks gradually during 

 the night. The surface of the walls next the trees, should 

 seldom feel above niilk-wann at their hottest time. It should 

 • be particularly observed, not to increase the fuel or heat on 

 cold nights, as is the case in the forcing-houses, otherwise 

 both fruit and shoots may be damaged. A mild and steady 

 heat is all that is required, and more than that would be 

 productive of greater mischief than if the trees had taken 

 their chance of the weather. If the fires be thus gradually 

 continued till October, the fruit and wood will be sufficiently 

 ripened. Some trellis the walls, as a preventive for not in- 

 juring the trees ; no such precaution, however, is necessary, 

 where due regard has been paid to the temperature of the 

 walls, and it only serves as a plea for the more dangerous 

 practice of heating the walls to an unnecessary degree ; in- 

 dependently of which, the trees trained to such trellises are 



