140 THE FRUIT-GARDEN. [Feb- 
Forcing early Fruit in Forcing -houses. 
The beginning of this month, if not done before, you may pro- 
ceed to forcing fruit-tress in hot-walls, peach-houses, cherry-houses, 
&c. by aid of fire or other artificial heat; the proper sorts are 
peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, figs, vines, plums, &c. hav- 
ing young trees for this purpose that are arrived to a bearing state, 
and planted a year or two before in the borders, &c. of the forcing 
departments; or you may have some also in large pots or tubs, to 
remove therein at forcing time occasionally. The trees may be 
both as wall-trees and espaliers, training the branches to a trellis 
erected for that purpose, and some may be in dwarf standards; you 
may also have some cherries, both in small-headed standards, 
half standards and dwarfs; and vines trained up under the sloping 
glasses. — See Hot-house, December, 
Let moderate fires be made every afternoon and evening; and if 
there is a pit within the forcing-house, in which to have a bark or 
dung hot-bed, you may make the bed a week or ten days before 
you begin the fires; and if a bark bed is intended, fill the pit with 
new tanner's bark; or if a dung hot-bed, make it with fresh hot 
horse-dung; and when it has settled down six or eight inches, lay 
that depth of tanner's bark at top. These beds will support a con- 
sant moderate warmth in which you may plant pots of dwarf cher- 
ries and of scarlet and Alpine strawberries; which will have fruit 
very early, and in great perfection. Continue making fires every 
evening, and support them till ten or eleven o'clock, to warm the air 
of the house till morning, when the fire may be renewed moderately, 
but not constantly the whole day, except in very severe weather, 
especially if there is the assistance of a bark hot-bed; unless it is 
required to forward the trees as much as possible. However, where 
there is no internal hot-bed, you must continue a constant, regular 
moderate, fire heat. 
With this management the trees will soon begin to advace in 
blossom-buds, &c. when you must be careful to continue a regular 
moderate heat in the house. 
Admit fresh air to the trees every mild day when sunny, espe- 
cially after they begin to bud and shoot, either by sliding down 
some of the upper sloping glasses two or three inches, or drawing 
some of the uprights in front a little way open, shutting all close 
towards the afternoon, or as soon as the weather changes cold; 
giving air more fully as the warm season increases, and as the trees 
advance in blossom and shooting. 
Give also occasional waterings both to the borders and over the 
branches of the trees before they blossom; but when in flower and 
until the fruit is all fairly well set, desist from watering over the 
branches, lest it destroy the fecundating fiollen of the anthera destin- 
ed for the impregnation of the fruit. 
The fires may be continued till towards May, being careful never 
to make them stronger than to raise the internal heat to about 60° 
of Fahrenheit's thermometer, in peach and cherry-houses, and 70° 
in vine-houses; for in vineries, having only principally vines in 
