Makch 2i. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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sides of their vases, baskets, aud beds, and others woidd 
like to try their band at grafting some of the things 
already referred to, I shall, for the convenience of such 
heginners, just glance at a few of the essentials to 
success. 
1 st. Material. — The dung from a horse, aud the 
straw more or less saturated with urine, possess more 
heating power than that from animals whose fceces are 
of a cooler nature. Every sort of fresh manure, every 
kind of rubbish—clearings of flower-beds, tufts of dry 
grass, rakings of moss—anything that will heat when 
thrown into a heap, may be managed to suit your pur¬ 
pose. Tree leaves, especially of the oak, are very 
valuable, because they decay so slowly, and thus yield 
a genial heat for such a long time. I have often had 
valuable beds from leaves alone, the half of them being 
oak, the others beech, and all kinds. If at all moist 
when collected they will merely require to be built into 
a bed of the desired size, allowing a foot or eighteen 
inches for sinking, after all your beating aud treading. 
If collected dry, and stored, they will need watering as 
you use them. Partially decayed leaves of the previous 
year will make a good surface-covering. In general, 
however, it would be preferable to have one part of 
sweet dung to two of leaves; and in that case, to avoid 
trouble and waste, tbe preparation of the dung should 
be nearly finished before the leaves are blended with it. j 
;2udly. Preparing the Dung. —This is done by shaking 
the straw and droppings into a heap, watering the 
latter if dry—allowing it to remain until it has heated 
strongly, then turning it several times, and watering 
any dry and white parched pieces, until tbe whole lias 
become darkish in colour, aud though very hot, emits 
a mild odour, instead of the pungeut smell of rank 
ammonia that too well reminds you of tlie fumes of harts¬ 
horn. Before the last turning the leaves should be 
blended, as tbus they will receive an accession of heat 
without an undue decay, while the material will be uni¬ 
form througbout. This is the advice I would give to 
beginners. By-and-by you may do with less pi’eparation. 
Being short of fermenting material of all kinds, I waste 
it hut little in previous preparation, but I always cover 
with a fair thickness of old material of the previous year. 
Until you gather e.xperience you had better err on tbe safe 
side of thorough preparation, keeping in mind, however, 
that the more sweet, and, therefore, the more reduced 
your heating material, the more close will it become; 
and, consequently, the shorter will be the continuance 
of the heat, as the air will find more difficulty in 
entering, and when it does enter, find but little to feed 
upon or consume. Air, or perhaps, more properly 
speaking, its oxygen, is not only the great preserver, 
but it is likewise the great destroyer. Heat, from such 
substances as I have before alluded to, can only take 
place during a fermenting decomposing process, and 
that process can only progress when associated with 
warmth, moisture, and air. This theory kept in mind 
simplifies all hotbed practice. Hence, one man who | 
sees his way clearly will do as much in the way of ' 
securing heat with a small quantity of manure as a ; 
man acting from mere routine will do with double. | 
Hence, the ease with which the heat of a bed is renewed j 
when not greatly decomposed, merely by turning it : 
when moist enough, and, in addition, adding a little 
water if dry. Hence, too, when the heat declines, and 
we know that tbe bed is not too decomposed to yield 
moi'e, the ease with which we renew the heat when we 
cannot turn the material, owing to a fixed crop on its 
surface, by merely boring boles round its sides, and 
pouring in a little warm water, if wo have reason to 
believe the material to bo dry. By the opening, and 
partially and wholly shutting of such holes, an earnest 
man will regulate heat somewhat at his will; but onhj 
so long as there is plenty of matter to be further reduced 
! or decomposed; for when that takes place,no means for 
I increased heat can be given, unless by tbe addition of 
‘ fresh matter as linings. I am the more particular here, 
because 1 know many are deterred from trying by 
seeing the huge mounds of dung with frames on tliom, 
aud surrounded with large banks of linings, in places 
where manure and litter are plentiful. I believe that 
every man likely to be benefited by the racy articles on 
“ A Gardener’s Pony”—in fact, every one who has such 
an animal—may enjoy many luxuries to which he is now 
a stranger. All that will be necessary will be a rigid 
economising of his manure, not as now, throwing it into 
a heap to steam aud rot at will, but for some time, at 
. least, previously to preparing to make his bed, keeping 
I it rather thinly spread, so that it will not heat much, 
I and, if possible, protect it from wind and heavy rains; 
and then, when thrown into a heap, as advised, it will 
ferment and sweeten in a uniform mass. 
3rdly. Making the Bed. —Whether in a pit, or for a 
wooden box and lights to be set over it, the mode of 
])roceediug should be similar. We speak now only of 
the box and light. The first thing is to form a foundation. 
Unless you are sure against water standing at the bottom 
of your bed, do not sink it, but rather raise it above 
I the level of the soil, either by faggots, oi', better still, 
I by a platform of solid earth, so that the ground falls 
j from it in every direction. This space should be 
eighteen inches longer and wider than your frame. If 
you have jilenty of material, twenty-four or thirty inches 
will be better, as a foot or fifteen inches of dung all round 
beyond the frame will yield a much more permanent 
heat than merely a couple of inches or so. Then, as to 
the height of the bed, two feet-and-a half at back, and 
two feet in front will be extremely useful now. If earlier, 
you would require a foot, at least, for every earlier montb. 
TTie mode of making will already be looming before the 
mind’s eye, if what has been said of continued fermenta¬ 
tion, as necessary to continued heat, be kept in view. 
No boys or men should, therefore, be allowed to parade, 
jump, and dance on such a bed. The outside of the heap 
should be placed at the bottom of the bed, as being less 
prepared, even though the precaution has been taken in 
turning of throwing the outsides into tbe centre. The 
sides of the bed sbould then be attended to, building them 
straight and firm. 'J’he dung must be well shaken and 
mixed over the whole bed, beating it pretty firmly down 
every few-inches' layer with the fork, while you walk round 
it, not upon it. If your material is a mixture of dung 
and leaves, as spoken of above, no other precaution will 
be necessary, as beat as you will, a great body of air will 
bo enclosed. But if there is nothing but sweet dung, 
as many who have a horse, or can procure manure, can¬ 
not get leaves, then, from a fourth to a third of a bed of 
this size may consist of bundles of pruuings, faggots, 
&c.; and this will not only moderate the fire of the first 
heat but render it more continuous. A layer of dung 
must, however, cover the ends of these bundles, or tbe 
air admitted would be too much. When thus made, set 
on the frame and liglits—the latter close, to draw the 
heat up ; and as soon as that rises, giving a little air to 
let oft’ the steam. 
4thly. When will it be Jit to use I —Just in proportion 
to the previous sweetness of your dung, and the hardi¬ 
ness of the tenants. A Bine-ajiple sucker would rejoice 
in an atmosphere which would kill an Orange, or a 
Ca])o Jasmine. The nose will give a good notion us 
to when the atmosphere is free from hurtful gases ; i 
but what I think is the best criterion for all practical 
purposes, is noticing the drops of condensed moisture ! 
on the inside of the sash-bars in a morning. If these i 
are of a yellowish, dirty tint, trust your frame with 
nothing; if as clear as the dew, everything will be safe. 
Even then it will bo safest to leave a little air at tbe 
back at all times, tbougb it was only an eighth or the 
