young gardener takes the trouble to keep an account of his transactions, he will soon make discoveries of still greater importance. If not sufficiently acquainted with the different varieties of Cabbage plants, for instance, so as to distinguish the one from the other, by making a memorandum at the time of sowing the seed he will soon get acquainted with the different varieties of plants; he will also discover the difference in the growing of his seed, and know who to blame if any particular kind should not come up.

The following represents a Hot-bed with four sashes, sown March 1:

It may be necessary to remind my readers of the neces sity of being always prepared to sow Cabbage, Lettuce, Tomato, and Egg-plant seed in hot-beds the last week in February, or early in March; for this purpose, let some fresh stable dung and rich compost be engaged beforehand. Some gardeners make their beds on the level ground, but it is always safest to make them in pits from eighteen inches to two feet deep;* in order to do this, the pits should be dug

* When durable heat is required for forcing vegetables, the beds should be made on level ground, in order that linings may be applied to the outside of the frame, which, by frequent renewal, will enliven the heat of the bed, and thus bring tender vegetables to maturity, which would otherwise suffer from a decline of the heat. For particular directions, see Observations on Forcing Vegetables; also, article on Forcing Asparagus.

in autumn, or a heap of dung may be deposited on the ground intended for the beds before the frost sets in, and good earth may be obtained from the pits without any difficulty.

The frames should be made of good sound planks; the back plank may be two feet wide, and the end ones may be so sloped as to make a fifteen-inch plank do for the front. A frame calculated for four sashes, of three feet in width by six in length, as above described, should be nearly thirteen feet long, and about six broad at the top.

The frame being set over the pit, and properly fastened, the fresh dung should be spread regularly in the pit to the depth of twenty to twenty-four inches; if the dung be in a good heating condition, cover it six or eight inches deep with mould, then lay on the sashes, and protect the beds from the inclemency of the weather. In two or three days the rank steam will pass off; it will then be necessary to stir the mould before the seed be sown, to prevent the growth of young weeds that may be germinating; then sow the seed either in shallow drills or broad-cast, as equally as possible, reserving a small quantity of the warm mould to be sown lightly over the seed. The beds should afterward be attended to, as directed for Broccoli and Cauliflower. This description of a hot-bed is intended expressly for the raising of Spring Cabbage, Lettuce, Tomatoes, and such other plants as may be required for early planting. Beds made earlier in the season, or for forcing, will require a greater quantity of manure. [See Calendar for January, February, and March.]

OBSERVATIONS

ON

FORCING VEGETABLES.

BEFORE I commenced preparing this work for the press, I intended to have written largely on the subject of forcing fruits as well as vegetables; but when I considered my motto, and that I was writing for young gardeners, I concluded to occupy my pages in such a manner as to effect the greatest possible good at the smallest expense. Of the several branches of Horticulture, some are of greater importance than others; and as the products of the kitchen garden form important articles of food for the bulk of mankind, it should be our first care to treat largely on the subject of this most useful part of gardening. Next to this is the cultivation of fruits, and the production of ornamental plants and flowers, each of which will be noticed in their respective departments.

As I stand pledged to offer some remarks on forcing, or rather forwarding vegetables, by artificial means, I shall endeavour to confine my observations to such points as are of primary importance; and in order to convince my readers of the importance of this subject, I shall first endeavour to show the utility of an artificial climate suited to the various species of useful plants. In England, a regular succession of vegetables can be obtained from the natural ground every month in the year, and the fruits of that country, from the summer heat being moderate, are of longer continuance than with us, and yet the English make gardening a science, and employ the elements, as well as the ingenuity of man, in the production of fruits and vegetables out of the ordinary

season.

I shall not attempt to treat of the cultivation of Pineapples, Grapes, Cherries, or other fruits grown in forcinghouses; nor would it be advisable with us to undertake to raise Cucumbers, Melons, &c., in frames throughout the severe winters of our Northern States; but it must be acknowledged, that the extreme heat of our summers is as detrimental to the cultivation of some of the most valuable kinds of fruits and vegetables, as the coldness of our winters, and for these reasons, artificial aid is more necessary here in the winter and spring of the year than in England. The inhabitants of that country obtain a supply of the different varieties of Artichokes, Broad Beans, Borecole, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, Lettuce, Radishes, Rhubarb, Spinach, Turnips, and salads in general, a great part of the year from their kitchen gardens, whereas, if we were to attempt to supply our markets with culinary vegetables at all times, in any thing like the abundance that they have them there, we must, out of the ordinary season for gardening operations, turn our attention to the protecting and forwarding, as well as the forcing system. Before I proceed to show the method of forcing vegetables, it may be necessary for me to remind my readers, that in providing an artificial climate, they should consider the nature of the plants they intend to cultivate, and endeavour to supply them with that which is best calculated to nourish and support them. I have, in another part of this work, endeavoured to show, that heat, light, air, and moisture, are each essential to vegetation, and that these should be supplied in a judicious manner, according to circumstances.

In the midst of our Northern winter, which is the usual time for forcing in England, we are subject to north-west winds, which produce extreme freezing. Now, as we have not yet discovered how to make an artificial air, it will not be safe for the gardener to raise a bottom heat under any kind of vegetable, until such time as he can impart a tolerable share of salubrious air, as the heat without air will soon destroy the fruits of his labour.

Perhaps the safest time to commence forcing in frames, is soon after the middle of February, and the early part of March. I before hinted, that the depth of heating materials must be regulated by the season of the year at which the work is commenced, and also to the purposes for which the hot-beds are intended. Beds used for the purpose of raising half-hardy plants, or for procuring seedling plants late in the spring, may be made in the manner recommended for the common hot-bed; but if substantial heat is required to be kept up, the beds must be so contrived as to admit of linings as the heat decreases; and the dung should undergo a regular process of preparation, according to the use it is intended for. Compost heaps should also be provided, in order to furnish suitable mould to the different species of plants; for this purpose, all the old hot-bed dung and mould, leaves, tan, turf, sand, and other light manures and decayed animal dung, should be collected together.

In some cases, when a slight hot-bed is recommended for forwarding hardy plants, if it should happen that a seedling Cucumber bed be at liberty, it may answer every purpose for Radishes, Lettuce, or other hardy plants; or such a bed may be spawned for Mushroons, if required.

If the forcing be commenced before the coldest of the winter is past, great precaution must be used, lest the plants be injured by cold cutting winds, or destroyed by heat for want of air. To prevent the former accident, warm dung should be placed around the frames, and the sashes covered with mats and boards every night. If full air cannot be admitted in the day time, the sashes must be slidden down to let off the steam; at the same time mats may be laid over the aperture, to prevent cold air entering to the plants.

If the bottom heat in a bed be too violent, which is sometimes the case, means must be used to decrease it. This is generally effected by making holes in the bed with a stake sharpened at the end, or with a crow-bar; which holes should be filled up when the heat is sufficiently reduced. In lining