18 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



of each sash, run a strip of deal an 

 inch wide, and then cover them loosely 

 on the under side with fine calico, or 

 tiffany, merel}' tacking the calico 

 along the edge to keep it temporarily 

 in its place. Then, to convert the 

 calico into glass, make the following 

 preparation : pale linseed oil a pint 

 and a half ; sugar of lead, half an 

 ounce ; white resin, two ounces ; 

 grind the sugar of lead with a little 

 of the oil into a smooth paste, then add 

 the remainder of the oil and the resin, 

 and melt the whole in an iron pot over 

 the fire, stirring it the while to incor- 

 porate the ingredients thoroughly. 

 Apply while hot to the calico with a 

 large brush, and leave it till the 

 following day, and then tack the calico 

 tightly, still, on the under side of the 

 frames, and they are ready for use. A 

 second coat of the preparation may be 

 given the day after the first, but it is 

 not essential. 



To finish the pit off inside, a little 

 extra dressing may be given. Set 

 slates upon end between the piles, or 

 nail some laths across, from pile to pile, 

 on the inside, and fill up between the 

 slates or laths, and the turves, with 

 fine coal-ashes worked in hard with 

 a stick, this will give a neat finish to 

 the walls inside, and, besides improving 

 their appearance, will render them still 

 more impervious to frost, and help to 

 keep out slugs and worms. To com- 

 plete the pit for the reception of plants, 



make a bed of clean-sifted coal ashes 

 inside to plunge the pots in. In place 

 of entirely filling the pit with ashes, 

 one or two divisions might be appro- 

 priated to a bed of peat, and in 

 autumn an immense number of cuttings 

 of geraniums, verbenas, calceolarias, 

 &c, might be put in and left to 

 winter there without need of pots at 

 all, and in a severe winter the young 

 plants so rooted in a bed of poor soil 

 would be much safer against frost 

 than if in pots, even though plunged to 

 the rim, besides the saving of pots, 

 and the increased number of cuttings, 

 the pit would afford room for on such 

 a plan. During severe weather 

 thatched hurdles would be the best 

 covering, and over calico frames, with 

 the calico strained on the under side, 

 there would be no risk of tearing in 

 putting the hurdles on or off. 



Pits of this kind are not only valu- 

 able in winter for preservative purposes, 

 but in spring, when cleared out, they 

 would be useful for raising annuals 

 and early vegetable crops for planting 

 out. Two feet well-worked dung, 

 with six inches of mould on the top, 

 would make hot-beds of them at once, 

 and, during the whole year round; they 

 could be kept in active use, and, if well 

 made at first, would last a life time. 

 They would also serve for hardening 

 offyoung stock, preparatory to planting 

 out, and for striking cuttings of all kinds. 



G. T. 





PROFITABLE GARDENING. 



CHAPTER I. — PLANNING AND LAYING OUT. 



To begin at the beginning, how is the 

 kitchen garden to be planned ? It is 

 quite an easy matter to plan gardens 

 on paper, but such ideal plans are of 

 little use to readers, beyond conveying 

 an idea of just proportions, and essen- 

 tial conditions ; in most cases it is quite 

 impossible to adapt them to any special 



plot of ground, because every garden 

 has a shape and position peculiar to 

 itself, but we can do something by 

 showing what are the conditions to be 

 secured in every case; and here let us 

 first remark on the general scheme of 

 a kitchen and fruit garden, apart alto- 

 gether from any special application of it. 



