428 



JOUiaUIi OF HOBTICULTDBB AND COTTAGE GARDJBNEB. 



( June H, iSBt. 



sink enongh to afiord sufficient space for the plants. When 

 less than the lull depth of the pit is filled with dung, the plants 

 shotild be brought as near the glass as will allow of their 

 growth, bnt not near enough to touch it. The treatment as 

 regards soil, earthing the bed, planting, and subsequently, 

 does not differ from that required by plants grown in frames. 



In some cases pits heated by fermenting materials are em- 

 ployed for the production of Cucumbers at an early season, in 

 which case the pit should not be less than 4 feet C inches high 

 in front, and 6 feet high at back, calculating from the foun- 

 dation, and at least half that depth should be below the ground 

 level, provided water does not stand in the ground at that 

 depth. If it do, the sunk part will be nearly full of water during 

 heavy rain.q, and water lodging at all will cause the heat of the 

 bed to decline, while if it rise high, and remain so, the heat 

 will cease altogether. 



_ There are various kinds of pits heated by fermenting mate- 

 rials iu use, some having arched cavities across the bed, built 

 pigeon-hole fashion, the distance from the bottom of the pit 

 to the centre of the arch being 3 feet. They are of the same 

 width as each light, and both ends being open the hot dung 

 can be placed under the arch to heat the bed, and replaced by 

 fresh as its heat declines. In addition there is, back and front, 

 a space outside of 2 feet G inches in width, which is also avail- 

 able for linings, and by renewing them and the dung under the 

 arches, the proper heat may be maintained with tolerable 

 exactitude. The space inside from the arches to the glass may 

 be filled with hot dung, and when the heat rises the dung will 

 sink and afford room for the soil, which should bo placed under 

 the centre of each light in hillocks as described for frames (see 

 pages 455 and 49G of vol. xv., and pages 5 and C3 of vol. xvi.). 



Another and more simple form of pit is that in which the 

 walls are built pigeon-hole fashion. They need not be more 

 than 4.1 inches thick, and it is desirable to sink them 2i feet 

 below the surface. For two or three courses from the bottom 

 they should be built solid, then lay the bricks as stretchers, leav- 

 ing open, however, the space of a brick between every two 

 bricks, and in that way carry the work up IS inches above the 

 ground-level for the back wall, and 'J inches above it for the 

 front. Above this the wall at back should be carried up solid 

 2 feet, and 1 foot in front. At the back and front of the pit 

 there must be a cavity for the hot dung used as linings, and it 

 onght not to be less than 2 feet, and there is no necessity for 

 its exceeding 2 feet G inches in width, but it should be 3 inches 

 less in width at bottom than at top. The side next the soil 

 should be built of 4-inch brickwork sloping upwards, carried 

 about 9 inches above the ground-line, and either coped with 

 stone, or brick on edge set in cement. In the coping there 

 should be inlets at 3 feet G inches apart to receive the ends of 

 spars (2Jby3inches) to stretch across the cavity, their other ends 

 resting on a piece of wood or ledge secured to the wall of the 

 pit with bolts. It should be fixed about 1 foot higher tnau the 

 upper course of pigeon holes. Shutters of wood should be 

 used to throw the wet off the linings, and will, of course, be 

 supported by the spars, both these and the shutters being so 

 contrived that they can be easily removed when the linings 

 require renewing. 



These pits require to have the interior filled iu the first in- 

 stance quite up to the top of the rafters with the hot dung, 

 beating and making it firm as the work proceeds, and drawing 

 on the Kghts. When the heat has risen, level the surface, 

 adding more dung if necessary, and when the bed is of the 

 proper heat soil may be put under the centre of each light. 

 The treatment in other respects is the same as described for 

 frames. To maintain Iha heat the front cavity should be filled 

 with hot well-fermented dung, and when that fails to afford 

 the proper temperature, or is beginning to decline in heat, 

 follow with the cavity at the back, always keeping the linings, 

 back and front, high enough to cover the pigeon holes; iu fact, 

 the dung should be raieed about 1 foot higher, and as the dung 

 sinks add fresh, so as to keep the pigeon holes covered. When 

 the beat of the back lining begins to decline, the front lining 

 should be taken out i£ it be spent, and replaced with fresh hot 

 dung; or by turning it over, moistening it, and adding some 

 fresh hot dung, well mixing the latter with the old, it may when 

 thus renewed give off a good heat. The back lining will need 

 to be renewed or replaced as the heat in the front lining de- 

 clines. In this way the heat of the bed may be kept up, always 

 securing the proper temperature in the pit by attending to the 

 linings in time, and before the heat becomes too low, as if the 

 temperature fill too low by the time the linings are renewed, it 

 may, before the renewal has an effect, be so reduced as to be in- 



jurious to the plants. It is well, therefore, to line but one side 

 of the pit at a time, and to renew the other before the tempe- 

 rature falls too low. — G. AuBEi. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 



Mb. Bobest Beoeije, who was gardener at Castle Martyr, in 

 the county of Cork, nntil the establishment was reduced on 

 the death of the late Earl of Shannon, sueeeeds Mr. Barries as 

 gardener at Bigion. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Advantaoe should be taken of the present showery weather 

 to plant a good breadth of Brussei^ Sprmtts, early Broccoli, and 

 Winter Greem. If the ground for the above has been properly 

 prepared, a considerable quantity can be put out in a short 

 time. It the plants have been kept thin, the early-aown ones 

 will now be sturdy. Plant with a trowel in a shallow trench 

 or deep drill ; though this is a little more troublesome than the 

 ordinary method of planting with the dibble and setting-stick, 

 the additional labour is amply re[iaid by the more rapid growth 

 of the crops. Broccoli, a last sowing of the Walcberen may 

 now be made, also one of the late Caulifloiuer ; this crop will 

 continue the supply up to Christmas. Carrots, Onions, Parsley, 

 and most other summer crops, should now be finally thinned. 

 Endive, sow for succession. Lettuce and other salad plants 

 should, as previously directed, he sown at short intervals on 

 the spot where they are to remain. The time between each 

 Bowing may be reduced for the next two or three times, as 

 during the hot weather of .July and August these crops, parti- 

 cularly on dry soil, continue but a short time in perfection. 

 Peas, a sowing or two should be made of the tnll late sorts, such 

 as Veitoh's Peifeoticn, Na Plus Ultra, and Victoria, ticarlet 

 Hunnrm, sow for a mhiu crop, also a good breadth of Dwarf 

 Kidney Beans. 'I'umatues must be regularly attended to, keep- 

 ing the shoots thin, and stopping them above a cluster of fruit. 



TBUIT GARDEN. 



Remember the previous directions with regard to the thin- 

 ning and stopping the young shoots of all trained fruit trees. 

 Young Peach and Apricot trees when making too vigorous 

 leaders should have the points of the branches shortened, to 

 encourage the production of other shoots less vigorous and of 

 a fruitful character ; this will dispense with the necessity of 

 shortening them ba<!k at the winter pruning. Strawberries 

 will require attention. Layer the runners intended for pot 

 culture early, as well as those required for making new planta- 

 tions. All spare runners may be cut away, and the plants kept 

 free from weeds. Thin and stop shoots of Fig trees as soon as 

 they have made a growth of about 6 inches, and remove all 

 useless laterals from out-door Vires. 



TLOWKR GARDEN. 



The most pressing work just now is keeping the place in 

 order. A little pains taken with the walks at this season will 

 be amply repaid by the appearance of comfort and the pleasure 

 which well-kept walks give to any place. The edgings, whether 

 of grass. Box, or other evergreen, should be repaired or clipped. 

 This may appear to some an unseasonable time for such work ; 

 but when it can be done the effect produced fully compensates 

 for the trouble, and iu flower gardens effect is everything. 

 This is the best time of all to clip evergreen hedges and edgings, 

 as they have time to make and perfect a new growth, while the 

 season is far enough advanced to prevent their growing very 

 much out of shape. Watch the different annuals as they come 

 into flower, and mark those whose superior habit of growth, 

 size of flower, or brilliancy of colour make their seed desirable ; 

 and that these good qualities may be perpetuated in their 

 progeny, destroy inferior ones as soon as they expand their 

 first flowers. Trimming, staking, and pegging-down must be 

 well followed up at this period, when neatness and order are 

 essential. See that strong-enough stakes are applied to plants 

 with heavy foliage. Keep Koses as free as possiMa from insects, 

 and, if time can ba spared, dead blooms shou'd be removed. 

 It cannot be too often repeated that to winter stock safely with 

 ordinary care, the cuttings should be planted siafiiciently early 

 in the autumn, so as to have them well ebtablithed and fit to 

 be exposed to the open air by the middle of September. Begin, 

 therefore, in good time, and with such as are found to be the 

 most tedious to propagate. HuUj hocks should be frequently 

 examined with the view of taking any cuttings which they may 



