80 THE FORCING GARDEN, 
not be used till the fruit is half grown if a good bottom 
heat exists. 
The next best way of cultivating Melons to that of 
growing them in a good house, as described and illus- 
trated by the plan for Cucumbers, is a pit and tank. 
There is no doubt but that the tank system is the best 
and most economical upon the whole, as well as the 
most effective. Tanks are rather expensive things to 
construct in the first instance, but are less so in regard 
to the subsequent attendance and labour. Almost 
everyone knows most of this, I am aware; but not 
everyone can tell the cost of constructing such an 
apparatus, and may imagine it would be even more 
expensive than it really is to build such a tank. 
THE TANK FOR CUCUMBERS AND MELONS. 
The outside brickwork of this pit need not be more 
than half a brick thick, which of course must be carried 
down to the bottom of the tank Er. The tank must have 
a separate brick of four-and-a-half-inch work next to the 
walls of the pit, which must be laid in cement, and the 
division C must also be laid in cement. The bottom 
of it, which should be double work, 2.e. two bricks laid 
on one another, making six-inch work, should also be 
laid in cement. The tank must be plastered half an 
inch thick all over with good Roman cement up to the 
water line B B, about six inches. The floor D D may be 
of slate slabs, or stone, or large floor tiles. These can 
be had of any size by order, I have no doubt ; the 
size need not be extra large. 
If the tank is, say, six feet out and out, deduct 
eighteen inches from that for brickwork, which gives 
four feet six for the tank itself, and leaves five fect three 
