226 BENCHES FOR CARNATIONS 



of surface watering as by sub-watered benches and at less 

 risk and expense. 



The plan adopted was to form long, shallow *' tanks " 

 upon which were placed lines or rows of porous bricks, 

 tiles, or coarse ashes, and the water was let into this shallow 

 tank through pipes in the side. Such water passed rapidly 

 through the ashes or brick or tile to the soil of the bed or 



-McCaslan's Sectional Concrete Bench in Sectional Slabs 



bench which lay immediately above. Half an inch of water 

 would be soaked up in five or six hours in a 33^ ft. bed. 

 One advantage arising from these sub-irrigated benches 

 was that the heating pipes could be placed immediately 

 under them, and in that way the soil was always kept nicely 

 warm. But with the use of cement benches this can be 

 carried out without the need of any provision for holding 

 water at the bottom. 



