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 E. 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, i.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 Koman 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 feet three 



