158 THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



it is necessary to renew the fermenting bed. Top ventilation may be effected by lights, 

 or as shown, and bottom ventilation can be given by lifting the lower lights. The 

 small plants are arranged in the front, the succession next, and the tallest fruiting 

 plants, which are easily attended to from the path at the back, behind. More 

 plants are accommodated by this method than where there is a pathway around a 

 central bed. Pine plants do well, as a rule, in these sunk houses or pits, but it is not 

 practicable to have such in some places on account of water, and a path all round 

 the house is very convenient. The house ( 0) may be used for succession or fruiting 

 plants, the bottom heat being furnished by leaves or tan, or by hot- water pipes in a 

 chamber below the plunging bed, as shown in the span-roof (Z>). 



Simple span-roofed pits, partly sunk in the ground, without glass at the sides, with a 



Fig. 43. LEAN-TO PIT, LEAN-TO HOUSE, SPAN-ROOF HOUSE. (Section through Ml, Fruiting Pines, Ground Plan, 



Vol. I., page 71.) (Scale : inch = 1 foot.) 



References : B, lean-to pit : q, movable lights ; r, 4-inch hot- water pipes ; s, pit for leaves or tan if with a 

 path (<) at the back, the pipes r to be fixed at u ; v, 9-inch wall ; w, floor ; x, light the whole length of the pit for 

 ventilation. C, lean-to house : y, shelf ; z, 4-inch hot-water pipes ; a, paths ; b, pit for leaves or tan ; c, shelf ; 

 d, top lights ; e, front lights. D, span-roofed house : /, top lights ; g, sidelights ; h, 4-inch hot-water pipes ; i, plung- 

 ing beds ; j, hot-air chamber with 4-inch hot- water pipes ; Ic, path ; /, shelves ; in, ground levels. If G have not a 

 front path n, ground level ; o, bed level outline. 



glazed roof and top lights for ventilation, a pathway up the centre and beds at the sides, 

 are excellent for nursing and succession plants. Bottom heat may be furnished by leaves 

 or tan, but preferably by hot-water pipes in a chamber, and it is economical to provide 

 plenty of pipes for top heat. Even fruiting plants may be grown in such structures 

 and the fruits ripened well, for pine apples are no more exacting, and certainly not 

 so difficult to grow as melons. Nevertheless a span-roof house is advantageous, that 

 represented in the section, Z>, answering for all suckers, successional, and fruiting 



plants. 



Where pine apples are required throughout the year separate compartments are 



essential. The best form of structure for either summer or winter fruiting is the three- 



