28 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 



pine timber, well set in mortar upon the walls, and thoroughly 

 painted. 



A pit is intended to serve as a place for wintering half hardy 

 and even tender plants, and for blooming roses and other flowers 

 earlier and later in the season than would be practicable in the 

 open ground. For these purposes, the pit may be partially 

 filled with leaves from the woods, tan, sawdust, sand, or spent 

 manure well pulverized. If the pit is too deep for the plants, 

 so much filling must be used as is needful to bring their tops 

 to within ten or twelve inches of the glass, the pots being 

 packed or set thoroughly into it. A pit thus filled should have 

 light, and a little air admitted about noon of every bright win- 

 ter day that is not too intensely cold to permit it with safety, 

 increasing the amount of these as the mild days of early 

 spring come on, until it becomes safe to uncover it entirely to 

 the vernal showers. It should be occasionally examined 

 through the winter, and defended against mice, which are apt 

 to nest in it. 



When divided into compartments, as above suggested, the 

 pit may readily be put to various uses. In one of these the 

 spring hot bed may be made more easily and with less manure 

 than when made in the common mode. For this purpose the 

 manure should be evenly and solidly laid, as directed for hot 

 beds, p. 30, to the depth of eighteen or twenty inches, which 

 being covered with the usual depth of rich earth, will bring up 

 the surface sufficiently near to the glass and into the sunlight. 

 If two compartments are used for hot beds, the additional ad- 

 vantage is gained of being able to classify your plants, sowing 

 the hardier varieties, as cabbages, salad, &c., in the one, and in 

 the other the tenderer, as pepper, egg-plant, &c., which require 

 greater warmth and more careful treatment. (See Hot Bed.) 

 One or more compartments of a pit may, if found desirable, be 

 used as a " cold bed," requiring only to be filled up with rich 

 earth or compost to a little higher than the natural surface of 

 the ground, and then treated in all respects as directed p. 29. 



GARDEN-FRAME. 



The garden-frame is usually made of inch and a half plank, 



