FORCING PITS OR GREEN-HOUSES. 61 



lishment contains over an acre of glass, and yet, by this 

 labor-saving arrangement, all the plants are thoroughly 

 drenched with water by two men in four hours. Before 

 adopting this method, which I only did last year for the 

 first time, four hands were employed the whole day dur- 

 ng the spring months in watering, and then the work 

 was not done half so well. There is nothing that I have 

 ever done connected with horticultural operations, that 

 has been so entirely satisfactory as this system of watering. 

 In these pits may be propagated and grown Grape 

 Vines, Roses, and green-house and bedding plants of every 

 description, in the best possible manner. But as our pres- 

 ent purpose is only with vegetables, I will endeavor to de- 

 scribe our mode of operations with some of these. As 

 Lettuce, from the great quantities consumed in all large 

 cities, is now, and will be likely to be, one of the most 

 profitable vegetables to force, we begin, for our first crop, 

 by sowing the seed about the first of September, in the 

 open ground, of the Tennis Ball, or Black-seeded Butter 

 sorts. These are planted on the benches of the forcing 

 house in five or six weeks after, at about six or eight 

 inches apart each way, on well enriched soil, placed on the 

 benches to the depth of five or six inches. At this season, 

 no " forcing " is required, in fact, if the sashes could be 

 taken completely off until the middle of November, so 

 much the better, but when it is not convenient, the sashes 

 should be kept raised to admit air, night and day, until 

 frosts begin to be severe ; then they should be shut up at 

 night, but no fire heat should be applied until the weather 

 has been severe enough to indicate 32 or 34 inside the pits, 

 and even then very slight, for if thev can be brought to 



