100 Heating Horticultural Buildings. 



the soil but little required ; indeed, my plan was, and is, with 

 any plant which appeared rather unhealthy, or which I 

 wished to urge on by more than ordinary means, to place it 

 in the tank pit, and I was highly gratified in finding it soon 

 to fully answer my wishes. 



That most troublesome of all pests, — the red sjyider^ — never 

 dared to show its face, not even upon plants the most sub- 

 ject to its attacks ; and the mealy bug (to me, if possible, 

 still more hateful, and of which I have plenty, we having 

 bought in a large collection of pine plants during the last 

 twelve months) made no progress. Plants which were wash- 

 ed with the greatest care, and placed in the other houses, 

 soon showed that they were not cleaned, but once washed 

 and placed in the tank pits, the bug has never again made 

 its appearance. In short, I am fully convinced, that for the 

 growth of pines, melons, and plants generally, that are na- 

 tives of hot climates, and that enjoy a humid atmosphere 

 during the growing season, this system far surpasses any- 

 thing previously in use. 



Of melons, I had an abundant crop of excellent fruit, which 

 lasted from the beginning of June to the end of October. I 

 may, however, state, that to me the plan of the melon pit is 

 not satisfactory, nor what I would recommend. As will be 

 seen by reference to the section, i^Jig- 5,) there is no means 

 of dispelling damp from the atmosphere, except by ventila- 

 tion, which, during cold weather, cannot be employed suffi- 

 ciently, and hence I had great difficulty in efiecting the set- 

 ting of the fruit during the early part of spring. The plants 

 grew with the greatest possible luxuriance imaginable, but 

 the fruit never failed to damp ofi" until the sun became suffi- 

 ciently powerful to allow the foliage to become dry during 

 the early part of most days. For those, however, who do not 

 force melons very early, and with whom expense in erection 

 is a matter of some moment, this plan, as shown in the sec- 

 tion, [jig. 5) will fully answer. 



I would not altogether recommend the simpler and cheaper 

 method of the open gutter, without pipes, because with this 

 there is no means of obtaining a dry atmosphere for ripening 

 the fruit, and without which it never acquires that flavor 

 which constitutes its great excellence. Melons ripened here 



