General Notices. 39 



preparing for them, perhaps you will allow me to say a few words by way 

 of recommending M'Phail's pits. I have often heard gardeners of con- 

 siderable experience say they preferred dung beds, and have, in conse- 

 quence, been undetermined which plan to adopt. I am, however, fully 

 satisfied that cucumbers may be grown in perfection in pits, and with much 

 greater safety than in beds, in early forcing. Having had an opportunity 

 last year of seeing some pits at work, in one of which the seeds were sown 

 in the beginning of October ; and having seen them several times since that 

 period, and found them fully answer the purpose, by producing plenty of 

 good fruit from the seeds then sown up to the present time, without a 

 single failure, during the past winter, when so many gardeners lost their 

 plants from severity of weather; I have no doubt that an account of their 

 management will be acceptable to some of your readers; if, like many 

 with whom I have conversed on the subject, they have hitherto found it 

 difficult to obtain good cucumbers from pits. In the first place, I beg to 

 notice that the size of the pits is not of any consequence ; so that those 

 who have frames which have been used for beds may have their pits made to 

 suit them, and they may be made for one, two, or three lights. Having fixed 

 on the place on which to build, mark it out 4 ft. wider than the frames, to 

 allow 2 ft. on each side for the linings ; dig it out about 18 in. below the 

 surface of the ground, so that half the brickwork (which will be 3 ft. high) 

 may be under ground ; by which means the linings will be better protected 

 from the wind, and it will be much more convenient to get at the 

 inside of the frames. If it is intended to build more than one pit, let 

 them stand 4 ft. apart, that there may be sufficient room to lay dung 

 between them, and allow 2 ft. at the ends of the pit for linings, as at the 

 back and front. The space being dug out, let a brick drain be made the 

 full length, of about 4 in. square, keeping the covering brick a little below 

 the ground, so as to allow all water to drain away from the dung, as well 

 as to receive the water given in the frames. The pits being built, having a 

 flue round and one between each light, let them be filled half way up with 

 brickbats, thrown in loosely. Then put on the frames, and when the work is 

 dry, throw in as much well-wrought dung as will reach about 6 in. higher than 

 the top of the flues, but not to cover the flues, on which dung the hills are to 

 be formed in the usual way. By this means the plants will be raised very 

 near the glass during the winter months, and, by the time the hot weather 

 comes, the dung will have sunk sufficiently low to prevent the sun injuring the 

 plants ; the dung also producing a moist heat, the want of which has been 

 so much complained of in brick pits. All other treatment the same as for 

 beds, except that at all times while the weather requires the flues to be 

 heated, plenty of water should be given on the flues once a day at least, 

 which water moistening their sides, and the dung lying against them, 

 causes a steam in the frames equal to a dung bed, which adds greatly to 

 the health of the plants. Another circumstance I wish to notice is, that 

 the plants are often lost by the steam blowing in at the back of lights when 

 left up at night to admit air. This may be remedied by having a row of 

 narrow panes of glass at the upper end of the lights ; which may be taken 

 out, and the place covered, as occasion may require, with something else. 

 It has frequently been found difficult to preserve cucumbers in pits from 

 being destroyed by what gardeners commonly call sow bugs ( Oniscus 

 Jsellus). These are encouraged by the frames being kept too dry ; but 

 may, however, be easily caught in small narrow boxes without a lid, filled 

 with dry loose hay, put in only tight enough to keep it from falling out 

 when the boxes are placed with the open part downwards ; or, if boxes 

 are not easily obtained, common flower-pots will do, placed in the same 

 manner about the frames, into which, after the flues are watered in the morn- 

 ing, the insects will soon collect, and may be taken out and destroyed. I 

 should think that where new lights are made, instead of the bars going from 



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