Construction of Melon, Pine, and Plant Pits. 461 



them up, but these are, at best, very clumsy affairs; and since I 

 find the practice of raising the frames at the sides, instead of 

 lengthwise, to be gaining ground, one cannot reach to the 

 middle, when the pits are wide, to insert the props. Now, I 

 thought of an iron rod to raise all the frames at once, and to the 

 same angle; in the manner of a filleted window-blind or the 

 luffer-boarding of a stable window. For this purpose I would 

 have a hook (I, fig. 50.) fixed to the middle of both sides of each 



iL 



Z3 



Fig. 50. A Mode of simultaneously raising the Sashes of a Pit for Ventilation. 



frame, and holes in the flat part of the iron rod m, to catch on 

 these ; the ends of the rod having a series of holes to graduate 

 the height; and, when drawn along, to be fixed with a staple to 

 an upright stanchion (n) placed at each end of the pit. When 

 the lights were to be raised the reverse way, it would be only 

 hooking on the rod to the opposite sides of the frames. By this 

 simple contrivance the frames may all be raised at once, and to 

 a pitch that the glass may receive the rays of the morning and 

 evening sun perpendicularly, while it catches that of the midday 

 sun at an angle of incidence. It would, however, require more 

 than the strength of one man to draw the rod ; and I throw out 

 the hint that it may be improved upon, and in order that some 

 young gardener may contrive a simple method of working it. 



There are other sorts of pits that may be found necessary, 

 but these here given embody the elements of the whole, and 

 they may be varied in width or height, by intelligent gardeners, 

 so as to suit for any sort of succession pits. I have the sanction 

 of the best practical gardeners, in saying that common hotbeds, 

 with air chambers or vaults underneath, and with air tubes from 

 them to adjacent mushroom beds, &c, are quite useless; and 

 the same parties, after the experience of years, look upon those 

 figured in the foregoing paper as being both as simple and as 

 perfect as they can be made, according to the present best 

 known methods of raising and forcing, &c. 



Having now endeavoured to show the means by which the 

 amelioration of the humble pit may be effected, I shall suffer 

 the conservatory and greenhouse to resume their claims upon 

 public attention, and to go on rejoicing in all the splendour of 

 their gay and beautiful furniture; trusting that they will always 

 bear in mind (which ail grateful show houses, as well as persons, 



