344 FORCING GARDEN. 
bark, is perhaps the best hitherto devised. The Alderston 
Melon-pit, and Atkinson’s Melon-pit, described under the 
head Melonry, are likewise very suitable for this purpose. 
In winter, it is desirable to have the assistance of fire-heat, 
either from flues, or, what is better, from hot water; though 
this fire-heat is not indispensable. 
The successvon-pit performs the 
same functions as the nursing-pit, 
but at a more advanced stage of 
the growth of the plant, and con-, 
| sequently requires an increase of 
size. With this difference, At- 
kinson’s Melon-pit does very well 
for summer use. In colder sea- 
sons, we should prefer a pit simi- 
1 lar to that represented on the mar- 
gin; in which a hot-water appa- 
ratus on the siphon principle is 
employed to heat the atmosphere 
of the pits, and the bottom-heat 
is communicated by the circula- 
tion of hot water from the same 
boiler, in open troughs resting on 
the bottom of the pit. The boiler 
a is placed nearly on a level with 
the bottom of the pit. 6, Pipes 
on the siphon principle for warm- 
ing the air of the pit. CC, 
Troughs for communicating the 
JW bottom-heat, placed in the bot- 
tom of the pit on a level with 
the boiler. The water is drawn from the boiler to the 
ends of the troughs @ @ by small movable siphons 
