402 FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



EARLY FORCING PIT. 



The accompanying Ground Plan and Section, 

 No. 23, represent the construction of the Early Forc- 

 ing Pit, which is well adapted for growing early 

 Melons, Cucumbers, and young Pine plants. This pit 

 is also the invention of Mr. Atkinson, and was erected 

 from his designs ; it differs only from the succession 

 Pine pit by its having no double wall or cavity at the 

 back, and being of less dimensions in width . The back 

 wall consists of four-inch brick work, with brick on 

 the edge ; at every four feet distance, nine-inch piers 

 are carried up, to strengthen it, and for a support to 

 the rafters, which are placed over the centre of each 

 pier. The middle of the wall between the piers is 

 open brick work, similar to the exterior wall of the 

 pit last described, as well as the ends. The front 

 consists of a double wall, with a cavity between 

 them, which is left open at top. The exterior wall 

 is also formed with pannels of one inch and a half 

 thick tiles in the centre, which are placed on the 

 edge, and bedded in cement. The heat of the dung, 

 applied to these thin tiles, readily penetrates through 

 them, and ascends rapidly up the cavity when there 

 is nothing to obstruct its passage, and thus warms 

 the atmosphere of the pit. 



For every practicable purpose of early forcing, I 

 consider this far preferable to any other that I have 

 yet seen heated with dung linings ; there being only 



