HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



3G5 



November 1, 184^. 



ORDINARY MEETING. 



The following Gentlemen were elected Fellows of the Society : 



Robert Barclay, Esq., Grove House, Tooting. 



Thomas Bridges, Esq., Elwer, Fetcham, Surrey. 



A paper was read from Mr. Thomas Berry, Gardener to the 

 Right Hon. C. Shaw Lefevre, on a peculiar form of construction 

 for a Melon pit. This pit, which is usually known as the 

 Heckfield pit, differs from the common pigeon-hole pit in having, 

 instead of that contrivance, a warm air chamber or close flue, 

 which commences at the foundation and is continued all round 

 the pit to the height of three feet — the depth of the pit below the 

 ground level. Jn carrying up this flue, a cross brick is occa- 

 sionally laid in to give stability to the wall. 'J'he back and end 

 flues are covered in with a course of bricks on bed laid across, 

 which projects one inch beyond the other brickwork on the 

 outside this projection not only gives a neat finish as a surface 

 line, but serves as a rest for the boarding which conceals the 

 lining. The front flue is covered by one brick laid across and 

 also lengthwise alternately, on the outside course : thus, an open- 

 ing is left between each cross brick for the ingress and egress of 

 air from the cavity of the flue. In order that the air may take 

 an inward direction, and also to prevent rubbish from falling into 

 the flue, narrow pieces of slate are fixed in the joint above the 

 cross bricks. In the back flue and under the centre of each 

 light, an opening about a foot long is left, upon which the 

 ventilation jiassage, in the shape of a thin box, is formed by the 



