34 
THE AMATEUR’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 
there can be no doubt brick walls are the best. The pit re- 
presented in the diagram is five feet wide, outside measure, 
three feet high at the back, and one foot and a half high in 
front. This affords sufficient fall to carry off the rain quickly, 
and by this means prevents the plants being injured by drip, 
so long as the lights are in thorough repair. One peculiarity 
about the walls is their being of two thicknesses. The wall to 
LEAN-TO HEATED PIT. 
within twelve inches of the plate is nine inches in thickness, 
and the top part is four and a half inches in thickness. By 
this means a wall of great strength is built, some little saving 
of materials is effected, and a most effectual support is secured 
for the hot- water pipes, in case it should be considered needful 
to heat the pit at any time. One of the greatest advantages 
resulting from this mode of constru ction is the placing of the 
pipes where they, practically speaking, take up no space what- 
ever. The wall-plate to which the rafters are fixed should be 
two inches in thickness and an inch or so wider than the wall, 
for the purpose of carrying off the water clear of the wall. 
In practice it is best to form the wall-plate by dividing a deal 
four inches by twelve into four pieces, two by six inches, less 
the reduction ; each strip will thus be in working. The rafters 
to carry the lights should be three feet six inches apart from 
centre to centre, and be four inches in depth by three inches in 
width, and have a strip of wood an inch square fixed down the 
centre to form a rebate on each side to receive the lights. 
The rafters should be either let into the wall-plates or be fixed 
with a screw in a manner that will admit of their being readily 
removed whenever necessary. Especially needful is portability 
