342 
THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
durable. Wooden walls also have a good appearance, and will last 
a cousiderable time. Turf walls are not so sightly nor so desirable 
as those of wood or bricks, but they answer the desired purpose very 
well, and where appearance is of secondary importance and the sods 
not difScult to obtain, they can be strongly recommended. The sods 
should be cut of a uniform size — say three inches in thickness by 
twelve inches square. A rather stout piece of wood should be 
driven into the ground at each corner to aid in keeping the walls 
more secure than would otherwise be the case. The lights for turf 
pits should be prepared in a similar manner as for those of brick. 
In dry soils the pits may be partly above and partly below the 
ground line with advantage, as there will not be so much difficulty 
in keeping the frost out, but in naturally damp soils the floor of the 
pit should be on or slightly above the general level, or the plants 
will suffer from dampness. 
In preparing tender plants, such, for example, as geraniums and 
verbenas, for wintering in a cold pit, it is most important to have 
them well hardened. The cuttings must be struck early, and after 
they are rooted kept in the open air until protection from frost is 
needful. When the plants are well furnished with roots and the 
growth moderately firm there will not be much danger of losing 
them provided the frost is kept from them. As dampness is the 
chief enemy to contend with, the plants must be placed far enough 
apart to admit of a free circulation of air amongst them. Air must be 
admitted freely in mild dry weather, and on exceptionably favourable 
occasions the lights should be drawn ofl" altogether for a few hours 
in the middle of the day. As the most favourable times for air- 
giving have been pointed out, it will perhaps be useful to say that 
air must not be admitted in foggy, wet, or frosty weather. 
The manner in which the plants are watered is also of great 
importance, and it should be clearly understood that less harm is 
likely to be done by giving too little than too much. In the winter 
all the plants require very little moisture, and geraniums may be 
kept quite dry for weeks together without suffering materially. All 
watering should be done on the morning of a dry day, when the 
lights can be drawn off for a few hours afterwards, and it will be 
better to wait a few days, or even weeks, than to water in dull 
weather. No more water must be applied than is really necessary 
to moisten the soil, and the greatest care must be exercised to 
prevent the foliage being wetted. 
Russian mats form the most suitable covering for pits, when 
aided in severe weather with littery hay or straw. Long litter may 
be used alone ; but it is better to have mats to lay immediately over 
the glass, and then put the litter over them, when the state of the 
weather renders additional protection necessary. Covering materials 
of all kinds sliould be kept as dry as possible, because of tneir greater 
capabilities for resisting frost. "With respect to keeping out the 
frost, it must not for a moment be forgotten that when severe it is 
not slow in finding its way into the frame through the sides as well 
as through the glass. I would direct special attention to this, for it 
is a frequent occurrence in frosty weather to see a thick covering 
