1865.1 
AMERICAN AG-RIGULTURIST. 
83 
How to Make a Cheap Garden Pit or 
Frame. 
IVliere aiiyiliing but the iT'-lest gardening is 
carried on, some appliances are iii use to protect 
tender plants during winter, as well as to start 
them into growth earlier in spring than they 
can safely be exposed witbout protection. Last 
month, p. 34, we described the ordinary hot-bed, 
with its plank frame to support the sash. This 
may be used, with a bed of fermenting manure, 
to accelerate growth, by the artificial heat it 
affords; or the frame and glass may be used, 
without the heating material, when it forms 
what is called a cold pit. By use of a cold pit, 
seedlings may be advanced very materially, as 
the heat of the sun, received upon the soil w'itli- 
in it during the day, is prevented from passing 
OS’ during the night, and thus the average tem¬ 
perature greatly increased. Those to whom the 
expense is no object, will have regular hot-bed 
sash, %vith a strong plank frame; but tliere are 
many who, not being able to afford these, would 
be glad of a cheap substitute. Any one who 
can pick up a few old window-sashes can have 
a tolerable cold frame, or hot-bed, with but little 
cost. In tlie Agriculturist for December last, we 
gave an illustration, showing how channels, to 
cany off water, could be cut in the frames and 
crossbars of a window sash, when used for 
garden purposes. The sash being procured, a 
frame for it may be built up of turf, which, if 
the sod is good, will not only be durable, but 
will keep out frost better than a wooden frame. 
The size of such a frame will depend upon the 
number of sash at command, and the uses to 
which it is to be put. For a simple cold frame, 
to get cabbage and tomato plants earlier than 
they could be had in the open ground, a frame 
of sods large enough to accommodate the sash 
may be built, the pieces six inches wide, neatly 
laid up, forming an enclosure, the walls of wdiich 
shall be nine inches high in front and eighteen 
inches at rear, the front being to’wards the 
south. The turf and sash being at band, the 
whole can be made in a short time. The frame 
should he placed on a well drained place, and 
on I'ich soil. The earth being well spaded and 
raked, the sashes are to be put on, and covered 
in the afternoon, by means of board shutters, 
sti’aw or other mats, and uncovered in the 
morning. The soil will, in a few days, become 
warm enough to receive the seeds; and young 
plants, ready for transplanting, may be had some 
weeks in advance of those raised in the open 
ground. It will, however, generally be better 
to make a more permanent structure than the 
one just described, one which will answer for 
protecting half hardy plants during the winter, 
as well as for starting seeds in spring. As 
before, the size will depend upon that of the 
sash, and it will be all the more satisfactory if 
long sash, such as is made for hot-beds, can be 
had. To make a pit; after having determined 
upon its size, drive stakes at the corners, exca¬ 
vate the earth to the depth of a foot, use sods 
nine inches in width, and lay them up with 
care, observing to “break joints” at the corners. 
The walls may be high enough to give an inside 
depth of two feet at front and three feet at the 
rear. The walls should be neatly trimmed, and 
if a coping of boards is placed upon the top, 
the structure will be all the more durable. 
Roses, cabbages, and cauliflowers may be win¬ 
tered in a pit of this kind, and in spring it may 
be converted into a hot-bed, by nearly filling it 
with fermenting manure, upon which is placed 
a layer of six inches of soil to receive the seeds. 
The Chinese Wistaria. — (Wistaria Sinensis.) 
Those who live in cities, or in those commu¬ 
nities where horticulture has made some pro¬ 
gress, may think we are occupying space use¬ 
lessly in figuring and describing so old and 
well known plant as the Chinese Wistaria. Al¬ 
though it has been so long in cultivation, for 
some reason or other it has become less wide¬ 
ly disseminated than one would suppose, and it 
has so much of beauty to recommend it, and is 
so easy to cultivate, that we wish it to be more 
generally introduced. lu older books it is called 
Glycine^ but Nuttall found it to be different from 
that genus, and he gave it a new name, and 
dedicated it to the late 
Dr. Wistar, of Philadel¬ 
phia. The vine is a rap¬ 
id grower, and with a 
little aid will climb al¬ 
most anywliere. We 
know of a vine in New- 
York wliicli readies to 
the chimneys of a tliree- 
story liouse. The flow¬ 
ers are borne in tiie 
greatest pi’ofiision in 
May, before the leaves 
are full}^ developed. 
They hang in large 
clusters, and arc very 
much in appearance 
like those of the Locust, 
except that the;)" are of a 
fine light purple. There 
are a number of old 
vines in New-York Cit}' 
worth going far to see, 
when in bloom. The 
engraving shows the 
shape of the flower.s and 
young leaves. It will 
be recognized as belong¬ 
ing to the Leguminosce, 
wbicli 
includes the Locusts, 
Laburnum, and many 
other ornamental trees 
and shrubs. Though 
beautiful under any cir¬ 
cumstances, it shows at 
its best when trained 
horizontally, as along 
the edge of a balcony 
or upon a horizontal 
trellis. It is well adapt¬ 
ed for training to pillars. 
If allowed to run up a 
support of red cedar, up¬ 
on which a foot or two 
of the limbs remain, the 
effect is very fine. 
Though disposed to 
ramble, it bears severe 
checking; we liave seen 
it grown to a stake 6 or 
8 feet high, and kept 
closely pinched, show¬ 
ing a mass of flowers 
from top to bottom. 
The plant was carried 
from China to England 
about fifty years ago, 
and was for some time 
treated as a greenhouse 
plant. It proves per¬ 
fectly hardy in the cli¬ 
mate of New-York and Southern New-Eng- 
land. In those localities where the winters are 
very severe, it will be necessary to protect it; 
in this case it*febould be trained in such a man¬ 
ner that it can be taken from its support and 
laid down and covered with a few inches of 
earth. It grows readily from layers and from 
cuttings. Plants are sold at the nurseries at 
about fifty cents each. A white variety has been 
recently introduced, but is rather rare as yet. 
It has long clusters of pure white flowers, and 
will, in time, become very popular. Soma 
other varieties are mentioned in the catalogues, 
A native species, Wistaria frutescens, is found in 
Illinois, Virginia, and southward. This is also 
