43 
THE FLORIST. 
in the prepared beds, so as to have a good supply of plants to replace 
those that are beginning to fade, as by a little attention to these matters 
there is no reason why a garden should not be decorated the whole of 
the season with such beautiful annuals as the Nemophilas, Clarkias, 
&c., &c., instead of only at one particular period of the year, as is now 
more frequently the case. He should also give especial care to the 
arrangement of the plants, in order that, when in bloom, the colours 
may so harmonise as to produce the greatest effect possible. Although, 
at the same time, he must not be unmindful that there are some flowers 
which do not make much show, yet they are as much required for their 
fragrance as others for the brilliancy of their blossoms : these, there¬ 
fore, for the reason of their perfume, must be considered as indispensable 
to every garden.” 
WHAT MAY BE DONE WITH A DUNG PIT. 
I HAVE been often tempted to send you the history of my pit before, 
and now beg to do so, as it affords me much recreation and no small 
profit, and a narrative of a twelvemon h’s experience may prove useful 
to others similarly situated with myself, for I keep no regular gardener, 
my only out-door man and myself having (with the exception of the 
brickwork), made and glazed the framework, and we, I am proud.to 
say, manage the whole conjointly very amicably, except now and then, 
when a slight bit of difference between us may happen as to the modus 
operandi to be followed—my good assistant holding rather peculiar 
notions as to vegetable physiology and the growth of plants, on which 
points, I am sorry to say, 1 have hitherto, failed to enlighten him. 
Before commencing with my history I must shortly show what kind 
of pit we have to do with, as I believe it differs somewhat from others, 
and I flatter myself is superior to any I have seen. The size of the 
brick-work to hold the frame is 28 feet long by 7 feet wide, a space 
3 feet was excavated to receive the foundation,-and a drain laid on'* the 
bottom to convey the drainings to a tank at no great distance. This 
spacq was made large enough to allow 2 ft. 6 in. all round the frame at 
the bottom, and the retaining wall to which battens back to 3 feet at 
surface, to admit of filling and emptying with greater ease. We allowed 
6 inches of foundation for the brick-work, and the side walls are 
carried up 1 foot above the ground level, making them 3 ft 6 in. in 
height all round. The wall is built hollow—that is, with a brick flat 
on the outside, and brick on edge inside, leaving a space of 2\ inches 
between. The walls are well bonded by headers, to strengthen them, 
and are finished at top with a row of brick on edge all round. I have 
also nine flues running from the front to back across the pit, 12 inches 
square, inside measure, covered with slates. These are built 6 inches 
above the level of the floor and open into the linings, and over these we 
place old hurdles, to keep the space open. The space from the hurdles 
to the square of the brick-work is generally filled with leaves, or a mixture 
of leaves and stable dung. My framework is in three separate divisions, 
three lights in each. I find this arrangement very useful for working 
