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Before we leave these winter months, I hope to show both that this is true and that the love and pursuit of agriculture is the legitimate occupation of the best portion of our nature.

I have described planthouses fit for men of large means. I will now describe a

CONSERVATIVE PIT on a large scale, but not very costly to make or expensive to support, which will return an unlimited amount of satisfaction. Such a pit might be erected on the L roof of a city house, may be large or small, cheap or costly, according to the fancy of the builder. I shall describe it as standing on the ground.

Stake out a parallelogram 18 × 30 feet, and dig it out to the depth of 3 feet; along the front side and at both ends lay a solid stone or brick wall 3 feet high. At the back erect a solid brick or stone wall 3 feet high, and above this a hollow brick wall 24 inches thick and 20 feet high. In the base wall on the front and ends leave openings for ventilators as shown in the plan. In the top of the front side of the back wall leave tubular openings 4 feet apart, as shown in the plan for top-ventilation. All these openings in the walls must have tight covers on the inside, and wire gauze covers where they open into the outer air. The top-ventilators open under the coping of the top of the wall, which will protect them against high winds. In other respects the exterior is made like that of ordinary greenhouses; the glass roof is divided into two sashes, the upper sliding over the lower. Refer to the plan of the end. e is a door which slides to the right to give entrance; it is 3 feet higher than the floor of the house, being on a level with the surface of the ground, and steps which curve to the right descend from it to a path (d in the section), 3 feet wide, which leads to the other end of the house. On the left of this walk is the pit.

PIT.— Mark out a parallelogram 9 feet wide x the distance between the walk at the foot of the steps and the other end of the house; lay a tile drain and a pipe for heating the soil, through the length of this parallelogram; at each corner drive down firm posts, Red Cedar or Locust, or squared stone posts, not less than 3 inches

square in the clear; to these posts, if of wood, spike closely matched 2-inch planks; if of stone, fasten by bolts and iron straps

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a, a, hot-water pipes; b, table, 3 feet wide; c, plank or slate front to pit; d, floor of walk -strips of wood or slate; e, trellis for vines; f, gravel underdraining for pit; g, earth, etc., in pit, 2 feet deep in front, 3 feet behind.

slabs of slate 1 inches thick; carry up the planks or slabs 3 feet in front, 4 feet at the back of the ends, sloping gradually to the front. There is no need of planking against the back wall. Fill into the space thus enclosed.

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a, foundation wall; b, brick foundation, 3 feet high; c, double wall, 2 feet thick; d, tiled slope for the top of the wall, protecting ventilation tube; e, door, 3 feet wide; f, sliding sash; g, wooden base; h, top sash sliding over; i, lower sash, fixed.

Over these stones lay 6 inches of tough sods, over the sods 3 inches bones and oyster shells, over these 3 inches best loam, over the loam 3 inches of bones etc., as before, and 6 inches well-trodden, unfermented horse-manure. Fill up to the edges and slope nicely with the best loam you can get. Leave all to settle for a fortnight or two; then fill up anew with loam. Into the top of the back wall drive a row of staples 4 feet apart; do the same at the bottom, and between the rows stretch coarse wires for a trellis ; at the foot of each wire plant a choice running Rose (Safrano Tea, La Marque, Cloth of Gold, etc.); cut them down within two buds of the surface. Over the rest of the pit plant what you like: Lemon Verbenas, Bourbon, Tea, and China Roses, Heliotrope, Sage, Lantana, Verbena, China Orange, and other and smaller plants; among these Double English Violet, Daisy, Lysimachia, Lycopodium. Set the plants in August, and let them all be small, so that as they grow you may give them shapes as you prefer. b (in the section), on the right of the walk, is a table 3 feet wide and 3 feet high, to hold pot plants, cuttings, boxes of Cucumbers, Melons, or Strawberries, or any low-growing plants; under the table carry a double hot-water or steam pipe, with a coupling to connect at will with the pipe under the pit.

Do not put on the sashes till late in September, and only then if hard frosts threaten; after the sashes are on, leave them open and air the house as much as possible; get what heat is necessary from the sun and the use of the shutters and mats, and do not resort to fires while you can avoid it. Keep the temperature as low as 40° to 45°, till the last of December; gradually increase the heat if you cannot otherwise keep out frost, but rely principally on the increasing heat of the sun as the days lengthen.

The plants will begin a slow growth in October, and gradually throw out a few leaves and blossoms till January; in this interval water sparingly; as December grows old, give water lukewarm and in greater quantity; the plants will soon begin to grow vigorously. During the rest of the season, till warm weather, water and syringe as in other greenhouses; keep a moderate temperature during the night, and let the sun heat the house thoroughly during

the day; the plants will soon begin to blossom freely. Train the vines on the wire trellises as fast as they grow: they will grow the better, and you can give them any shape.

Here, as in other houses, the plants need fumigating. Once a month give a copious watering of liquid manure, made as before directed.

During the coldest weather, connect the pipe which runs under the pit so as to warm the earth below, but only in a moderate degree; it is not desirable to stimulate growth by bottom heat to any great extent, but to give just enough to keep the roots warmed in proportion to the increased heat about the branches.

As the spring advances, use the front shelf to start cuttings for bedding out, and to grow plants for the kitchen-garden.

Later in spring withdraw fire-heat, and toward the last of April give less and less water. By the first of June take off all the movable sashes, and entirely cease watering, or in droughts water just enough to save the plants from being dried up. Under this treatment they will cease to grow, and will ripen their wood; when this is effected, cut them vines and all-back as much as you judge sufficient to enable them to blossom and grow next season without crowding. If any of them do not suit you, this is the time to substitute others. Cover the top of the pit with a liberal dressing of well-rotted manure, and dig it in carefully with a foot or hand fork. After August, follow the directions already given; i.e., begin the year again.

The fire and boiler-room is not shown here. If the dwellinghouse is heated by hot water or steam, its pipes may connect with the pit; or a simple flue and fireplace may be built at one end and instead of hot pipes, a brick flue, through which all the fire and smoke must pass, may be carried along the ends and front of the house. Water may be caught from the roof, raised from a well, or supplied in whatever way is most convenient; the fire and cistern, are in a small shed at the back of the house. tern is above the level of the floor, a pipe may be led from its bottom to the centre of the house, in order to lessen the labor of carrying water.

If the cis

The cost of a house built on this plan may be greatly increased

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