THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GtJIDE. 



97 



ham ; W. Thompson, Notting Hill : Samuel Hodgldnson, Sydenham ; Thos. 

 W. Farqukar, J. S. Russell, J. Cockerell, C. S. Millington, — Whittaker, 

 W. H.Lord, Captain W. Lord, Thos. Harrild, C. Davidson. Also the fol- 

 lowing thirty-one gardeners : — H. Eliot, J. Smith, John Stubleday, S. Wil- 

 son, G. Farrance, J. A. Summers, R. Inman, W. Wood, W. Reid, T. Reid, 

 J. Cook, J. Drewit, W. Croucher, J. Speiring. — Vickery, J. Salters, W. 

 Wallis, D. Scarf, J. Jackson, J. Willoughby, T. Pullen, — Batts, — Heath, 

 C. Lowns, — Sharp, — Rump, J. Greenway, J. Guzett, J. Hopkins, F. 

 Red-wards, and R. Stamford. 



FRAMES OR SASHES FOR VARNISHED COTTON OR 



CALICO. 



" A.B." wishes to know what sort of frame 

 I use for stretching the cotton or calico 

 on. I shall be very glad to describe them 

 according to my abilities, but I cannot 

 pretend to know much about the carpenter 

 business, and I hope he will therefore ex- 

 cuse me, as I am unacquainted with the 

 terms used in sash-making. They are 

 made of yellow pine timber, very much re- 

 sembling the roof-sashes of a peach-house 

 or vinery, or as a common sashed window, 

 for convenience of giving a current of air. 

 The lower sashes draw up, and the upper 

 draw down. My sashes are each six feet 

 long, by three feet broad. The frame is 

 of yellow pine, as above, three inches by 

 one inch and a quarter, with one divisional 

 rod in the centre from top to bottom, one 



inch and a quarter square, which strength- 

 ens the frame and supports the cloth. The 

 calico is fastened on the frame before it is 

 varnished, with tacks, stretched very tight, 

 leaving about one inch and a half of the 

 frame clear all round, to give them room 

 to slide in the rafters, or sides of the box. 

 The tacks are put in about one inch apart. 

 I then stretch cotton tape, about half an 

 inch broad, on the edge of the cloth and 

 over the tacks, fastened with tinned tacks, 

 as they are not so apt to rust. This makes 

 a neat-looking finish on the sash, which 

 very much resembles the lists of cloth 

 used on Mr. Standish's tiffany-house and 



screens, in the April number of the Flokal 

 Wobid. The sash is now ready for var- 

 nish, giving it two or three coats, each 

 being allowed to dry before the next is put 

 on. The first coating requires more var- 

 nish to fill the cloth than two or three 

 coats will do afterwards, as it takes but a 

 small quantity to glaze the surface when 

 once the cloth is full. I think it would do 

 well to give it a coat every season before 

 using, as the glazing is very apt to wear 

 off by the action of the weather. I have 

 had some of it in use three winter seasons, 

 and it still appears to be as fresh and good 

 as when new, although it has only got two 

 coatings of varnish. When first used, it 

 has never appeared to green nor lose its 

 transparency in any sort of weather, with 

 the exception of one cover, which was done 

 with a mixture of raw oil ; the calico ap- 

 pears to be rotten, and very easily torn, 

 which proves that raw oil rots the cloth. 

 If these sort of sashes are to be used on 

 turf or any other kind of pit, I would re- 

 commend as much angle or slope as pos- 

 sible. I would also recom- 

 mend more divisional rods, 

 as it would make less strain 

 on the cloth in case of heavy 

 falls of snow, perhaps three 

 or four rods in a three-feet 

 sash. We use what is called 

 couple [copal ?] varnish, as it 

 is much cheaper than some 

 of the finer sorts. I shall 

 be very glad to give your 



readers any information on this subject 

 that I may have omitted, as far as my ex- 

 perience goes ; and I would also be very 

 thankful to receive, through your columns, 

 any intelligence from those who may have 

 more experience. 



P. Simpson, Gardener. 

 Kingeamie. 



