JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 3, 1873. 



Brunsvrick Nursery, Tottenham, for Aristolocliia floribunda, 

 more ornamental than most of the Birth worts ; to Messrs. E. G. 

 Henderson for Begonias The Shah and Dr. Masters ; to Mr. 

 Ware for light blue Delphinium Cambridge; and to Messrs. 

 Stacey & Son, Great Dunmow, for Verbenas Lady of Lome and 

 Countess of Eosslyu ; the latter blush, with a, purple centre, fine 

 truss ; the former blu'ih tinged with purple .towards the centre, 

 and the pips of large size. 



Messrs. Paul & Son sent Cheshuut Hybrid and other new 

 Roses which have been noticed before ; Messrs. Cutbush, Tree 

 Carnation Mrs. Robert Barclay, a showy scarlet kind, csoelleut 

 for decorative purposes ; Mr. Wilkinson, Guildford, Mr. Fraser, 

 Lea Bridge Road, and Mr. G. Smith, Edmonton, seedling Zonal 

 Pelargoniums? and Messrs. Osborn seedling Petunias. Messrs. 

 Barr it Sugden, of Covent Garden, contributed a charming 

 basket of Lilies, L-ises, and Ixias; and Messrs. Teutschel, of 

 Colchester, sent some varieties of Lilium Thuubergianum. 

 Prom Mr. Pizzey, gardener to Sir E. Perry, Bart., Fulmer, came 

 excellent stands of Pinks. 



SHADES AND SHELTERS.— No. 1. 

 Shading and sbeltering are bo combined and so essential as 

 a means of protection against the many injuries which plants 

 may receive, that the two subjects may be dealt with iu one 

 paper. It is not my intention to enter into the subject scien- 

 tifically, but the main object of this paper is to impress upon 

 the reader the great advantages to be derived from a general 

 system of shading and sheltering. 



The principal advantage of shading is to protect plants 

 under glass from the fierce rays of the midday sun. When so 

 used it does good, and it likewise favours the growth of plants 

 by preventing rapid evaporation and consequent exhaustion. 

 Plants in bloom are greatly prolonged in beauty and vigour 

 by shading, but shades properly managed need as strict at- 

 tention as air-giving ; it is as possible to give too much shade 

 as too much air, and very few would shade their plants in the 

 absence of sun, neither ought they to allow shading to remain 

 over their plants long enough to diminish the amonnt of light 

 the particular class of plants stand in need of. Hence the 

 objection, iu many cases, to a permanent shading, such as lime- 

 wash on the glass, Ac, that it is there when often it is not 

 •wanted. The material which constitutes the shade should not 

 be so thick as to darken the house and obstruct the free access 

 of air and light ; plants wUl not flourish under such treatment. 

 Au excellent material is to be found in a thin hght canvas sold 

 by all nurserymen ; it is cheap and durable, and is sold in dif- 

 ferent widths to suit large or small houses, or it may be pur- 

 chased as manufactured, and made-up by the person using it. 

 There are other materials of a coarser texture frequently used 

 for the purpose, also cotton bunting, and sometimes au article 

 called frigi domo, which will be noticed hereafter, but none 

 has been found to equal the thin canvas, which, with proper 

 care, wiU last for several seasons. 



Fit). 1 is part of a glazed roof and shows one of the first 

 systems brought out for shading plant houses. Its only recom- 

 mendation is, that it is effectual, but the plan of fixing and 



working exhibits a need of improvement. This improvement 

 IS shown in Jig. 2, where the wooden rod or pole upon which 

 the bhnd is rolled has a wheel at each end instead of at one 

 only, as m firj. 1. These wheels have a groove in which the 

 cord works. One end of this is first nailed to the top of the 

 house opposite the wheel, and supposing the blind to be down 



the cord is brought down and inserted in the groove, then 

 taken back and passed through au iron or brass roller fixed at 

 the same place, leaving enough length of cord to come back 

 over the roof of the house again. Having fixed the other end 

 of the roller in the same way, to draw-up the bhnd we have 

 only to puU the cord ends, and the canvas rolls round the rod 

 iu a very ueat manner. This is done from the front of the 



house. In letting down the bUnd it is only necessary to loosen 

 the cord from its fastening, and the blind wiU run down of 

 itself. 



After accomplishing thus much it soon became obvious that 

 stiil further improvements might be made in this system, bv 

 extending the length of the pole to 30 or 40 feet, or the length 

 of a whole house instead of one light, or a smaU portion of the 

 house, as shown in the illustrations. This was found to 

 answer admn-ably, and to complete the whole arrangement it 

 seems only to requu-e a covering for the blind when rolled-up 

 and not m use. This can be effected by a coping-board on the 

 top of the house, under which the blind lies protected from all 

 weather. _ I ought to mention that after makmg the canvas of 

 the required size to cover the roof, one side of it is nailed to 

 the woodwork under the coping, or permtment hooks may be 

 inserted m this part at equal distances, and the blind provided 

 with rings at similar distances and thus made fast. After 

 this the other side is nailed to the wooden pole, and when the 

 bhnd IS roUed-up it may be held in its position by making the 

 cord fast to an ii-on bracket inserted in the place where the 

 operator stands. At many places the wheels at each end of 

 the pole are dispensed with, and the cord put round the 



pole instead. There is a disadvantage in this, for the cord 

 working over the canvas soon wears it in holes, and without a 

 wheel to clear the pole from the roof of the house, propeUing 

 it up and down will soon wear it out. The above system of 

 shading can without difticulty be appUed to houses of any 

 length. On small pits and frames, which generally stand at a 

 much lower elevation, a thinner and lighter material such as 

 patent cotton-netting creates enough shade, but whatever be 

 used it will be found best to adopt the same system or nearly 



