24 ORNAMENTAL GARDENING 
hence anything which imitates such a condition is good. If one 
can burn wood, trash, coal or crude oil in suitable vessels 
among his plants during a comparatively calm night when there 
is a light frost he may often save his plants, but if there is a high 
wind or a hard freeze such attempts at protection will do little 
good. Twice since living here I have seen such severe freezing 
during a time of high wind that all the leaves on lofty coconut 
trees were killed, and for more than a month these trees showed 
no sign of life. Of course smudge pots or any ordinary protec- 
tion would be worthless at such a time. 
Growers here have resorted to various plans such as putting 
screens around and over tender plants, some of them permanent 
and others which are removed in summer. Those which are 
intended to remain have posts set in the ground with tight, 
boarded walls and a framework overhead which may be slatted: 
the top is generally covered with canvas during winter. Some 
of these are large structures covering several acres. Small frames 
covered with canvas and temporary tents are often used. Posts 
are often set in the ground around or partly around plants, 
slats nailed on and palmetto leaves fastened to the slats. All 
these protect more or less but none of them will always save 
tender stuff unless some kind of heating apparatus is used. 
As a general thing in the lower third of the state, shrubs and 
trees which have attained a height of six or eight feet are not 
in much danger of being destroyed by frost if the collars can 
be kept from freezing. It is almost always at this point that the 
greatest injury is done, because the air just at the ground is 
usually colder than at any higher point. In many cases I have 
known trees or shrubs whose limbs and leaves were wholly 
untouched by frost to die outright from its effects, and when they 
were afterwards examined it would be found that a short space 
just at the collar had been frozen so that wood and bark were 
turned black. Now the one thing to do which will never fail 
to save one’s trees from destruction is to make a mound of earth 
around their bases as soon as there is any danger of frost in 
the fall and let it remain until there is no longer any risk from it 
in spring. This mound should be a foot or more high and it 
would be better if it could be made when the ground is dry. 
