AGRICULTURAL METEOROLOGY. 135 
sary to hasten the cutting away of the damaged branches; and, second, 
if the disorganization has attacked the large brauches and the trunk, 
the latter must be cut below the level of the soil; the earth which 
covers the spot, sheltering it from the contact of the air, will preserve 
by its dampness the suppleness of the woody fibers, and protect the 
young shoots as they spring from the rays of the sun, which might 
destroy them in a short time.* 
Kottwitz proposes to turn the stocks of vines gently toward the 
ground, and to cover them with leaves as dry as possible. ‘To prevent 
the wind from carrying away these leaves, they should be overlaid with 
the refuse vine cuttings, bean-stalks, and ends of boards, and sur- 
rounded with small pickets. Vine stocks thus covered are entirely 
sheltered from the frosts of winter; and, as the air penetrates in spite 
of the leaves, the development of the sap is prevented, and takes place 
only when the stock is straightened and pruned. By following this 
method all loss of sap is guarded against, and the vine entirely escapes 
the pernicious influences of the frost and the hoar-frost. Combining 
with this process the pruning in autumn, which is preferable to that of 
spring, we attain marked advantages.t 
A horticulturist established trellises six inches from an espalier wall, 
and eight inches from each other, and attached the trees to them in the 
beginning of April; the trees thus removed from the wall suffered less 
from the frost than when at the distanee of two inches only, and they 
also received more nourishment in summer. This measure is espe- 
cially serviceable for apricots. In those countries where wood is scarce, 
the trellises may be made of iron wire.{ 
Margat affirms that we may transport fruit trees with bare roots, and 
without packing, during the most intense frost, provided they have been 
taken up twelve or fifteen days before the frost and exposed to the air, 
with their roots on the ground during all this time. But the roots of 
trees exposed to the frost immediately after being dug out of the ground 
always perish. Trees thus recently taken up, although well packed, are 
liable to have their roots frozen upon arriving at their destination, if a 
frost occurs upon the way, while those whose roots have been previously 
exposed to the air for twelve or fifteen days always arrive in a good con- 
dition, even without packing. The experiments of Margat are confirmed 
by those of the same nature made at Nenilly by Jacques. § 
Louesse suggests, as the best means for sheltering espaliers from the 
later frosts, a loose frame covered with oil-cloth prepared with a thick 
layer of linseed oil on each side, and even on the wood. When, in the 
first fortnight of February, the flower-buds of apricot trees begin to 
enlarge, this frame should be placed as close as possible to the trees, 
and perpendicularly to the wall, taking the precaution that it does not 
touch the branches; it should be maintained in place by wooden sup- 
ports fixed in the wall, and the sides guarded by moss, horse-litter, or 
any other substance capable of intercepting the exterior air. 
Flowering takes place under the shelters with greater rapidity and 
facility, because the action of the solar rays is strengthened and the 
warmth preserved for a long time. In this sort of hot-house, we see 
almost the entire quantity of fruits mature perfectly, and the effect of the 
x bs nea la classe d’Agriculture de la Société des Arts de Géntve. 1829, 3™° année, 
0. p. 185. 
+ Verhandlun gen des Vereims zur Beférderung des Gartenbaues in den Preussischen 
Staaten, vol. 5, p. 83. 
t The above, vol. iv, p. 300. 
§ Annales de la Société d’ Horticulture. Paris, 1830, p. 41. 
