ON PRESERVING PLANTS. 287 



&c, Escallonias, Camellias, Salvias, Mesembryanthemums, &c, I 

 make frames in the following manner: — I take four strong stakes, 

 strong hazel rods, I have them inserted in the ground at equal dis- 

 tances round the plant, so as to clear the ends of the shoots ; then 

 I unite the tops together to one point, securing them there. I then 

 cut, by means of a fine toothed saw, some notches up the two sides 

 of the rod, which are outwards ; having done this, I have a quantity 

 of deal laths, which are about an inch and a half broad, these are 

 then nailed to crosswise, in doing which, I commence at the bottom, 

 and, having fastened the first tier, I then place another above that, 

 and so proceed to the top, In nailing the laths, I place them in the 

 notched part of the uprights, so that they overhang each other a 

 quarter of an inch, but not to have the lower edge of the lath above, 

 to touch the upper edge of the lath below it; I allow a space here of 

 a quarter of an inch — this is easily effected by the notches being cut 

 for the purpose. The openings at the overlaps admit air and light 

 to the plant, but at the same time exclude wet from it. Both these 

 advantages are of importance in order to obtain the object desired. 

 With a few very tender kinds of plants, I have strewed in, previous 

 to putting the case over, some dry fern leaves, commonly called 

 brake or braken, among the branches, and I have found this to 

 keep perfectly dry through winter, answering every desired end. 

 Where brake is not to be had, branches of beech, with the leaves 

 upon them, furze or broom may be used to answer the same purpose. 

 I always cover the grouudover the roots, to the extent of two or three 

 feet, according to the size of the plant, and about six inches deep 

 with chaff from the corn-mill This keeps dry under the covering, 

 and preserves the roots better than any other material I ever used, 

 such as bark, sawdust, &c. 



The framing of laths, &c, I have painted, and though I have used 

 them for six winters, they are as good as when new. I take off the 

 frame from the plants, when I judge the severe weather is over, usually 

 about the middle of April. 



The above kind of covering is very far preferable to that of thatch- 

 ing over with straw, which keeps the plants dark, and the straw often 

 becomes mouldy, and kills the plants. I made a few coverings of 

 wicker work, common willow twigs, but these did not answer, the 

 wet dripping through the covering, and being thus kept damp inside, 

 more damage was done than if left exposed to the open air. 



For smaller plants I made coverings of the lath frame work suited 

 to their size. With such covering I have preserved strong plants of 

 Maiirandia dophospermum, &c , without sustaining any injury. 



