OBSERVATIONS ON WHITNEy's PREPARED CALICO, &C. 27 



required some stronger material for its reception ; and has since, I 

 believe, invented a cloth woven on purpose for the composition ; and 

 from a specimen that I have seen, it appears strong, likely to be 

 durable, and perfectly transparent : and, although Mr. Shaw says, it 

 is " then questionable whether it will answer the end in view," it is 

 my opinion, that durability is all that is required further, to make it 

 a most useful article for horticultural and floricultural purposes; and 

 as the time will soon be here, when plant growers will require all the 

 room they can get, and perhaps some may wish to extend it on some 

 economical plan, if it will not be trespassing too much on time and 

 space, I will endeavour to point out a few ways that it may be suc- 

 cessfully made use of. Pits may be erected, the walls composed of 

 brick, stone, turf, or even mud, with a little straw or hay mixed, to 

 make it hang together ; but mud walls should be prepared in summer, 

 that they may get thoroughly dry before winter, they would not 

 answer to be made now; the lights for these pits, if not covered with 

 Whitney's patent cloth, may be covered with something stronger than 

 Calico; if thicker, and a little darker, it will not so much matter for 

 these purposes, and a coat of the composition put on and got dry, 

 ready for moving some of the common and hardy greenhouse plants 

 into, in the early part of spring, to give those that are coming into 

 bloom a better chance and more room. All sorts of greenhouse plants 

 will do well in these pits, if frost can be kept from them ; after these 

 plants have been removed into the open air, which will be towards 

 the end of May, or beginning of June, these pits may be turned to 

 good account, by putting some loose stones in the bottom, and over 

 that sandy peat a foot thick, and planting out some of the hard wooded 

 greenhouse plants into it, such as Boronias, Chorizemas, Pimelias, 

 choice Azaleas, Heaths, &c. They make specimens sooner this way 

 than any other. Give water when planted, and afterwards when 

 required; let the lights be over them to shade them from the bright 

 scorching sun, and to shelter them from heavy rains, and take them 

 off all fine evenings, and let them remain off during the nights when 

 the weather is settled fine, to receive the benefit of the dews ; in 

 autumn they can be taken up with care, and potted in good sized 

 pots, and put to stand in the pits, until they are wanted for the other 

 plants again. Temporary frames of the same material will do for 

 raising tender annuals or hotbeds ; also for hardening them out for 



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