THE FLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 25 



in dimensions. One of five or six feet in height, and the same in 

 breadth, will be found very useful, and if made of light poles, will 

 not be too heavy for even a lady to remove. 



The covering for the frame may be made of bast matting, old 

 carpet, floor cloth, tarred canvas, or, in short, any fabric capable of 

 being securely fastened. The tarred canvas will be found an excel- 

 lent material, on account of its waterproof qualities, and strips of 

 floor-cloth are equally useful ; but these will need nailing to the 

 frame, and should overlap each other. When placed before the 

 plant, the frame will, of course, be arranged in a slanting position ; 

 and, if necessary, may be secured by a short hooked stake driven into 

 the ground at the foot and at the top by a staple and cord. It will 

 be understood that these frames are only to be employed when frost 

 threatens; in mild, open weather their use would be injurious to 

 most of the shrubs, and likely to cause a premature growth, which 

 must be carefully guarded against, as much of the success in pre- 

 serving the more delicate of this class of plants during winter, 

 depends on their energies being kept quite dormant. It is for this 

 reason, that when the shoots are well ripened, they often suffer less 

 in mid-winter t'an in early spring, when they commence their 

 growth. 



We have refej ..-ed only to the Tacsonia Habrothamnus, but our 

 suggestions are ( jually applicable to other wall-plants of a tender 

 character. 



Armed with s few of the portable frames, the amateur horti- 

 culturist will be a le to preserve many greenhouse plants, usually 

 supposed to be too tender to endure our winters, such as the splen- 

 did CliantJius, the Pittosporums, the Acacias, Photinias, Camellias, 

 Magnolias, Myrtles, and many others. 



_ Tendek Shrubs and Half-shrubby Plants. — The protection of 

 this class of subjects involves, perhaps, a little more care than the 

 preceding, but the same principles must be kept in view. A great 

 point will be gained if the roots of shrubs can be screened from the 

 heavy rains so characteristic of our autumnal seasons ; and this can 

 be accomplished without difficulty, by applying two of the wooden 

 semicircles, referred to in the previous page, around the base of the 

 stem, so as to form a complete disc. In many cases, such a pro- 

 tection applied early, would so materially check the production of 

 young wood, and assist the ripening of the shoots, that it would 

 alone be sufficient to prevent injury by subsequent frosts. There 

 are a few plants, however, which need a covering of some description, 

 and of this number is the tree Pseony (Moutan). This splendid 

 plant, orr readers are aware, does not die annually, but possesses a 

 shrubby . xbit, and, like the herbaceous kinds, commences its growth 

 in early s x *ing, whilst frost is yet rife. It is at this period that 

 protection s chiefly required ; and it may be afforded by driving a 

 few upright stakes around the plant, and arching over these two 

 stout osiers, laced cross-wise, their ends being secured to the stakes 

 by tarred stri.gs. Over tho top a piece of waterproof material can 

 bo thrown at night, and secured with string to the stake. The same 

 kind of covering may be used for all tender evergreens of large sizes, 



January. 



