356 THE PLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



price. A really good mat, if beld by the four corners, ought to hold 

 water for a considerable time without its soaking through, but even 

 tbe "best Archangel" mats of this description are few. Mats, 

 however, are expensive, troublesome, and littery, and when shabby 

 they are shabby indeed. The price of good mats will average about 

 a guinea per dozen ; and supposing each mat to cover three square 

 yards, that fixes the price at 7d. per yard, or, as double mats must 

 be used, at Is. 2d. per yard annually. Frigi-domo maybe compared 

 to a poor blanket ; it is a good non-conducting substance, but thin, 

 and I fear not very durable — but still, I should think, as good as 

 mats. Now, it is an established fact, that confined air is an excel- 

 lent non-conductor, and hence a covering, to be really effective, 

 should be as nearly as can be air-proof, and, of course, at the same 

 time, it will be waterproof. Hence, acting upon this hypothesis, 

 some nine years back, I had waterproof covers prepared for all the 

 pits and frames under my charge ; these were made of sail cloth, of 

 which several qualities were offered by the dealers; in width it was- 

 something less than a yard, and the expense, at that time, some- 

 thing like Is. 3d. per yard. This was made up by a sail-maker in 

 cloths of a size suitable for the pits to be covered, allowing six or 

 nine inches to hang over at the back and front of the pits, and being 

 elevated about two inches above the glass, and fastened tightly down, 

 it became both air-tight and waterproof; each cover was fastened 

 at one end to a roller, and the other end was fastened to the frame 

 of the pit, and at the time for covering up nothing more was neces- 

 sary than to roll the cloth on and fasten it down by strong strings- 

 to staples back and front fixed for tbe purpose ; and hence, " Let 

 the storm pelt us " or not, we could retire for the night certain that 

 everything so protected was safe from frost. These covers, with a 

 coat of boiled oil every alternate autumn, lasted for seven years. 

 Of course such a covering in the first outset will be more expensive 

 than mats or other temporary appliances, but the first expense is the- 

 last for seven years, and consequently the saving is considerable. 

 With proper care, and applied only to their legitimate purpose, t 

 believe such covers would last several years longer than mine did, 

 and perhaps with some preparation of gutta percha tbey might be- 

 rendered still more durable. But my covers were used for all kinds, 

 of purposes, such as shading seed-beds or cuttings in the open 

 ground in the summer, protecting strawberry beds when in fruit 

 from drenching rain, sheltering plants in temporary frames, harvest- 

 ing seeds, and sometimes protecting the hay-ricks in catching 

 harvest weather ; and this last was tbe most destructive use of all, 

 for the heat caused the oil to liquefy, and hence a good deal of it 

 was lost. For shading during the summer months thin straw mats 

 made with tar-twine, or still better, where they can be procured, 

 reed mats, are very useful, as they may be made sufficiently thin to 

 shade the plants without obstructing much light ; but possibly good 

 screens, or hexagon netting, would be still less expensive, and cer- 

 tainly preferable, and more convenient for use. 



For purposes of protection I look upon it to be of as much 

 importance to have a waterproof covering as one capable of prevent- 



