402 VILLA GARDENING part v 



of shade, by laying green boughs across the trenches, is so easy. In 

 transplanting small plants during a short spell of bright sunshine 

 in spring or summer, a few branches, placed upright in the ground 

 amongst them, are a very gi-eat help, by keeping the soil cool till 

 the roots begin to work again. I have often experienced the use 

 and benefit of this, and the trouble is almost nil when one is living 

 among trees whicli can spai'e a few branches. Again, in sowing seeds, 

 there is no difficulty in getting the smallest ones to germinate in the 

 hottest and driest weather if the following course is adopted : — 

 Moisten the land well before sowing, stirring it about with tlie fork 

 to make sure that all the soil is moist, then rake smooth, sow the 

 seeds, and shade by laying mats or Rhubarb leaves on the bed till 

 the seeds germinate ; green branches will do as well — in short, 

 anything which keeps ott' the hot rays of the sun. The periods of 

 bright hot weather will jirobably be of short duration, and by the 

 time the plants are up the weather may have changed, and the 

 shading can be dispensed with. Some peoi)le say " Wait for rain," 

 but I do not believe in being controlled by circumstances, if it be 

 possible (wliich it generally is) to overcome them. Besides, a week 

 or a fortnight may be lost, and can never be altogether recovered. 

 Another and a very easy way of shading is to cover the seed-beds 

 with netting, in the same way as we protect from birds. The 

 farther away the nets are from the beds the better. A single 

 fold of old fishing-net for shading and sheltering is far more 

 effective for both purposes than those who have not experinaented 

 with them will be jirepared to admit. 



Sheltering. — I have already adverted to the benefits arising, 

 in the way of shelter and protection, from a single fold of net- 

 ting, such as is commonly used for protecting fruit in summer from 

 birds. Any one can try the experiment for himself. Here, say, we 

 have a bed of Lettuces, Cabbages, Ca\iliflowers, or any other early 

 crop — one half is covered with netting, supported on forked sticks, 

 or something of sufficient strength to keep the netting firmly in 

 position. The covering should hang over on the sides, and be 

 pegged down to the ground. The otlier half of the bed should be 

 altogether exposed. The first question which arises in the mind 

 of the inexperienced is. Of what use can such a thin covering be to 

 any crop ? It breaks the wind, cuts up the cold icy currents, and 

 secures a quiet shelter whilst the storm rages outside. If on a cold 

 windy day in winter we stand on the lee side of a White Thorn 

 hedge — though it may be nothing more, perhaps, than a very narrow 

 line of leafless twigs — yet how it shelters, how it extracts the icy 

 coldness from the east wind as it filters through ! The netting acts 

 in the same way as the leafless hedge, by breaking up and separat- 



