j^rniL.] SCREENING BLOSSOMS. Q<23 



nieiit size, and made to cover one or more trees, as 

 may be required. 



I have had one sheet 200 feet in length, whicli I 

 could join or unjoin at two or three different places, 

 and could unclew and hoist, or lower and clew up, in 

 fifteen or twenty minutes. I first contrived it to 

 clew at the top of tlie wall, but afterwards found it 

 safer to do it at bottom, as a gust of wind had once 

 nearly torn it away altogether. In the clew, it was 

 hung by loops to the bottom part of the upright 

 spars, (which were placed at four feet asunder), so as 

 to be a few inches clear of the ground. These 

 rafters were fastened witli hooks and eyes, to the 

 coping at top ; and at bottom, to stakes drove fast 

 into the earth, eighteen inches clear of tiie \val]. 



In using these screens, in either of the above men- 

 tioned forms, the trees are always to be exposed to 

 the free air and light, in good weather, through the 

 day; screening only at night, and on bad days; ap- 

 plying them from the time the buds begin to open, 

 till the fruit is fairly set ; or till any fear of further 

 danger from the effects of frost be past. 



Some apply screens of mats, sew^ed together, or 

 bound in frames, in manner as above ; and they are 

 sometimes hung singly over the trees, on hooks or 

 pegs. But in no way are they so good, effectual, or 

 ultimatelij so cheap scree?is, as those of canvas. 



Nets make very good permanent screens, if properly 

 constructed and put on. The ordinary way of ap- 

 plying these, is to hang them over the trees, without 

 any seeming consideration of rvhi/ ; as they are gene- 

 rally hung over, close to the branches; the flowering 



