202 BERTHA'S VISIT TO HER 



he conducted them towards the adjoining wall, 

 to which he nailed up the ends. They now look 

 healthy and have fine swelling buds, as if they 

 would soon he in a very flourishing state. He 

 has found that the way to manage this rose is to 

 plant it in a sandy loam, and to keep it very 

 closely nailed to the wall, just like the Morel la 

 cherry. 



I take great pleasure in watching the progress 

 of the garden. The peach blossoms are really 

 opening, and are lovely. The gardener has been 

 very busy protecting them from the harsh winds, 

 and from rain and hail, by woollen nettings 

 stretched completely over them. But my uncle 

 is always trying some pretty experiments ; and 

 one small tree is covered, or at least its blossoms 

 are covered, by wool attached to the branches. 

 Another is covered by small branches of birch, 

 about two feet long, which were collected as soon 

 as the leaves were full grown, in the end of June, 

 and preserved under cover. There are studs in 

 the wall, which project eight or ten inches, and 

 to these the birchen branches are nailed with 

 shreds. In order to try these experiments 

 fairly, the trees which he has selected for them 

 are on the same wall and in the same aspect. 



We have been watching the tomtits, and find 

 that they really do eat up the insects and larvae 

 that would be destructive to the blossoms $ but I 



