IMPLEMENTS AND ACCESSORIES 37 



The interior of the cloches is kept clean by washing 

 every year about November, when there is little 

 danger of the sun causing the young plants beneath 

 to flag or " wilt." A wisp of hay, or old rye mat 

 tied in the middle, makes a rough brush for the purpose. 

 The cloche is plunged into a tub of water, and as it is 

 twirled round with one hand the interior is brushed 

 with the other. The glass is then well rinsed and 

 comes out perfectly clean and as good as new. There 

 is no need to wash the outer surface, as this is kept 

 sufficiently clean by the rain. During the summer 

 months, however, some of the cloches are covered 

 with whiting for shading purposes, but this is easily 

 removed by the hand when washing the glasses. 



Occasionally a cloche gets broken, and old French 

 gardeners became experts at putting the pieces to- 

 gether when prices ruled high. Those I have seen 

 in gardens near Paris were mended with strips of 

 linen or pieces of glass and white lead placed over the 

 cracks. Curiously enough a once-broken glass gener- 

 ally has a long life after being mended, as it is handled 

 with more than usual care. Now, however, it is 

 scarcely worth while mending- badly broken cloches, 

 as they are so moderate in price about 5 to 6 per 

 100. Some of the special sticking glues like Seccotine 

 would probably be a great improvement on the white 

 lead and linen method. 



By the use of cloches the gardener is enabled not 

 only to protect tender plants from the cold and wet 

 during the worst period of the year, but owing to the 

 genial temperature beneath them, he can also raise 

 his plants more quickly than in the open air in the 

 ordinary way. By constant use over the plants, 



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