FRENCH MARKET-GARDENING 



NOTCHES 

 PROP ERLY 

 MADE. 



FIG. 11. TILT 

 BADLY MADE. 



to give air to the plants beneath cloches as it is to 

 those in frames or greenhouses. Special tilts (called 

 " fourchettes " by the French gardeners) are made 

 for this. They consist of 

 a narrow, triangular piece of 

 wood, about 10 or 12 in. 

 long, made out of slating 

 battens or staves, and with a 

 couple of notches taken out 

 at right angles on the longer 



FIG. 10. TILT 



SHOWING side, or hypoteneuse, some- 

 what as shown in fig. 10. 

 The pointed end is stuck 

 into the ground and the cloche is lifted so 

 that the rim may rest on either the first or second 

 notch, as shown in fig. 12. 



Very often before the cloche is lifted on to the 

 first notch, when the plants are still very young and 



tender, a depression is made 

 close to the rim, by pressing 

 the closed fist into the spongy 

 surface of the bed. 



When " air is taken off," 

 that is, when the cloches are 

 let down flat on the bed again, 

 it is done by placing the index 

 finger on top of the tilt and 

 pressing it backwards. The 

 cloche then drops to the sur- 

 face by its own weight. In 



this way it does not occupy much time to " take 

 the air off " a few hundred cloches. 



If, however, the cloche tilt is badly made, and has 



FIG. 12. SHOWING CLOCHE 

 OVER SEEDLINGS, TILTED 

 UP ON ONE SIDE FOR AIR. 

 CLOCHE TILT SHOWN ON 

 RIGHT. 



