BLINDS. 



BORDERS. 



end resting in the opening of the centre of 

 the post. Canvas screens, 2 feet wide, at- 

 tached to two similar splints of wood, are 

 then hooked on to the top of the wall, rest- 

 x ing on the pair of posts al- 

 \ If] ready adverted to. Wooden 

 \ // rollers, 16 feet long and 3^ 

 u/ inches in diameter, furnished 



with a cast-iron wheel at both 

 ends, 4$ inches in diameter, 

 ij deep, and i wide across 

 the mouth, for the reception 

 of cord, are then attached to 

 the bottom of broad pieces of 

 FIG. 2. TOP OF canvas to be used as blinds, 



STS IN PAIRS. 



The top of the canvas has pieces of zinc an 

 inch square, with a hole in the centre, 

 firmly sewn to it, a foot apart. These are 

 for attaching to the hooks on the splint at 

 the top of the wall, and the cord is then 

 passed over the hooks, b, d, as shown in 

 Fig. 3, carried round the pulleys at e, e, 



f 



FIG. 3. DIAGRAM SHOWING APPLICATION OF 

 CANVAS SCREENS FOR FRUIT-TREES. 



then over those at </, d, and fastened to the 

 ends of the roller at c, f t so that by pulling 

 the cord passed over the hooks, b, b, the 

 roller and canvas attached to it is drawn up 

 to the splint. It will be seen that each 

 roller is thus furnished with four pulleys 

 and two cords, and it can be moved up and 

 down with the greatest dispatch. The 

 canvas screens fixed on the pairs of posts, 

 while they support the ends of the rollers, 

 also allow plenty of space for the rollers to 

 work in, without coming in contact with 

 each other, and without leaving a vacancy 

 between. Angular screens are also pro- 



vided for filling the spaces at the ends, so 

 that it forms a complete canvas house when 

 the blinds are down, and it can be removed 

 or applied in one half the time taken to 

 describe it. 



Such blinds as those described above, if 

 carefully used, will last a dozen of years, 

 and often save a crop in a single night ; 

 and they are equally as useful in autumn in 

 maturing the wood as in spring for protect- 

 ing the blossoms. In cold districts they 

 would be most useful for pears, plums, &c. 



Borders. 



Borders in flower-gardens differ from 

 beds, in having a walk only on one side of 

 them. They require much care, and the 

 exercise of good taste in planting. Height, 

 colour, and time of flowering are the main 

 qualities to be regarded. The object ought 

 to be to have an equal number of plants in 

 flower in each of the floral months, and 

 colours in agreeable contrast. Hardy 

 herbaceous plants alone may keep a border 

 perpetually gay, but they must be arranged 

 with regard to height and colour pansies, 

 daisies, primroses, silenes, &c., being 

 dwarf; pinks, cloves, carnations, veronicas, 

 &c., taller ; phloxes, various sorts of cam- 

 panulas, chrysanthemums, &c., and star- 

 worts, Rudbeckias, &c., being tallest of 

 all. Plants of this class flower at various 

 times of the year, from early spring to late 

 in the autumn. Where spring-flowering 

 bulbs are mixed up with them, it is not 

 advisable to plant them near the edge, as is 

 often practised. Plant them far back ; as 

 they flower when the borders are com- 

 paratively bare, they are sure to be seen 

 to advantage ; and the long grassy leaves 

 do not disfigure the borders after they 

 have flowered, as they do in the old 

 method. Late bulbs, as gladiolus and 

 lilies, being tall, should be placed far 

 enough back to correspond with the other 

 plants. 



