24 THE STORY OF MY ROCK GARDEN 



At the approach of winter, I resort to the following 

 simple expedient to prevent the falling dirt injuring 

 the woolly leaved members oj: my Alpine family. I 

 take three or four pieces of fairly rigid galvanized iron 

 wire, and bend them to the shape as seen at B in the 

 reproduction of the diagrammatic photograph on page 

 opposite, and in the crook thus formed, a sheet of glass 

 can be kept in position some four inches or five above the 

 plant, sloped in such a way as to cause the rain and 

 dirt to drip off clear of the plant, and yet allow a 

 constant current of air to pass over it so removing the 

 liability of mildew. 



If these glasses are periodically cleaned, I find that 

 the plants are in a healthy and clean condition by the 

 time they should start their new growths a strong 

 contrast to the unprotected ones, which by that time 

 are usually on the point of expiring, thanks to the 

 continued moist state our atmosphere has kept them 

 in, coupled with the dirt which has adhered to them. 



This glass erection is also of great service in pro- 

 tecting winter flowering plants such as many of the 

 Crocus, Galanthus, and Narcissus species, from being 

 damaged by heavy rain. Where the garden is in a 

 position exposed to much wind and these plants are 

 liable to be damaged from this cause also, a develop- 

 ment of the foregoing idea can be employed as here 

 illustrated ; it is simple to erect, and can be rapidly 



