46 PROTECTING VEGETABLES. 



ing it over them if the day should be chilly or windy. 

 When it is necessary not only to protect them but to in- 

 crease the temperature, they may be protected by covering 

 them with small boxes eight or ten inches square, made 

 higher at the back than the front, like a small cold frame; 

 and a pane of 6x8 or 10x12 glass let in the top, according 

 to the size of the frame. The frame may be made of thin 

 boards, and need not be over a foot high at the back. 



The following is a very simple and excellent plan for 

 protecting freshly set out melons, cucumbers, squashes and 

 similar plants from cool winds, and, when growing, from 

 the attacks of bugs. The forkful of manure usually ap- 

 plied to each hill is first dug into the soil. A seven-inch 

 flower-pot is then placed upon the hill, and the earth drawn 

 round it with a hoe and firmly trodden with the foot. The 

 flower-pot is then withdrawn, and the seeds are sown or the 

 plant set out in the bottom of the cavity thus made. Our 



engraving fully explains how this is done. The vine, when 

 sufficiently grown, runs down the sides of the mound, whilst 

 the stem and roots are kept cooler and more moist than 

 when surrounded with boxes of wood or similar contri- 

 vances. Plants thus set out can also be readily protected 

 from late frosts or cold rains or winds, by simply placing a 

 pane of 8x10 glass or a piece of board of similar size over 

 the hole, at night or during the prevalence of the injurious 

 weather. 



