SHADING. 125 



CHAPTER XUI. 



SHADING. 



In mulching the object is to prevent evaporation from 

 the soil, as well as to shield the roots from sudden 

 changes of temperature ; it is often necessary to protect 

 the whole plant in this respect, and this is- accomplished 

 by shading. Although on a large scale, we can do little 

 in the way of shading plants in the open ground, yet the 

 amateur will often find it of great utility, as screening 

 will frequently save a recently transplanted plant, which 

 without it would be quite ruined by a few hours' exposure 

 to the sun. For shading small plants in the border, such 

 as transplanted annuals, a few shingles will be found very 

 useful, one or two of these can be stuck in the ground so 

 as to completely protect the delicate plant and yet not 

 deprive it of air. Six-inch boards of half-inch stuff 

 nailed together to form a V shaped trough are very use- 

 ful in the garden ; they are handy to place over small 

 plants during cold nights, and may be turned over and 

 set to make a screen against strong winds, or used for 

 shading plants in rows. Seedlings often suffer from the 

 heat of the sun in the middle of the day ; the seedlings 

 of even the hardiest forest trees are very delicate when 

 young. The seeds of such trees when sown naturally al- 

 most always fall where the young plant will be shaded, 

 and the amateur who experiments in this very interesting 

 branch of horticulture, the raising of evergreen and de- 

 ciduous trees and shrubs from seed, will find it necessary 

 to imitate nature and protect his young seedlings from 

 the intense heat of the sun. There are several ways of 

 doing this ; if the seeds have been sown in an open bor- 

 der, let him take twigs about a foot long, evergreen if 



