296 SCIENCE OF GARDENING. Part II. 



window, to go either up or down, in order to admit air. The rafters being made move- 

 able, by being fixed with hooks to stretchers at top and bottom, the whole could easily be 

 removed or replaced at pleasure. Thus a frame might be made of ten, fifteen, twenty, 

 or more feet in length, to answer for one or more trees, as may be required ; and if the 

 whole be packed and laid up in a dry loft, garret, or shed, each season after using, it may 

 last for many years. " ( Nicol. ) 



1497. The canvass curtain is so arranged by means of pulleys and weights, as to be drawn 

 up over a wall of a hundred feet in length in a few seconds, and let down and spread 

 out to dry in a short time. It is kept at a distance from the trees by cords stretched 

 from the coping to the ground in a sloping direction : a fine example of this occurs at 

 Dalmeney Park garden, near Edinburgh, erected under the inspection of J. Hay of 

 Edinburgh, a meritorious designer of kitchen-gardens. " If screens be made in sheets," 

 Nicol observes, " they are best to hoist up and lower with pulleys and cords (which 

 pulleys may be fixed to the coping, as above mentioned, or to a beam or stretcher fixed 

 at the top of the wall), they should be suspended over small rafters or spars, of an inch 

 and a half to two inches square, according to their lengths, placed so closely as to pre- 

 vent the canvass from dashing against the trees, as above hinted. Sheets of this kind may 

 be of any convenient size, and made to cover one or more trees, as may be required. 

 I have had one sheet 200 feet in length, which I could join or unjoin at two or three 

 different places, and could unclew and hoist, or lower and clew up, in fifteen or twenty 

 minutes. I first contrived it to clew at the top of the wall, but afterwards found it 

 safer to do it at bottom, as a gust of wind had once nearly torn it away altogether. In 

 the clew it was hung by loops to the bottom part of the upright spars (which were placed 

 at four feet asunder), so as to be a few inches clear of the ground. These rafters were 

 fastened with hooks and eyes to the coping at top ; and at bottom to stakes drove fast 

 into the earth, eighteen inches clear of the wall." (JCalendar.) 



1498. The oiled-paper frame consists of a light frame of timber, with cross bars mor- 

 tised into the sides, and intersected by packthread, forming meshes about nine inches 

 square. Common printing-paper is then pasted on, and, when quite dry, painted over 

 with boiled linseed-oil. These frames are then fitted to the wall, or subject of protection, 

 according to circumstances. 



1499. The garden-hurdle is of different species. 



Wire hurdles are used as inconspicuous fences, and sometimes for training plants or young hedges. 

 Wattled hurdles, or such as are woven with shoots or spray, for shelter and shade. 



Straw and reed hurdles are used for shelter, for shade, and for covering frames and other plant-habit- 

 ations, or for forming temporary cases around plants to exclude cold. 



1500. Moveable edgings to borders, beds, or patches of flowers, are of different species. 



1501. The basket-edging {fig. 



219.) is a rim or fret of iron- 219 220 



wire, and sometimes of laths ; 



formed, when small, in entire ^_,^ :== ^=- T ==^^^ K ^!w w^^-OT , ^ST . v;wv , \v i 7 l TOT 



pieces, and when large, in seg- r^^^'f^^t^^^^^ 



ments. Its use is to enclose dug V^^^^^-^^P |^-AA AA /| 



spots on lawns, so that when the ^^^^^^XKT^r^K^^^i \l \ i / \ I 



flowers and shrubs cover the ^^ ^^mAii/^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ 



surface, they appear to grow "" ^ ^ 



from, or give some allusion to, 



a basket. These articles are also formed in cast-iron, and used as edgings to beds and 



plots, in plant-stoves and conservatories. 



1502. The earthenware border (fig. 220.) is composed of long narrow plates of com- 

 mon tiie-clay, with the upper edge cut into such shapes as may be deemed ornamental. 

 They form neat and permanent edgings to parterres ; and are used more especially in 

 Holland, as casings, or borderings to beds of florists' flowers. 



1503. Edgings of various sorts are formed of wire, basket- willows, laths, boards, plate- 

 iron, and cast-iron ; the last is much the best material. 



1504. Protecting bags, for guarding ripening fruits from insects, are formed of gauze, 

 oiled-paper, or muslin-paper ; gauze is preferable, as it admits the air. They are used 

 with advantage, in the case of grapes and stone-fruit, on walls in the open air, and in 

 some cases are required even in hot-houses. 



1505. The shoe-scraper is a plate of iron, fixed vertically, either in a portable or fixed 

 frame ; and to render it complete, should always have a rigid brush and dust-box at- 

 tached, both of which may be taken out and cleaned ; their use in gardening is consi- 

 derable, portable ones being placed at the entrances to every description of garden- 

 building, and fixed ones at the exits from compartments to the main walks. They ought to 

 abound, and their use be effectually insisted on wherever clean and pure gravel or turf- 

 walks are desired objects. 



1506. Garden or bass mats, are sheets of cloth, woven or matted from the bast (Russ.) 



