188 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 10, 1863. 



your treeB suffered most from, and from this, in addition to the 

 advice given from time to time in our Journal, on the manage- 

 ment of the Peach, you will be able either to find a remedy, or 

 if the Grape Vine be in fault, it then rests with you, or those 



with whom you act, which of the fruits you are willing to sacri- 

 fice. A few Yines against the rafters of a Peach-house may be 

 tolerated, but too many isj.at variance with the well-being of 

 everything else. — J. R.] 



PEOTECTING FEUIT TEEES. 



Being an amateur and not keeping a gardener constantly, I 

 have experienced some difficulty in coming to a conclusion as to 

 what is best to adopt in order to give my young wall trees the 

 necessary protection with little trouble, and which at the same 

 time would be economical and lasting. I have been scheming 

 to accomplish these objects, and the result is what I have shown 

 npon the accompanying sketch, which almost explains itself. 



The frames I have made are five-eighths of an inch thick and 

 3 inches wide, ripped off a deal. The upper shutter is made of 

 two leaves, half an inch thick, of deal ledged together (of course 

 this might be made a light frame filled with straw like the lower 

 one if preferred). It is hinged to the frame by three pieces of 

 leather being nailed to them. The top is fastened, when closed, 

 with a common wood button, as at a, a in jig. 1. The lower move- 



able frame is made in the same manner and with the same 

 scantling as the frame itself. It is hinged at the bottom with 

 three pieces of leather like the top shutter; but, instead of 

 plain boards as in the upper shutter, this is filled in with long 

 straw laid in between two spinyarns which are Becured to the 

 frame : thus the straw is a kind of thin thatch, protecting the 

 trees from rough wind and frost but not excluding the air. 



i J b Fig. 2, are pieces of ropeyarn tied to both the move- 

 able and fixed frames or shutters at the tops, and of such lengths 

 as to determine the angle at which the shutters will stand when 

 open. I have so fixed mine that when the morning sun is 

 Bhining — say 10 o'clock A.M., little or no shadow is cast either 

 upon the wall or tree by them. This hasty and rude description 

 will, I hope, have made the scheme clear to you. 



The frames having been set against the wall where they are 

 required,the top is kept fixed and secured by the two splines lxl", 

 fig. 3, being tied by a cord to two nails or staples in the wall. 

 The bottom of the frame is secured by two stump stakes. 



Being fixed I need scarcely 6ay, that to open the frames all 

 that is required is to turn the button, and the moveable shutters 

 are opened and fall to the required angle. To close them, of 

 course the reverse operation has to be done. Thus a few minutes 

 suffice either to open or close them — an operation of no labour, 

 quite in the compass of a lady's hand. Thus you see the tree9 

 may either be thoroughly protected, or fully exposed at 

 pleasure. 



When the season is over I intend to have my frames, which 

 are made of a convenient Bize for the purpose, taken away and 

 packed under cover for another season. I see no reason why 



they may not last for a number of years in good condition. 

 Fresh straw, perhaps, in a few years may require to be put in, 

 but this is a very trifling matter. — H. G., Ipswich. 



P.S. — May I aBk some of your gentlemen's gardeners who con- 

 tribute to your pages, if they will be so good as to give me their 

 advice as to whether I ought to keep back my fruit trees by 

 shading them or open the frames to give them the full sunlight ? 

 The scheme above described gives me easy means to do either. 

 The trees are forward, and, probably, before the month is out we 

 may have coarse weather. I have been keeping them somewhat 

 sheltered. I suppose when the proper time arrives they must 

 be fully exposed. 



[We cannot give you a better reply than is contained in this 

 extract from a communication sent to us by the late Mr. Erring- 

 ton, one of the most successful of fruit-growers : — " My Peaches 

 this year, on a W.S.W. aspect, have been abundant. Those on 

 a due S. and S.E. failed. This aspect has something to do with 

 such result, because I have always observed that the blossom 

 opens later there, and the leaves do not blister so much. This 

 la9t winter, however, remembering what you stated about retard- 

 ing the blossoming of Peach trees by heaping snow about their 

 Btems and over their roots, I adopted every mode I could think 

 of to retard my trees in blossoming on that W.S.W. wall. I un- 

 nailed them, and shaded them from sunshine throughout the 

 winter, keeping them covered with wet straw and mats, but 

 exposing them whenever the weather was cold during the day. 

 With the same object I laid bare the rootB, and I pruned late. 

 My reward was having the trees bloom fully a fortnight later, 

 and having a good crop. When in bloom they were protected 

 with nets the same as those on the S. and B.E. walls ; but 

 on these I had scarcely a dozen Peaches from twice as many 

 treeB." 



