196 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



Bell-glasses, of large size, are used in the open 

 for protecting and hastening the growth of 

 vegetables, &c. Others of less size, and made 

 of whiter glass, are employed in propagating. 

 The best for this purpose have a hollow knob at 

 the top through which a hole is pierced which 

 serves as a ventilator and prevents excess of 

 moisture, so often the cause of "damping off" 

 in delicate cuttings. An excellent substitute 

 for a bell-glass is a seed-pan half-filled with soil 

 in which cuttings or seeds are placed, the top 

 being covered with a pane of glass large enough 

 to fit the pan. This is easily ventilated and 

 can be tilted slightly to prevent drip. 



Cloches (fig. 254), which are so extensively 

 employed by the French 

 gardeners, are large bell- 

 glasses with nearly upright 

 sides and a knob of glass 

 at the top to form a handle. 

 They are made of various 

 sizes, but those most in use 

 are 16 inches in diameter 



. , Fig 254— Cloche. 



by as much in height. 



The Aphis Brush (fig. 255) is useful for re- 

 moving aphides from Koses and other plants. 

 The handle is of steel, and elastic. By the pres- 

 sure of the fin- 

 gers on one side, 

 and that of the 

 thumb on the 

 other, the brushes 

 are brought to- 

 gether upon the 

 shoot to be cleaned, and the aphides are removed 

 without injury to the plant. 



Tying Materials. — The one in most general use 

 is Ratfia fibre. This is obtained from the leaves 

 of an African palm, Raphia Ruffia. It is a very 

 strong soft pliable material, not unlike the old 

 Russian bast, but far superior, although it does 

 not last long if allowed to rest on the damp soil, 

 or in any damp situation. It should be hung 

 up in the driest parts of store-room to keep it 

 in good condition ready for use. Tar string for 

 tying trees and shrubs, securing Roses, &c, to 

 stakes, should also be kept in stock. 



Various other articles will be required in a 

 garden, such as planks for wheeling; canvas, 

 gauze, and nets of twine for protecting seeds 

 and fruits from birds and other pests; wall 

 nails and shreds, copper wire, willows for tying, 

 mats, stakes for plants, &c. A selection of 

 carpenter tools can be made good use of by a 

 handy man, thereby often saving time as well 

 as expense. [w. s.] 



255.— Aphis Brush. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



GARDEN STRUCTURES. 



Walls — Glass-houses, Pits, and Fkames — Miscel- 

 laneous Structures. 



It is generally understood that good bricks 

 are the best material for a garden wall. Stone, 

 however, answers perfectly well, and of these 

 hard and close-grained stones are much to be 

 preferred to such as are coarse-grained and 

 porous. The stones should not be so large as 

 to occasion inconvenience in training; but a 

 difficulty of that kind may be overcome by 

 facing the wall with a trellis of wood, or with 

 galvanized-iron wire strained at suitable dis- 

 tances apart. 1 "We have seen very fine fruit 

 produced against a stone wall, and equally good 

 against a brick one, all other circumstances 

 being the same. 



Colour. — Of all others, white reflects the 

 greatest amount of the solar rays, and absorbs 

 the least. A dark colour, on the contrary, re- 

 flects the least, and absorbs the most. In sunny 

 weather a black wall becomes hotter than a 

 white one, and plants grown against it are then 

 excited, but they are only rendered more sus- 

 ceptible of a check when cold and sunless 

 weather supervenes. Fruit-trees upon black- 

 ened walls are brought somewhat earlier into 

 blossom, but in our climate this is not generally 

 a desideratum; and it has been found, in the 

 case of a tree planted one-half against a black- 

 ened wall and one-half against one of the or- 

 dinary colour, that the blossoms on the dark 

 portion expanded sooner, but that the fruit did 

 not ripen earlier. It may therefore be con- 

 cluded that there is no material advantage to 

 be derived from a black wall — none, in fact, that 

 would compensate for its ugliness. As regards 

 appearance, black is too gloomy, white too 

 dazzling, and all glaring colours are disagree- 

 able. Pale-coloured bricks should therefore be 

 employed in preference to red ones. So far as 

 colour is concerned, any material that is of a 

 subdued tint, inclining to a light rather than to 

 a dark shade, may be considered eligible, pro- 

 vided it be suitable in other respects. Stone 

 colour is the nearest approach to white that 

 should be chosen. 



Height. — As garden walls serve as a fence, 

 accumulate heat, afford shelter, and present a 



i There is an objection, based on experience, to the use of 

 galvanized wire in the near neighbourhood of large towns, but 

 it is not known to be harmful in the country. 



