PROTECTING BLOOM. 



91 



repels the force of cold winds and is an effec- 

 tual protection. 



The plan I pursue in fixing up the nets 

 over the trees is, to keep them at some dis- 

 tance from the wall, for when they are al- 

 lowed to hang down against the trees, the 

 nets being blown about by the wind fre- 

 quently rub off the buds or otherwise injure 

 them. To prevent this I get some slender 

 poles, of such a length that they will reach 

 from the underside of the coping down into 

 the ground at four feet from the wall, the 

 bottom of the pole may either be fixed into 

 a small stone sunk into the border a few 

 inches deep, or be sunk into the border with- 

 out a stone, having that part of the pole 

 which is buried in the ground previously 

 dipped in pitch in order to preserve it from 

 rotting; but the former method is preferable. 

 The poles are placed at six feet apart from 

 each other. Care is also taken that there be 

 no sharp edges or splinters upon them, for 

 when there are, the nets are frequently en- 

 tangled and chafed so as to damage them 

 considerably. After the poles are fixed, the 

 nets are tied to them, beginning at the top 

 first and regularly stretching them to the 

 bottom, but so as to leave about four inches 

 at the ground entirely open, which admits a 

 suitable current of air to the wall, but not 

 so as to incur any injury to the trees from 

 frost. 



