85 



would be destroyed by the sun-light, the hole in 

 the bottom of the pot admitting sufficient. The 

 flowers should be placed under the pots when little 

 more than half blown, and in hot dry weather they 

 will be benefited if the pots are taken off, immersed 

 in water, and replaced during the heat of the day. 

 In rainy weather the wet should be excluded by put- 

 ting a piece of slate over the hole of the pot, which 

 also prevents earwigs from entering ; if this were done 

 every night, and the board oiled, these dahlia pests 

 would be almost entirely driven away. To prevent 

 the pot from being blown off, a few nails should be 

 driven round the outside of it, or it may be tied on 

 with matting.* (Gard Chron. 1841, 165.) 



A third description of shade is made of wire, and 

 covered with paper or canvass, which, to stand the 

 weather well, should be painted. The form of the 

 shade may be as shown in the next diagram : the stick 

 on which it is fixed should have a few holes through 

 it, at different heights, through either of which 

 holes a peg may be thrust, to keep the shade at its 

 proper height, and the stick may be stuck in the 

 ground upright, or sloping, whichever is best adapted 

 for the purpose of keeping off wind, rain, and sun ; 



* The pot does not require to be made fast, but should be 

 removed as soon as the sun has left the blooms, leaving them 

 exposed for a few hours, if the weather is fine, during the even- 

 ing. 



