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VIII. Notices of Communications to the Horticultural So- 

 ciety, between January 1, 1822, and January 1, 1823, of 

 which separate Accounts have not been published in the 

 Transactions. Extracted from the Minute Books and 

 Papers of the Society. 



The Reverend George Swayne of Dyrham, near Bath, 

 communicated to the Meeting, on the 5th February, the 

 following method of protecting the branches of Fig-trees 

 during winter. He had observed, that wherever the fruit- 

 bud of a Fig tree was enclosed within the woollen shred by 

 which a branch was fastened to the wall, the young Fig issuing 

 therefrom was subsequently generally forwarder and stronger 

 than others on the same branch which were exposed. From 

 this he was led to believe, that if the fruit-bearing part of the 

 branch was wholly enclosed in some slight covering during 

 the severe part of the winter, its produce would probably be 

 preserved from the injurious effects of frost, and the future 

 growth of the fruit materially accelerated. He consequently 

 adopted a plan of covering, which proved successful. The 

 materials which Mr. Swayne has used, and found to be most 

 proper for the purpose, are old newspapers ; they are thin 

 enough to admit a portion of light, which he considers to be 

 of importance, and by being fabricated of lint or cotton, which 

 are bad conductors of heat, they so far resist the cutting blasts 

 and cold of the winter nights. Printed, he conceives, is better 

 than plain, paper for the purpose; for having a considerable 



