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VII. Account of a Protecting Frame for Fruit Trees on 

 Walls. In a Letter to the Secretary. By Mr. John 

 Dick, Gardener to The Right Honourable William 

 Trotter, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, at Ballindean in 

 Perthshire. 



Read February 21, 1826. 



Sir, 



In compliance with your request, I have sent a drawing of 

 my new Protecting Frame for Fruit trees on Walls, which 

 both keeps the fruit when ripe from being destroyed by wasps 

 and flies or birds, and also preserves the blossoms in spring 

 from frost, and so insures a crop of fruit. 



As the references to the drawing explain sufficiently all the 

 details of the construction, I need not repeat them here, but 

 will only give directions, first, for using the frame in spring for 

 preserving the blossoms, and afterwards, for its application in 

 summer and autumn for the protection of the ripening fruit. 



When the frame is put against the wall, whatever kind of 

 fruit-tree it is destined to cover, it should be placed as close 

 to the wall as possible without crushing the branches. The 

 frame is fixed by iron holdfasts driven into the wall, two at 

 top and twoat the bottom, also by two at each side ; these last 

 keep it steady. The cloth screen is then secured in the front 

 of the frame, so that it will run from side to side with ease as 

 may be required. The folding facing at the bottom of the 

 frame is then turned up and fastened. The screen may be 

 drawn open in fine days, but if the weather is frosty, it is 

 better to keep it close, as the cloth is so thin that plenty of 



