104 



GARDEN WALLS. 



Fig. 110. 



Fig. 111. 





Lot 









distances. 



the "Gardeners' Magazine," (vol. ii. p. 431,) 

 of which the annexed cuts are a repre- 

 sentation. To these rafters may be at- 

 tached, and covered with glass sashes, 

 supported at the bottom on a plinth of 

 stone or portable framing of timber. Fig. 



110 shows the stone 

 block to be built in 

 the wall; fig. Ill the 

 top of the wall with 

 the block in its place, 

 and the end of the 

 rafter inserted into 

 it, and kept in its 

 place by an iron bolt. 

 The coping is shown 

 as throwing the rain 

 water to the back of 

 the wall, into a groove 

 cut in the stone, from 

 whence it is taken 

 away by small leaden 

 pipes placed at proper 

 The wall is built hollow, and 

 heated by hot-water pipes. 



Referring again to the " Magazine of 

 Botany," we find that the plants on the 

 conservative wall at Chatsworth are 

 covered " in winter with canvass curtains 

 suspended from an iron rod placed be- 

 neath a movable wooden coping, and fas- 

 tened at the bottom, at short distances, by 

 means of rings and hooks. The hooks 

 are fixed to a board about 10 inches 

 broad, which runs along the bottom, and 

 is attached by hinges to a framework 

 firmly set in the ground. When the cur- 

 tains are drawn back the board lies partly 

 over the border with the hooks towards 

 the earth, and makes a convenient path 

 to stand upon whilst dressing the trees. 

 The curtains are opened and closed by 

 cords moving on pulleys: in the day- 

 time they are neatly drawn up and se- 

 cured to the projecting buttresses. There 

 are two to each compartment — hence, to 

 cover the wall, these meet in the middle ; 

 and as one curtain is provided with eyelet 

 holes, and the other with rings to pass 

 through them, they are readily fastened 

 together by running a cord through each 

 of the rings from the top to the bottom 

 of the wall. The whole, except the board 

 into which the hooks are driven, can be 

 entirely removed in summer." 



Dick's protecting frame may be consi- 

 dered as a species of conservative wall, 



Fig. 112. 



the intention of the inventor being to 

 preserve not only the blossom in early 

 spring from the effects of frost, but also 

 the fruit when ripe from the attacks of 

 flies, birds, and wasps. A figure and full 

 description of it will be found in the 

 "Transactions of the Horticultural So- 

 ciety of London," and also in our " Prac- 

 tical Gardener." It is most effective in 

 principle, but by far too complicated in 

 its construction to give it superiority over 

 other modes of protection of simpler 

 forms. 



Fig. 112 represents a more simple and 

 effective method, well suited for pro- 

 tecting half-hardy plants 

 trained against a wall. 

 Stone blocks a are set 

 in the ground 10 feet 

 apart, and 3 feet from the 

 wall, perforated at the 

 top to receive iron dowels 

 or studs 1 inch in diame- 

 ter and 3 inches long, 

 which are fastened to the 

 end of an upright rafter 4 

 inches square, and, by 

 means of a mitred joint, 

 continued in a sloping direction from the 

 top of the upright part of the rafter to the 

 wall, to which it is secured by being 

 screwed to brackets permanently fixedinto 

 the top of the wall. A 3-inch batten is 

 fastened to the ends of the rafters close to 

 the wall, and another, 6 inches by 3, set 

 edgeways, to the ends of the sloping part 

 farthest from it, having 1^-inch ties 

 between them, placed over the uprights; 

 to these, patent asphalte roofing felt is 

 secured in autumn, and left on until all 

 danger of frost in spring is past, forming 

 a roof perfectly water-tight. Along the 

 front of the upright part of the rafters, 

 close to their bottom, is fixed a flooring 

 board b, of the usual size ; to the 6-inch 

 batten is nailed thin semi-transparent 

 canvass which reaches to the bottom 

 board, and is there furnished with small 

 brass rings 3 or 4 feet asunder, which are 

 hooked on to studs fixed opposite to them 

 in the board, keeping the whole tight. 

 When it is required to open this screen 

 for the purpose of exposing the plants to 

 the air and sunshine, it is drawn up to 

 the top by means of brass rings sewn on 

 to the inner side, through which cords 

 are run in the manner often applied to 



