I 
PROFESSIONAL AND MORAL TEAIXING. 
Mr. London considered that four thicknesses of woollen netting wonld make an excellent coveiing, 
pro-s-iding that the first net was kept an inch fi-om the glass, and the next an inch apart £i-om the first,, 
with the meshes crossed, and so on. This, no doubt, woiild answer the purpose iu calm weather, but 
wind-fi'osts would unquestionably peneti'ate thi'ough many such fabrics. There is another and a 
graver objection to them : they would be exti-emely difficult to apply, though the material is the veiy 
best for the non-conducting of heat, and, consequently, the most useful for protective pmijoses — that 
which is best calculated to coniiDe and prevent the escajie of heat from hothouses having always been 
found the most effective against the ingress of fcost. The suggestion thro^^Ti out by this gi-eat and 
scientific man for keeping the covering in non-contact with the glass is excellent ; au- is a veiy bad con- 
ductor of heat, therefore a confined sti-atum, being kept between the glass and the covering, answers the 
double purpose of preventing the heat from escaping by conduction, and reflects it back into the pit or 
structure. For this reason I have used, for some years, sti'ong waterproof canvas, which, when 
properly applied — that is, supported an inch or so above the glass — wUl, for ordiuaiy purposes, answer 
every expectation. K, in severe weather, extra coveiing be found necessary, any hght material, such as 
straw or fern fi'onds, may be used. One gi'cat advantage of these covers, esiiecially in windy weather, 
is, that they are perfectly secure ; for, being fastened over at the sides, no wind -n-iU remove them, and 
we can retire to rest, feeling assm-ed that our pits and houses will not be stript of thcii- covering before 
the foUomng morning. Another advantage of tliis coveiing is, that on cold rainy nights the rain does 
not pass thi'ough them, canying away the heat as it runs down the glass, — a faidt •nith most covers. 
This sort of covering has the disadvantage of expense in the fii-st outset, but being, with proper manage- 
ment, very dm-able, it -will be found much cheaper, on an average of seven or ten years, than mats. 
The immense advantage of coveiing the roofs of houses devoted to the forcing of grapes, peaches, 
encumbers, or flowers, vdU, I feel confident, be readily admitted by those who have had to contend with 
severe frosts and strong winds, in winter and the early spring months, even if they have had a heating 
appai-atus of the best possible constmctioii. "With a pully or Uto, a roller, and a piece of strong cord, 
there is no great difficulty in using canvas for this pm-pose. Wooden shutters, made of thin deal 
boards, at a trifling cost, and hung upon moveable hinges along the fi-ont sashes, would secure the 
whole smiace of glass, which must othenvise be exposed to evei-y blast that blows. These wooden 
shutters, in my opinion, make by far the most dm-able, effective, and the cheapest coveiing for pits and 
frames of every description. They possess other advantages over canvas. Any quantity of litter or 
other material may be sti-ewn over them, in necessary cases, without pressing them in contact with the 
glass, which, if done, would give facility to the escape of heat or the ingress of frost, and place the 
glass in danger of being broken. I used, some years ago, woven straw mats ; they ai'e effectual, but 
expensive, and hj no means durable. 
Since writing the above, I have seen some of the waterproofed cloth manufactured by Mr. S. 
Yexlcy, of Morton, SuiTcy. One sample is as pliable as a glove, perfectly waterproof, and veiy sti-ong, 
and may be worked in any lengths of from ten to one hundi-ed feet. 
PROFESSIOXAL .IXD MORAL TRAINING.— Xo. I. 
HINTS ADDEESSED TO YOUNG GAEDENEES. 
By Mr. "W. P. KEA^E, Author of "The BEArriEs or ScratET." 
''■n7ITH Gardeners as vrith all other men, cii-cumstances will materially influence what is useful and 
JJ what is useless knowledge ; but, nevertheless, there are subjects, elementaiy and practical, that 
are generally, I may say universally, necessary to be learned and midei-stood by all Gardeners who 
ai-e desirous of advancing in their profession ; and these I will attempt to describe to my young readers. 
In this, my first communication, the desire of being useful prompts me to direct you, m the best 
manner I am able, how you are to proceed in acquiring useful knowledge, that is, the knowledge most 
necessaiy for your advancement in the gai-dening profession. If your school education has been 
neglected, you must fii'st make amends for that neglect. But I will presume that this has not been 
the case. Now that you have ai-rived at an age when it is your duty as well as youi- desire and interest 
to seek employment and improvement in a distant pait of the eountiy, I would sti'ongly ui-gc you to keep 
yom- eyes and ears open, in order to see and to heai- eveiything useful for yowr advancement in life. You 
have been fortunate, by the kindness of friends, to obtain employment in a place where the operations 
of Gardening are canied on m every depai-tment. You had opportunities, when at , of seeing the 
general routine of gardening work — that is, something of eveiything. Koto is yom- time to profit by 
