October 27. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
01 
them on. The first is partially guarded against liy two 
men almost lifting them off and on without sliding ; and 
perfectly so by tacking laths on the sides of the sashes 
in the winter months, to be removed in summer. The 
second objection applies equally to mats, unless in very 
quiet weather; at least, two persons manage them best. 
Unless the sashes are large, one man can put the cover 
on, and take them off; but two can slap on a score or 
two with a rapidity and safety that would make the 
mat lovers, with all their securing and fastening, stare 
again. 
There are, however, other things, that without the 
assistance of frames we would prefer to mats. Fric/i- 
domo I have had no experience of; but some of my 
friends, as well as some public societies, speak very 
highly of it. it is manufactured by Mr. Archer, 451, 
New Oxford Street, London, in widths of about two 
yards, at Is. (id. the running-yard ; the square-yard, 
therefore, being about Od. Being made of wool and hair 
its non-conducting properties may be relied on. When 
Mr. Beaton next goes to what he calls our own garden, 
he may tell how it acts there, and the years it is likely 
to last. It will be seen the price is the same as the felt, 
while you can have the latter cut or made to any size. 
There can bo no question that the Friiji is far superior 
to the Russian mat. 
Then there is strong, coarse canvass-cloth to be got, 
from fid. to Od. per yard, that would last longer, and 
give you little of the litter of mats. Some years ago, we 
had some strong, transparent, waterproofed sheeting, 
from Mr. Richardson, 21, Tunbridge Place, New Road, 
London, nearly two yards wide, at Is. the running-yard. 
This, it will be perceived, is little more than one-fourth 
beyond the present price of mats. When either raised 
above the glass, or with some porous substance beneath 
it, it kept out much cold, because the glass was kept 
dry. The same maker has a thick canvass at about 
double the price. Altogether, it lasted with us several 
years, but it was liable to crack from extremes of tempe¬ 
rature. I believe, though I cannot yet speak experi¬ 
mentally, that a stout calico, or sacking-cloth, fixed to a 
frame in summer, and painted then, with a mixture of 
tar and oil, would make a valuable covering. In all 
cases where cloth, canvass, waterproofed or otherwise, 
was used as a covering without frames, I would recom¬ 
mend, at least, one end of the pieces to be fixed to a 
roller of wood, about two-and-a-half inches in diameter, 
less or more, according to the weight of cloth it was to 
carry, and rolled on these, the covers could be safely 
carried and stowed without injury. In pits not over 
wide, you might have these rollers three feet wider than 
the glass, leaving eighteen inches, or less, at each end. 
When you have fixed the cloth at one end, then, holding 
the rest on the roller in your arm, with its end resting 
on the wall-plate behind, as you walked and made the 
roller revolve on its end, you would leave the cloth on 
the glass behind you, just as I described Mr. Russell’s 
mode of shading some time ago. A few loops, or rings, 
on the side, would enable you to fasten all very securely. 
I find the matter has already filled my space ; but to 
redeem a forgotten promise, I will describe the mode I 
adopt in making neat straw covers, as it may suit some, 
where the material is abundant, and house-labour, in 
bad weather, not over plentiful. I should prefer good 
reeds to thrashed straw, but I like wheat-straw drawn in 
the barn before it is threshed, with the heads cut oft', 
better than either; and where a person may go to their 
own barn, you may as well have the best for this 
purpose as the worst. I prefer such straw to reeds 
because it is finer. I prefer it to thrashed straw, because 
the tubes of the straw are not bruised and split by the flail, 
so as to make them receptacles for moisture, and because, 
the ears being gone, there is little inducement for birds 
to go a picking and tearing of thorn. I have had drawn 
! straw that stood well for four years; undrawn seldom 
lasted above two years. Of course, if the frameworks 
were good, they were equally serviceable lor a fresh 
filling with straw, and then the fresh straw, a few nails 
and string, and the labour, was all the cover cost the 
second time. The wood used was small trees of elm, not 
because 1 preferred it, for it is about the worst for the 
purpose, but because I could (jet it. Reckoning the 
value of such timber at about lOd. per solid foot, the 
expense of sawing into three quarter-inch boards, at 3s. 
; per 100 square feet; the expense of straw at Od. per 
truss, a truss making more than two covers six feet by 
four; the value of nails and string, and the labourers’ 
time and making each cover of the above size, would 
cost about 3s., perhaps a penny or two over; but then 
that cover would be as serviceable as a double mat, 
stretched on a frame, and as good a safeguard against 
frost as those lying on the surface of the glass, while, in 
renewing them, besides labour in bad weather, tho chief 
expense would be about 3d. or 4d. for the straw, even in 
dear seasons like these. 
The following is the simple mode adopted, say for 
a cover six feet by four. Three pieces are cut out 
the requisite length, and about three inches broad. 
I have said the wood is three-quarters-of-an-inch 
thick. Two of these are placed at the necessary 
distance from each other, so as to form the sides of 
the cover, and it is essential that the outsides of 
these bo quite straight, so that one goes close to an¬ 
other, when covers are placed side by side. The 
other third piece goes in the middle. Care being 
taken tliat these arc placed square, and at equal dis¬ 
tances. Seven cross-pieces four feet in length, and from 
onc-and-a-quartcr to one-and-a-half inches broad, are 
nailed on tho three longitudinal ones, one at each end, 
and the other five at equal distances, in the space 
between. The cover is then reversed, the side having 
the cross pieces being placed downwards. Some good 
| straw is then shaken longitudinally, so regularly, that 
I no ends protrude beyond these cross-pieces, and then 
enough is shaken on, regularly, by mixing tops and 
bottoms, until when squeezed firmly together, the straw 
will be fully three-quarters-of-an-iuch thick. This done, 
I used to fasten down the straw with other transverse 
pieces opposite to the others, but I found two incon¬ 
veniences from this. First, the cover was made heavier, 
and, therefore, exerted more strain on the three longi¬ 
tudinal pieces, when moving the cover; and, secondly, 
these trausverse pieces on tho upper side prevented the 
rain going freely off. We now, therefore, use only two 
transverse pieces on the upper side, one at top, and one 
at bottom. The straw is fastened down opposite the 
other five transverse pieces with cord or rope yarn, 
fixed by a tack to the side piece, then to the middle 
piece, and then to the third longitudinal piece. 
As however tightly this cord be drawn, the straw 
between the longitudinal pieces would be apt to get loose 
and baggy in the middle, on each of these transverse 
I strings, and at equal distances from the longitudinal 
i pieces, four pieces of small cord are placed over the 
string, taken through the straw, and firmly tied round 
j the transverse pieces of wood opposite. To prevent 
J chaffing there, a slight mark is made with the saw on 
these transverse pieces, aud in these the cord is em- 
! bedded. The upper side is then dressed, aud looks not 
I only nice and smooth, but by means of this system of 
! tying is held firm and secure. It will be seen, that the 
■ cross-pieces of wood below keep the straw at a uniform, 
safe, and beneficial distance from the glass. When the 
cover is thus finished, and the season of tho year is 
such that there is hope of its being quickly dried, the 
upper surface, straw, and strings especially, are brushed j 
over with thin tar, and over that is then thrown some 1 
dry saw dust—all that does not adhere being shaken olf 
