THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— August 1:1, 1850. 
351 
fornian Ceanotliuses prove to be hardy near London. It is 
only requisite that they should not he placed in soil which 
keeps them growing till late in the year, hut that their wood 
.should he well ripened. In the Botanical Magazine, Sir 
Wm. Hooker, in speaking of C. rigidns, observes that—“ The 
North-west American Ceanotliuses are particularly deserving 
of cultivation in the open ground; hut it may require a 
Devonshire climate to bring them to the state in which 
they are at Dishopstowe, as just announced to me in a 
letter, dated 27th May, 185)3, of the Bishop of Exeter. ; 
‘ The Ceanothus divaricaius is now in its highest beauty : 
the largest plant is eighteen feet high, eighteen feet wide, ! 
twelve feet deep (he. from hack to front), covered* with 
thousands of the beautiful thyrsoid flowers, so that the 
leaves are hardly visible. C. rigidns blossomed about six . 
weeks ago; C. denial ns is now in full flower; C. papillosus 
is just coming into flower; C. azureus will not blossom 
before August.’ ”— {Hart, Sue. Journal.) 
A NOTE ON THE PROTECTION OF FRUIT-TREES AGAINST WALLS. 
By R. Thompson. 
With reference to the protection of Fruit-trees, it may be 
of utility to state the means employed in the late unusually 
severe weather, and the results. 
In March the nights were generally frosty; the wind 
during twenty-four days came from the north-east or east, 
dry and cold, so that vegetation was fortunately much re- 1 
tarded. In April, the wind still continued to blow from 
cold quarters, and the dryness of the air increased so that 
there was not sufficient vapour to form clouds to prevent 
the escape of heat by radiation; and the consequence was, 
that on the nights of the 19tli and 20th of April, the ther¬ 
mometer indicated, respectively, 12° and 11° below freezing. 
According to the register kept at the Garden, this was lower 
than had been registered for twenty-six years so late in 
April; and it appears from Howard's “ Climate of London," 
that so low a temperature has not occurred so late in the 
season within the last fifty years. 
Teaches and Nectarines were in full blossom at the time. 
In the end of March, coping-boards were placed along the 
wall, and also a net over half of it, and straw screens were 
placed against the trees on the other half at nights. But 
previous to the severe nights above-mentioned, the net was 
removed, and straw screens, deemed better protection, were 
substituted. These screens consisted of one length of the 
straw fixed on twine stretched between inch-square six feet 
long training-rods. The screen was kept stretched by 
placing the tops of the rods a a against nails in the wall, 
whilst the lower pointed ends were in the ground. During 
the day the screens were rolled up and laid at the bottom 
of the wall. So far as these extended, the blossoms were 
sufficiently protected; but all blossoms on the fronts of the 
shoots above them were destroyed. Some, however, that 
were on the sides of the shoots, and leaning close against 
the face of the bricks, derived as much heat from the latter 
as kept them alive. On the whole a fair crop has been 
saved. 
On the Pear walls the blossom was abundant and mostly 
expanded. Coping-boards were procured for a considerable 
portion of the walls that were originally furnished with 
brackets. In addition to tbe coping-boards a net was sus¬ 
pended in front of the trees on the east aspect; and else¬ 
where straw screens were made to project from the top of 
the wall. Under these the fruit on the upper branches 
near the straw were saved, but those towards the bottoms 
of some of the trees were much injured. With few excep¬ 
tions, however, the crop of Pears on walls will be good. 
A glazed Peach-frame was covered with mats; but, not¬ 
withstanding thi3 precaution, the blossoms were in great 
measure cut off. 
The iron and glass protecting frame by Messrs. Cottam 
and Hallen was not completed when the severe frost was 
experienced. The foliage under it is at present (June 1) 
very healthy, and does not appear checked like that exposed 
to the cold nights in the end of May. 
From what has been observed, the facts are ascertained 
that a thin straw screen will protect Peach-trees in blossom 
from the effects of twelve degrees of frost; that coping- 
boards will be sufficient for about four degrees; that a 
common net (not woollen), aided by coping-boards, 
was insufficient compared with straw screens; that 
sashes, in a nearly horizontal position, covered with 
a mat, but with a three-inch opening at the back of 
the frame, and a perforated zinc plate in front, were 
likewise insufficient, tbe Peaches suffering as much 
or more than those on the open wall with coping 
only. 
Straw having proved so efficient, probably owing 
to its being hollow, and, confining in its interior a 
quantity of air, a slow conductor of heat, it seems 
desirable that it should be manufactured so as to 
preserve, in great measure, its tubular form, and have 
a neat appearance.—( Hurt. Society's Journal.) 
Manchester and Liverpool Agricultural 
Society. —“ Unquestionably to the beneficial in¬ 
fluence of tbe Manchester and Liverpool Agricul¬ 
tural Society tbe agriculture of that part of the 
country is very largely indebted for the vast im¬ 
provements already effected in the art, and for 
tbe great progress which is evidently taking place at 
the present time. Rut the farmers themselves are 
the parties to whose skill and enterprise these 
decided improvements are mainly due. The ma¬ 
nagement and productiveness of many farms in this 
locality, though they may be equalled, are certainly 
^ not much surpassed by any in the kingdom.” So 
wro e we two years ago on another subject; and as 
the same remarks are applicable to Cheshire “ and all 
such other parts as are within thirty-five miles (in a 
direct line) of Warrington, that town being nearly in 
the centre of the district” of the Manchester and Liver¬ 
pool Agricultural Society, we have quoted the passage 
here as bearing directly upon the subject, and being 
