January 30. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 331 
not without many exceptions, that a young moon 
appears in coincidence with the coldest temperature in 
the evening; while a waning moon coincides with the 
coldest temperature in the morning. I also know some 
instances in which severe weather was so surely calcu¬ 
lated upon in January, that it was deemed better to 
defer forcing until it was past. A week’s difference in 
the time of ripening making a very great difference in 
the expense of fuel, when that has to be procured at a 
considerable distance from canal and railway. 
ICE WELLS. 
There will he a scarcity of huge bricklayers hills for 
building these in the times that are coming. One of 
the best houses I ever met with for keeping icc was 
built with stone in a steep bank, the stone covered with 
the earth removed. The roof was thatched, and then 
covered thickly with heath. The opening looked to the 
south, and was merely double doors without passage. 
You merely opened the two doors, jumped down, and 
got the ico out as quickly as possible. In filling, the carts 
drove right up to the door, and the contents were at 
once emptied. The most of the huge egg-shaped wells, 
deemed so suitable for the purpose, are just great bores. 
I havo a large one under my care, which will generally 
hold enough for two seasons. I have long given up 
salting the ice, or having straw round or over it. 
Independently of other experience, and much observa¬ 
tion, the melting of the ice in that well has long shown 
me the impropriety of sinking these wells deep, and 
thus bringing the ice in contact with a warmer stratum 
of earth. Even in the “dog days” of summer, wheu 
the house is frequently open, the ice sinks little until it 
gets a few feet below the ground level; but then, even 
at the end of October, and during November, it gives 
way at the sides rapidly. When packed at the sides 
with straw, there was but little difference as to the 
wasting, and all the bother of' trying to get the filthy 
matter out when rotted. 
The only reason, now , why these costly wells should 
be filled at all, is just because they are there, and the 
trouble is saved of making a heap on a sloping bank, 
and thatching it well over. Any one may have the 
luxury of ice for most of the summer by packing up a 
good-sized cone in such a place so that the water may 
ooze away easily, and then thatching it over with from 
two to three feet or more of non-conducting-of-heat- 
material. First-rate directions for this process have been 
given by Mr. Beaton and others in this work. 
Several cases of failure have come under my obser¬ 
vation, but in almost every instance I have seen or heard 
of, the failure was owing to extra care—not in smashing, 
pounding, and packing the ice—hut in placing something 
like a fixed roof over it. Whatever theory may say, 
practice would seem to affirm, that a thorough thatching 
of materials that yielded and kept pretty close to the ice 
as it shrunk into smaller dimensions was the best for 
keeping it from melting away. As just now there is 
plenty of ice and snow,—and as ice is not only a luxury, 
but most useful, in a medical point of view, in those fevers 
which often afflict even our villages,—many of our 
farmers and amateurs may wish to have a cave of ice 
not far from their own residences. Snow is just inferior 
to the best ice. because it does not go quite so compactly 
together. The best mode is to roll it into huge balls, 
and this compresses it, and then wheeled or carted to 
the mound, well pounded, and a little water added to 
increase its solidity, it will be difficult to find any 
difference between it and fresh water ice when taken 
out for use. There is something so exciting in getting 
these huge balls rolled, that you may calculate upon 
every young urchin within reach giving a helping hand. 
PROTECTING PLANTS. 
The whole theory and practice of this has frequently 
been discussed. Just as last year, if the frost should 
continue any time, all outside vegetation has received 
the best of all protecting mantles. It requires a very 
severe and long-continued frost to penetrate through a 
good covering of snow. This is chiefly owing to two 
reasons: the white colour of the snow prevents it either 
absorbing or radiating heat freely; and the looseness 
with which the feathery-like particles are piled upon 
each other encloses such a body of air, that it becomes a 
good non-conductor of heat;—in other words, the heat in 
the soil is prevented escaping into the atmosphere. 
Wherever, therefore, the temperature is so low, be it in 
cold pits, or cool greenhouses—say a few degrees under 
40° rather than above it—the plants will not be injured 
by the comparative darkness, the result of a roof being 
covered with snow; while, however severe the weather, 
they will obtain a better defence than a multitude of 
littery mats could give. An amateur not long ago 
called our attention to his getting the snow removed 
from a range of cold pits, that he might put more mats 
on to keep out the cold. The three inches of snow was 
a better protection than three or four mats ; and if the 
plants were not growing much before, and if the tempe¬ 
rature within ranged from 33° to 38°; and if the frost 
continued as long, they would receive no injury if the 
snow covered them up for a month. In such circum¬ 
stances care must be taken that the enemy did not steal 
in through the back and front walls. Where linings are 
not used, nothing is better for such a purpose than a 
thin layer of straw tied neatly to the walls. I have, in 
extreme cases, before now, where litter was next to im¬ 
possible to be had, and the frost intense, been glad to throw 
quantity of snow against the walls to keep them warm. 
It is all very well for our somewhat poetic tradesmen to 
tell us of the miraculous virtues of Frigi domo, asphalte 
felts, &c.; but it would require several layers of Frigi, 
and, very likely, some litter between them, to keep out 
the frost from a cold pit and the external air, some 15° 
below the freezing point. 
The great advantage of loose, dry litter is that every 
unbruised tube is full of air, and every interstice between 
the particles of that litter is, also, full of air, and, there¬ 
fore, presents us with air so far confined as to be a non¬ 
conducting body. Of course, whenever you have a 
sufficient heat within to cause elongation, such as from 
50° to 55°, and upwards, it would not be safe to allow the 
covers to remain on during the day, unless the day was 
particularly cold and stormy, as the consequence would 
be w'eak and sickly growth. Even in the case of a 
Radish-bed, or a l?otato-bed, where the plants are above 
ground, and the temperature from 45°, and upwards, 
uncovering would be necessary as a general practice; but 
if frost was likely to be continuous, and there were several 
inches of snow over the covering, and no sun inviting 
the imprisoned things to look at him, then the covering 
might remain on for several days, and all danger from 
damping and drawdng avoided, by merely lifting up the 
sashes behind for an inch or so, during the warmest 
part of the day, just as long as the air admitted did not 
sink the inside temperature undesirably low. I am thus 
minute in these little matters, because many anxious 
amateurs give themselves much needless trouble, and 
put themselves, at times, to expense that might have 
been avoided. No plant will suffer in a temperature 
not so low as to injure it, but low enough to keep it 
torpid, and its vital powors inactive, though shut out from 
sun and air for a considerable length of time. I have 
frequently had Geraniums, Calceolarias, &c., covered up 
in a cold pit for a whole month, and not a bit the worse 
for it; just because they could not grow. In all cases, 
the change in the weather should precede uncover¬ 
ing ; a slight shade for a day or two will be desirable, 
as sudden changes to plants, especially under artificial 
treatment, are hurtful. 
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