THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Maecd 13, 1860. 
365 
frequently been entirely cut up, whilst the protected ones have 
escaped, and, therefore, if we wish to avert the self-accusation, 
that we did not do all that we could, it would be sound policy to 
resort to some mode of protection. The thorough ripening of 
the wood in autumn will be of great consequence, whether we 
protect or not. The evils generally spoken of as resulting from 
protection arise more from its abuse than its use. This season 
I consider that protection will be more necessary than usual, as 
much of the wood that otherwise would have been very first-rate, 
was greatly injured by the early severe frosts in the end of 
October. 
The most certain way to save Peach and Nectarino blossoms 
is— 
1st. To cover the wall with glass with the means of giving 
an abundance of ah’, both top and bottom; in other words, to 
make our Peach-walls iuto orchard-houses. I have lately had 
several complaints from parties who have failed in such houses; 
but in every case I have inquired into, the failure of losing the 
blossom has proceeded from using such houses as a means not 
of protecting , but of forwarding the blossom, and then having no 
extra means of keeping the frost out, the blossom was injured 
because it was too forward. To render such unheated and un¬ 
covered houses as serviceable as possible, the glass in the months 
of February and March, until the blossoms are fully expanded, 
should be used as a retarder instead of an accelerator. If plenty 
of air is left on, this will be the case even in very bright weather, 
for if you place a thermometer on the wall with glass some six or 
eight or more feet in front of it, and abundance of air on, and 
another thermometer on an open wall, the latter will rise the 
highest. The sensations of warmth by placing your hand on 
each respectively, will demonstrate the same fact. I am speaking 
of both walls in sunshine. To neutralise the strength of the 
sun’s rays still farther, the glass in very bright weather might be 
dulled with a sprinkling of whitening water. The longer in such 
circumstances the buds can be delayed opening, the safer they 
will be. When once open, of course, they will like all the light 
you can give them ; but if very bright days should succeed some 
dull ones, a slight shade, such as a net would give, would be 
useful, and air must be managed more carefully than when the 
weather is duller, and warmer behind the sun. Shutting up such 
a house by three to four o’clock in the afternoon, when there is a 
likelihood of frost, will enclose a body of air tolerably warm. 
The wall will also give out a considerable amount of heat during 
the night; and even if before morning a few degrees of frost 
should find entrance, they will do little or no harm, because the 
air inside will be moderately dry and still. A full exposure to a 
drifting, dry, frosty east wind, is what does most mischief. These 
houses, thanks to Mr. Rivers, are now multiplying every day. 
Success greatly depends on keeping the plants back as much as 
possible. The accelerating, if desired, must take place by dimi¬ 
nishing the amount of air after the fruit is set and swelling. If 
plenty of air is left on at all times, no better plan than orchard- 
houses could be devised for having late fruit coming in after 
those on the open walls -were over. 
2ndly. The second best mode in my opinion, is to cover the 
wall with strong calico-sheeting or bunting. If there is an extra 
coping to the wall—say, of wood, a foot in width every spring, 
all the better. Poles with one end fixed to this coping just, 
beneath it, and the other end fixed in the border, four feet or so 
from the wall, and six or nine feet the one from the other, will 
keep the calico, &c., a good distance from the trees. This stout, 
thick covering must be made to be moveable, either to be pulled 
up to the top of the wall and fixed there, or made to draw from 
side to side with rings on rods, or to pull up and down with 
pullies. In very exposed places I should let the cover rest on 
pins a foot long, fixed in the poles two feet from the ground. At 
night, or in severe weather, the pullies would draw the cloth 
up to the top of the wall, and the end of the pulley-string being 
fixed, the cloth could not get away. The most general plan, 
however, is, to pull the cloth to the top of the wall. Where 
poles cannot be got, I have used sash-lines held tight by means 
of a short post inserted in the ground, the other end being 
fastened to the coping. The stronger and stouter the covering 
material, the more the necessity for being able to move it easily. 
Much the same principle must be applied in its use as in that of 
the ^lass-covered wall or orchard-house. Strong calico, un¬ 
bleached, about five feet and a half in width, used to be purchased 
for from 5 cl. to Gd. per lineal yard. Through this a fair amount 
of light will pass, and when held moderately tight, little moisture 
will pass through it to the trees. At first, as hinted above, it 
should be used as a retarder. Supposing that the young shoots 
have been unnailed early in winter, they will be less excited 
in warm days. When, however, they show signs of swelling, 
they should be pruned and nailed, or tied, as the case may be, 
after being washed, to bury or remove any eggs of insects. Then 
is the time to get the covering up. The more the buds are re¬ 
tarded after this, provided they be not weakened, the better. 
Keep the covering on, therefore, in sunny days, and uncover in cold 
nights, if not extra frosty. If the thermometer out of doors did 
not fall more than 6° or so below the freezing-point, 1 should 
prefer at this stage, that the covering should be oil’. If above 
that, I should put it on, as I have had buds beginning to swell, 
blacked to the core, with from 8° to 12° frost. If the next day 
is sunny, in either case keep the covering on so that the wall 
trees shall not be heated so as to excite them into expansion. This 
plan not only delays the opening of the buds, and, therefore, 
gives them the chance of longer days, and more genial weather 
when in bloom; but it also provides for a reciprocal action 
between roots and branches, as the warm sunny days will have 
liberty to warm the earth, while it is not permitted unduly to 
heat the wall. If the spring is bright, the wall, if exposed, gets 
immoderately hot, and expands the blossoms before there is any 
root action, and blossoms frequently drop- from this cause, as 
well as from being exposed to frost. 
As soon as, notwithstanding our retarding care, the bloom 
gets expanded, we must change our tactics. As the nights are 
apt to be uncertain, it will be safest to cover every night. In 
mild weather uncover the first thing in the morning. In frosty 
mornings uncover only when the sun has mastered the frost— 
say from 9 to 10 o’clock. In cold frosty days, with little sun, 
and the wind dry and parching from the east, keep covered all 
day. Even in bright days, with an east wind little above 
freezing, I would keep covered, or merely pull up, beginning at 
one end of the wall, and then letting down again by the time the 
other end was reached. If the weather is mild and didl, uncover. 
If mild, and after such dull weather a day comes very bright, the 
trees will be all the better for being covered for an hour at 
mid-day. A little thought to avoid extremes will pay for the 
extra care. Woollen netting is a good material for protection ; 
but if the meshes are from a quarter to three-eighths of an inch 
wide they will need to be used in the same way, as, though good 
for protection against frost, they would impede rather too much 
the light if kept on constantly. 
The third best mode is to have a lighter material, fixed, and 
with occasion to move it but seldom. In this list I would com¬ 
prise woollen netting, with square meshes ranging from half an 
inch to one inch ; Nottingham thread lace netting, with ever so 
many small holes to the inch, and which will exclude everything 
in the shape of flies, and, as the openings are so small, will also 
prevent much moisture from heavy rains reaching the trees; and 
double-twine netting from the size of half an inch square for the 
meshes. The two first I prefer; and either will keep out from 
4° to 6° or more degrees of frost. The Nottingham thread lace 
netting I like best of all for a fixture, as it lets in enough light, 
and just blunts its force sufficiently in very bright days. If put 
on early it also tends to keep the blossom back. Hexagon 
netting, advertised so frequently, is much the same; and various 
qualities as to texture, and consequently price, are to be obtained. 
At different times I have had pieces from Roden & Co., of Not¬ 
tingham, for from 23.?. and onwards—which would do for forty 
yards of a twelve-foot wall. Being so thin, it requires to be 
fastened to the coping with tape along the edges. All these are 
most effectual when supported at the distance of several feet from 
the wall and trees. The same fact applies to straw hurdles, 
wattled hurdles, hurdles of green spruce or laurel, &c., all of 
which answer well wdien there is time to attend to the moving of 
them. I think least of common fish netting. Even when of 
several thicknesses it does not do much in excluding a sharpish 
frost. It is invaluable for mellowing the force of the sun’s rays 
in bright weather. 
Supposing that poles are used, I have also found straw ropes 
fastened along them at a foot apart a good protection ; the ropes 
being made rough, so that the straw was left with its ends well 
out when twisting. The straws left out fastened by their end 
made a sort of open network of straw between the bands; and if 
a common net were hung over all, the straw would be prevented 
blowing about. In all such cases a good wide coping is a great 
advantage. In fact, with a moveable coping a yard wide, I have 
known trees pass uninjured from frost for years. The direct- 
radiation of heat from the wall was arrested. 
