THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— November 4, ISoG. 
71 ) 
part of tlie tree. These front sashes should also bo on 
hiuges, in order that they may be propped open to any 
extent, and thus a free circulation of air bo secured, and 
increased or diminished at pleasure. The whole of the 
interior should be painted or coloured white, that the 
greatest possible quantity of light may be reflected amongst 
the foliage. 
It may be urged that the entire closing of the frame, and 
the consequent introduction of ventilation, will add to the 
trouble of management; but the additional advantages 
gained by these arrangements are so obvious as to destroy 
at once any objections made against the trifling labour of 
opening and closing the small sashes, and the board at the 
back. I admire the original idea so much that I wish to seo 
it worked out perfect and complete in all its parts, so that 
the plan may do away in a great measure with the necessity 
of constructing walls for the cultivation of these fruits, as 
they are much more expensive, and, as I have stated, do not 
answer the desired end. This induces me to urge the pro¬ 
priety of a slight additional outlay to that which was proposed 
in the original plan, and thus make it twice as serviceable. 
When completed, the Peach-frame, if I may so call it, will 
have every advantage possessed by a Peach-house, excepting 
artificial heat; and as the trees are not designed for forcing, 
the rays of the sun will supply all the heat that is required. 
If it be desired to take advantage of the warm, sunny days 
in spring, to start the trees somewhat earlier than they 
would naturally break, the roof should be provided with 
shutters, or a roll of canvass or matting, to assist in retaining 
the heat which has been accumulated during the day, and 
especially to exclude cold spring frosts. If canvass or light 
tarpauling be adopted, it may be made to work very easily 
by nailing one edge to the upper end of the lights, and the 
other to a light roller of a convenient length. A cord of 
sufficient strength must be nailed to the woodwork, near 
each of the upper corners of the canvass, and after passing 
under and returning over it, the ends of the two cords 
should be tied together at the back of the frame ; by pulling 
these ends the piece of canvass or tarpauling will be drawn 
up and secured in much less time than I have taken to 
Section of Proposed Plan oe Protected Trellises. 
A. Uprighls with the bottoms unsawn. 
B. Top sash. 
C. Front sash. 
J). Ventilator at back on hinges. 
E. Row of Drain-bricks to convey water to gratings. 
F. Soil, 18 inches deep. 
G. ltubble for Drainage. 
11. Gravel. 
I. Drains. 
describe it. The length of each roller may be from 18 to 
28 feet, according to the weight of the material employed 
for covering. 
Another advantage gained by entirely closing the frames 
is, the facility which is thereby nft'orded for fumigating 
aphides, which are so troublesome to our Peaches on walls, 
and where the easiest method of getting rid of them is by 
means of the engine. These pests visit Peach-trees during 
the gardener's busiest season, and are in consequence very 
liable to be neglected, or, if the matter be attended to in 
proper time, the means employed are of so clumsy a de¬ 
scription, and the operator, in his zeal, uses so much 
physical force, that the leaves are injured more by the 
engine than they are by the insects; in fact, the cure is 
worse than the disease. 
It is true that one suggestion leads to another, ad in¬ 
finitum, aud the desire of making the protected trellis as 
perfect as possible leads us to the consideration that with 
all the improvements proposed above, it is still deficient in 
point of durability. Up to the present time it lias been 
proposed to construct the whole of the framework of wood ; 
but it is an established fact that, in the long run, it is very 
much cheaper to use iron instead of wood wherever it is 
within the influence of causes which hasten decay, and 
especially where it is placed in contact with the earth. The 
old adage, that “ what is worth doing at all is worth doing 
well,” is doubly true in this case, as the effects of the decay 
would just begin to show themselves, by the rickety state of 
the framework, about the time that the trees had arrived at 
their greatest perfection,—when they had covered the trellis 
with healthy, fruitful wood. To avoid such an annoying 
state of things, I would at least suggest the use of iron 
uprights, leaded into unhewn blocks of stone immediately 
beneath the surface of the soil; and those who would carry 
out this principle with still greater spirit would also employ 
rafters and wall-plates of iron. The uprights should have 
on each of the two sides a plain groove, about three-quarters 
of an inch wide and an inclt deep, commencing at the 
ground lino, and continuing within twelve inches of the top, 
which twelve inches should consist of a plain rabbet. The 
groove is to receive the boards which are to 
close the hack; and to retain them in then- 
places, they must he secured by wedges. The 
rabbet is intended to form a frame for the 
topmost board, which is to be hung on binges, 
to serve as a ventilator. 
The accompanying sketch will show that I 
attach great importance to securing a free 
passage for the water, by laying a drain at 
back and front, by giving tin; border a good 
slope, and by keeping a considerable portion 
of it entirely above the ground level. To this 
end, also, a row of grooved bricks should be 
laid along the front, to receive the rain which 
falls on the roof, and convey it immediately 
to the drain, without allowing it the chance 
of penetrating into the border. For the sake 
of neatness as well as convenience, a good 
gravel path should he constructed both at 
hack and front; and as there is ample space 
for the roots within the frame, this is perfectly 
practicable, and is also an advantage, inas¬ 
much as the rubble used in filling the drains 
and forming the walks, in connection with the 
stratum beneath, prevents the indulgence of 
the natural tendency which the roots have of 
seeking their way into the soil either adjoining 
or beneath them. — ( Horticultural Society's 
Journal.) 
STRAWBERRIES IN FOUR-INCH ROTS. 
Considering the many good articles on Strawberry culture 
which we read in mostly all journals, one might think that 
the question was fairly settled; and so it is with regard to 
out door culture; for a deep, loamy soil, enriched with manure, 
and an annual top dressing in autumn for the benefit of 
the surface-roots, which the Strawberry is continually in the 
habit of producing, form the basis of a good Strawberry 
culture, and nobody doubts these points. But there are 
different opinions with regard to the size of the pots in 
which they are to he fruited, some people saying that (24’s) 
8-inch pots ought to he used, others 32 s, and a third 
set sayRiat it has now been fully proved that 48 s, or 4 inch 
pots, are the proper size, and that larger pots than these 
occupy needlessly so much space and trouble. This is all 
very good, but we should not he falling from one extreme 
into another; and to produce a good crop of Strawberries in 
