"Np
if
resovtod to in tho Netherlands. Cow-hair netting is cheaper than woollen netting, hut
not quite so good.
1968. Wall-tree nails are of sevcrai sorts; but tlic principal arc, the small cast-iron
nail, in most common use with lists ; the flat-headed wrought-iron nail, used cither witli
lists, loops of cord, or m a t; and the eyed cast-iron nail (fig. 643.), used with small
pieces of spray, dried willow-twigs, or mat ties, as in trcllis-
s.t.a training. The chief adTantage of this last is its not being so
liable to lodge the lai-vte of insects as the nails which are used
with lists ; and that, being oncc driven, it never rcqnu-es rc-
movai, or occasions the injury of the wall, as the branches
may be loosened, or altered, by merely taldng out the slips of
spray, or cutting the mat-ties. {Caled. Mem., vol. iii.) Some
gardeners, instead of using nails, drive an iron stud {fig. 544.)
into all the horizontal joints of the brickwork, at the distance
of ten feet from ono another, with tho hole in the stud standing
out half an inch from the face of the wall. Through these
lioles copper wires are tightly stretched from one end of the waU to the otiier, and to
this wire the branches are tied ivith slircds of matting.
19C9. Wall-tree lists are marginal ends or shreds of broadcloth cut into lengths ot
from two and a half to four inches, and from one half to one inch in breadth, according
to the size of the shoots, &c. Thoir grand disadvantage is the harboming of insects, for
wliich some havo substituted sirreds of leather with advantage, and others recommend
steeping tho shreds in a mixture of siUphur and soap-suds ; or better, in tbat of corrosive
sublimate, recommended for preserving di'ied specimens of plants. The colours of
black, scarlet, and reddish-brown arc the best for lists, as contrasting well with vegetation.
1970. Wickerwork covers of various kinds are used for the protection of plants.
Hurdles, or panels, may be an-anged so as to form sides and a ro o f; hurdles may be
placed against walls ; or covers may be worked of particular shapes to fit a bed or group.
1971. Straw mats, or mats formed from reeds, arc very generally used as a protecting
cover on the Continent, and foimd there much cheaper than bast mats. In general, they
are formed by gai-deners for themselves in the following manner :— A n oblong square
is formed by fom- laths, along the two ends of which {fig. 545. a a) are driven as many
nails as it is wished ta have binding cords (b) ; six of these cords arc generally used in
a mat four inches wide. The cords are of tarred rope yarn, and the straws or reeds arc
laid on them in handfuls, and are bound to the longitudinal cords hy other small cords,
also of tan-ed rope yarn. For greater convenience, the cords used for tying arc made
up iu little balls (c). Mats of this kind are better made by two men than by one man ;
aud by placing the frame on a raised bank or bench, than by placing it on the ground,
and obliging the man to stoop. Wheat straw is best, and next that of rye.
S u b s e c t . 3. Ai'ticles o f Preparation.
1972. The prepared materials used in gardening are numerous : wc shall merely enumerate
props, ties, covering materials, gravel, sand, cinders, lime, and straw.
1973. Props fo r plants arc of two kinds, rods or poles, and spray.
Rods vary fr'om six inches to six feet or upwards in length, tapering to a point, and
thick ill proportion. F o r small plants in pots, and for delicate bulbous roots, as
hyacinths, small splinters of lath, dressed with a knife or small plane, arc the best ; and
for hyacinths and florists’ flowers in general, they should be painted gi-ccn : for botanical
plants, however, this may, in some cases, appear too formal. For hardy plants and
climbing shmbs, young shoots or poles of liazel or ash from copscwoods are the most
suitable ; tlicy should, in general, be straight, and tapering to a point ; and as delicate as
the weight of the plant, and the exposure of the situation, will admit. The side shoots
of these props should, in most cases, he cut off ; but in others, as in propping tho dahlia,
&c., it is desfrable to have some lateral studs, from tlircc to eight inches long, near
the top, so as to spread out the head. In lieu of this, several props are sometimes used,
placed in the form of au inverted pyi’amid or cone, or of a re ^ ila r prism. One prop,
however, judiciously managed, will generally be found sufficient. In no case should
the bark be removed, because its natural tint is less glaring, and therefore preferable to
that of peeled wood, and also because it preserves better the texture of the wood. In
order that they may last several years, they should be cut in mid-winter, and the thick
end pointed and chan-ed by bui*ning, or dipped in boiling pitch. The elegant propping
of plants deserves the particular attention of the young gardener, as it is frequently done
ill so slovenly a manner as greatly to detract from the order and neatness which ought
to reign in most descriptions of gardens. In pleasure-grounds or picturesque scenes,
trees and shrubs should, in generd, prop themselves, or each other ; but in flower and
botanic gardens, flower-borders, greenhouses, &c., the gi-eatest degree of art and high-
keeping, and a sort of drilled polish, easier felt than described, ought always to prevail.
In all that respects this part of gai-dcning, the Fi'ciich and Germans greatly excel the
English, who ai-e herein too apt to look at the end, without regarding the means.
1974. O f iron stakes (figs. 546. to 554.) there arc a great variety
both of cast and malleable metal. Figs. 546. and 547. show the
application of flat wi-ought-fron stakes and wires to the support of
peas or other annual plants. Each stake is twisted cold at the
point (a) just above the sm-face of the ground to an angle of
00°, by which means it opposes its flat face to the earth in which
it is stuck (a a), and that in the proper position to resist any
motion in the hedge sidewise. The connecting cords may be cither
of wire 01- twine ; when they are for sweet-pcas, to be soivn
every season, they may be permanent, and of wire ; but when