TOWN EDITION.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2104, 19 December 1879, Page 2

TOWN EDITION.

substitute foe glass FEAMES. The Irish Farmers ‘ Gazette ’ prints the following:—“ If Gardeners and others will give a trial to the following plan they will find it less than onefourth the expense of glass frames, and much more useful:—Take white calico of a close texture, stretch it, and nail it on frames of any size you wish; mix loz of lime water, 4oz of linseed oil, loz of white of eggs separately, 2oz of yolks of eggs ; mix the lime and oil with a very gentle heat; beat the eggs separately and mix with the former. Spread the mixture with a paint-brush on the cloth, allowing each coat to dry before applying another until they become waterproof. The following are some of the advantages those shades possess over glassl. The cost being hardly one-fourth. 2. Eepairs are cheaply and easily made. 3. They are light; they do not require watering; no matter how intense the heat of the sun, the plants arc never struck down, faded, or checked in growth; neither do they grow up long, sickly, and weakly, as they do under glass, and still there is abundance of light. The heat entirely arises from below, and is equable and temperate, which is a great object. The vapor arises from the manure and earth, and is condensed by the cool air passing under the surface of the shade, and hangs in drops upon the inside, therefore the plants do not require so frequent watering. If the frames or stretchers are made large they should bo intersected with crossbars about one foot square to support the cloth. These frames are also well adapted for bringing forward flowers in season. For forcing melons, tomatoes, vegetables, Ac., this prepared cloth is especially adapted, as it can be attached to boxes of any size, and cut to tit them. Little, though square, boxes of the proper size and height ‘covered with this prepared cloth, can be placed over the beds in which roots and seeds are planted, and the plants allowed to stand

without transplanting until all danger of frost is over, when the boxes may be taken off, and placed carefully away for another season.’ Upon the same subject the Kansas Farmer says: v ‘Cotton cloth covers, although not so good for the earliest beds, are prepared for all later ones. Make cloth covers a few inches wider and longer than the frame, hemmed and provided with small curtain rings 15 inches apart around the border, stoutly sewed on, and by hooking over nails the cloth is drawn airtight over the frame. One quart of linseed oil, loz of pulverised sugar of lead, and 4oz of pulverised rosin are heated, dissolved and thoroughly mixed in an iron kettle, and one coat applied while hot to the upper side of the cloth. This renders it tight and nearly transparent.