The Opelousas courier., 1897-01-16
EHNSC y PLANTS.

II one can IN some way afford pro
lection to the more tender towering
piants-such rs gre injured by IA slight
touch of Jack Frost-tLe beauty of the
garden will be enjoyed for q longer
period. TLis may lie accomplished by
the use Of q screen Of cheese cloth
stretched over and q little above the
beds st night time when the signs in-
dlcate frost. This thin network will
cliectuaiIy prevent the cold from set,
Ting, acting in respect to frost rs the
Davy lamp dyes to the gases in coal
mines. Whe4a the plants arc not OF
any great height, this Gncans is very
practicable, hAi,n used to much
advantage by on%grower OF v%iolets.
His plants are lneold frsllos, and for
convenience Of rlcing Up the cheese
cloth during daytimtstlappliance like
a windlass may be used-a cyclinder
upon which the cl,S~esecloth may be
wound.
While aenliug witite protection from
frost, it will not be ou, Of place to con-
slider how frost does its Injurious work
and thcrefrom to draw q lesson. In
cases Of frost bite the usual and most
etiicacious remedy is rubbing with
snow, although at first sight that would
seem no remedy ct all. In point OF
fact, however, tho heat engerel by
the friction brings about very gradual
permeation by warmth OF The frozen
member. so gradual, indeed, that tue
rupture of the frozen tissues which
severe friction, unaccompanied hy the
modifying effect Of the cold SNOW.
would inevitably bring about is
avoided, and with time and care the
member is thawe1, circulation is re-
sume1, and It's functions continue.
Now, with plants, this absolute need
Of eytrem'v slow thawing is often over
looked, and it is highly probable that
a very large percentage of the loss in
cured by intense frost would be
avoided if more attention were paid
to this point. We often notice that
after q frost the leaves OF even the
hardest shrubs are black, as if burnt
If we examine one Of the shrubs dur
ing the frost we shall fnd not only it,
but the soil also, absolutely frozen,
ana the circulation OF the sap ia the
roots and branches at q standstlll. In
the early morning it is probably white
with hoar frost the sun rises, and in
a very short space of time q heat many
degrees above freezing is beating upon
those leaves, the hoar frost melts at
once, and as the genial warmth pene-
trates the tissues q local circulation is
set ND and Transportation beg4lH. In q
verv brief space, however, the rest Of
the plant being frozen, the circulating
moisture is exhausted aud the leaf
dies.
A slow, gradual and general rise Of
temperature. however, instead Of a
rapid and local one, would thaw the
plant oil over, aid thus permit the
loss from transpiration.to be made up
from other parts Of the plant. 1t is
probable that the greatest danger
exists in thawing the foliage before
the roots, for it is quite obvious that
if the latter are not in a condition to
supply the leaves with moisture when
these latter are thawed and demand it,
collapse must ensue. 1t is clear,
therefore, that frozen pot plants are
best thawed by being dipped in cold
water a few degrees only above tho
freezing point. This will gradually
penetrate and thaw the soil, and at
the same time prevent the foliage be-
ing dried up in the way above indicat-
ed, while tho same plant, which SO re-
suscitated would be absolutely none
the worse, would, il thawed by being
placed in q warm room or conserva-
tory, simply shrivel and ie.--Ameri-
can Gardening.