At a late meeting of the London Horticultural Society, Mr. How-lett, a gardener of Norwich, sent a better model of his new plan of shading and protecting hothouses than that furnished by him at the great manufacturers' show at Chiswick, in June last. He covers the outside of the entire roof of the house with what may be called a Venetian blind, made of thin boards, opening and shutting by means of a quadrant which can be set to any angle at which it may be thought proper to fix the louvres. Of course in this, as in most other matters connected with gardening, expense is an important item, and on this point Mr. Howlett says: " I have had estimates made of the cost of fixing, and I find that 6d. per superficial foot would be about the cost. I am not," he adds, "so sanguine as to expect that, at that price, people would cover more than a small portion of their glass; but I think that for fern, orchid, and propagating houses, it would be found convenient and valuable." We think so, too. From the same was also a model of a shutter for protecting cold pits and frames in winter.

This was a black, water-proof canvas, stretched over skeleton wooden frames, which are intended to be laid over mats, Frigi domo, or other protecting materials, to keep them dry, and therefore add to their durability and efficiency. These frames are stiffened by means of diagonal braces.