In the report of the meeting of the London Horticultural Society for December 5th, we find the following:

"The dearth of Russia mats has caused people to look for other kinds of winter protections to supply their places, and among other things the old kind of coverings made of long Wheat straw woven together with tar twine has been found to be a cheap and good substitute. These were wont to be made on a floor or bench; but it occurred to Mr. Brawn of Pine Apple Place, that a.better way of making them than that might be devised. He accordingly invented a contrivance for the purpose, a model of which he exhibited. It resembles a small clothes-horse with upright spars in it, to which was fastened a slight wooden frame by means of moveable pins. Between these two frames the covering is woven, each succeeding tier of straw being thus kept in its place till it has been tied by the tar twine, and when the frame has been filled with made-covering the moveable pins are withdrawn and the covering allowed to slip down, leaving the frame empty and ready to be filled again. The advantage of the contrivance is that it allows the operator to stand upright and thus to work with greater ease and speed.

In this way it was stated that a straw covering four feet wide and six feet in length, and equal, as far as protection from frost is concerned, to a double mat, could be made for 9d, including labor and material A Certificate of Merit was awarded to Mr. Brewer for his contrivance".