THi) i^LOEAL WORLD AND GARDEN aUlDE. 



o'artlied up, and protect with a little litter 

 or spare mats if the weather is S3vere. 



Fuchsias are often propagated at tliis 

 season from stout cuttings of old plants. 

 These soon root in wet sand, with bottom- 

 heat, but never make sucli good plants as 

 those from stubby side shoots of the season 

 taken off with a lieel. Trim up the standards 

 and pjrami'is, as they will be in free growth 

 now. They like a moist warm atmosphere, 

 and frequent syringing. 



Graftinq is generally commenced too 

 soon. We are satisfied, from frequent ob- 

 servation, that the end of March is a better 

 season than the beginning. The sap then 

 flows more freely, and there is a brisk root 

 action of the stocks, which induces the 

 grafts to take more readily; and the quicker 

 the take, the better is the junction. Get 

 all ready, even to the writing of tallies, and 

 attaching them to stocks, as they are 

 intended to be worked, so that when you 

 begin you may finish all off quick, instead 

 of having tlie materials about for days 

 together. Clay well worked with fresh 

 horse droppings, tlie latter in the propor- 

 tion of one-third to the former, with a little 

 finely chopped straw added, is the best 

 dressing, and the easiest prepared. 



Haudy Herbaceol'S Plants should now 

 be divided and planted. Chop over a spade- 

 ful of rotten dung in every hole, except 

 for alpine kinds of small growlli, which 

 prefer leaf-mould. The Rudbeckias, CEuo- 

 theras, Corydalis capnoides, Alyssum saxa- 

 tile, Achillea tomentosa, Lychnis Haageana 

 (now to be had generally in the trade), 

 common white and purple phlox, Sulidago, 

 Solomon's seal, iiardy asters, Iberis sem- 

 pervireus, are most essential elements of a 

 gay border. 



Sow successional breadths of all the 

 leading vegetables — peas, beans, cabbages, 

 lettuce, onion, etc. It is neither too late nor 

 too early now for anything. 



Potatoes. — Plant the main crop at 

 once. To have them free of disease, choose 

 early sorts; warm dry ground; plant whole 

 sets of moderate size, and pay a good price, 

 to make suro of having them true. On 

 colli, wet, undrained land, potatoes should 

 not be grown at all. 



Pansies. — Trentham Blue and Magpie 

 should be in the possession of every amateur 

 for use as bedders. The first makes a 

 beautiful circle of blue in front of Flower 

 of the Day. It is also a good first or second 

 line in a ribbon. Show pansies struck now 

 from plump side shoots will make beautiful 

 plants for blooming at midsummer. Keep 

 them cool and shaded, with plenty of water 

 and liquid manure. 



Salad Plants. — The Golden cress is 

 the best salad plant we have for those wlio 

 like simplicity in such things. It is excel- 

 lent for the brealifast table, and far supe- 

 rior to water -cresses Normandy cress iind 

 Extra Curled cress are also excellent. The 

 crowns of horse-radish planted in a frame 

 over warm dung, and earthed over six 

 inches, will supply a delicately blanched 

 salad that will be esteemed. Treat dande- 

 lion roots the same way, but use sea- 

 kale pots to blanch with instead of mould- 

 ing up. 



Vines in flower to be kept rather dry, 

 and all orchard trees the same during their 

 blooming. Keep a sharp look out for 

 vermin. Thin the fruit in goo i time, give 

 plenty of air, and encourage a firm 

 growth rather than a profusion of weak 

 spray. 



POT-CULTUEE OF CONIFEROUS TEEES. 



The general rule in ordering coniferous 

 trees is, " once and a-done with it ;' but 

 that is not a good rule. It is true that 

 there are certain conil'ers that, when once 

 planted, becoiue lords of the soil, and pro- 

 hibit further planting by swallowing up 

 the room. Many a mistake occurs, too, in 

 this planting of young trees, as may be 

 proved by reference to many places where 

 yews, cedars of Lebanon, and spruces have 

 shot up close to the walls of a mansion, 

 have become large trees where there was 

 only room for bushes, so that a sepulchral 

 darkness i-eigns over the household, and 

 there is no alternative but to bear with it, 

 or iipply the axe. But, apart altogether 

 from the necessity of planting trees, so that 



when of mature growth they shall give un- 

 alloyed pleasure, and subserve some legiti- 

 mate uses, there is another necessity for a 

 nioi'e luxuriant style of winter decoratio i, 

 and this is the proper time of year to thinlc, 

 and determine, and prepare for the futu e. 

 We were talking about conifers lastmon h. 

 Now, to use these in the way I use the n, 

 the first step — that is, the obtaining of ilio 

 plants — should betaken now, because u )W 

 the trees lift well. If potted at once, t ey 

 will be well furnished with fresh roots by 

 July next, and may then have a shift iito 

 the pots they are to occupy all the winter. 

 There is no class of winter decorati us 

 better suited to this sort of work than co li- 

 fers. An amateur fond of collecting species 



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