OCTOBER. 319 



may be maintained to the end of the month, unless very severe or wet 

 v^'eather sets in. Plant bulbs as soon as the beds are at Hbcrty. 

 Where alterations are intended proceed with them at once, whilst the 

 days are a tolerable length. 



Forcing Ground. — Sow French Beans. Prepare sHght hotbeds for 

 salads, and get a good heap of fermenting materials together, to be in 

 readiness for covering Seakale and other [lurposes. 



Fruit (Jmrdi/). — Gather Apples and Pears on fine days; they should 

 be all stored before the end of the month ; the greatest care should be 

 taken in gathering it, as they soon show the slightest bruise. Look 

 over the fruit previously got in. The house should be kept cool and 

 dry. We always fasten a card on the shelf in front of each sort — on 

 it we write the name of each sort, the date when gathered, and after- 

 wards the time when fit for table : annual records of this description 

 are of considerable interest. If the weather should be wet, late Plums 

 — such as Golden Drop, Imperatrice, &c. — should be gathered, and 

 placed in an airy situation in the fruit room. All fruit should be quite 

 dry when gathered. Look over Peach and Nectarine trees, and remove 

 the superfluous shoots if there be any. Make all necessary preparations 

 for the planting of fruit trees, which may now be proceeded with. 

 The first and most material point to be attended to is the thorough 

 drainage of the borders ; if this be not sufficient it is of no use planting 

 fruit trees, as there will be nothing but disappointment eventually, even 

 if they should make a little progress for a year or two. If the drainage 

 is perfect, and the border a good loamy soil, then, with proper atten- 

 tion, there will be few disappointments. In planting, be careful to 

 spread the roots well out, put fine soil over them, but do not tread on it, 

 the autumn rain will soon settle the soil. Cut out the old Raspberry 

 canes, if not previously done — new plantations may now be made. 

 Remove all runners from Strawberry plants, if not already done, and 

 manure and dig about those in rows. 



Greenhouse {Imrd- wooded?) — Now the plants are housed, air should 

 be admitted abundantly. In arranging the plants, set the more delicate 

 and tender kinds in the more sheltered situations. Make everything 

 as neat and tidy as possible. Sofi-vrooded plants. — These should all 

 be housed without delay, and after they are all got in a slight fumiga- 

 tion is necessary, to cleanse them thoroughly before winter. Scarlet 

 Salvias, Ageratums, &c., if housed before they suffer from the weather, 

 will continue gay for a long time. 



Hollyhocks. — Like the Dahlia, gather seed as often as it can be pro- 

 cured ripe. Cuttings may still be put in. Choice kinds should be 

 preserved by potting up the roots. These produce cuttings during the 

 winter, which strike readily in gentle heat. 



Kitchen Garden. — Continue to earth up Celery when dry, and to 

 tie up Endive to blanch. Towards the end of the month take up Carrots, 

 Parsnips, Beet, Salsafy, Scorzonera, &c., and store away when dry ; 

 also late crops of Potatoes. Plant out a good breadth of Cabbage. 

 Plant Lettuces on sheltered borders. Plant Cauliflowers under glasses 

 — also prick out a lot, either into frames or a sheltered situation, and a 

 few potted and kept in frames over winter, when planted out in spring, 



