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THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



so as not to cross each other, or crowd the 

 centre with useless spray. But mere cut- 

 ting and hacking at trees that hear well, is 

 the sure way to ruin them, and cottagers 

 especially, are apt to ruin their trees, 

 through a vague notion that auyhow they 

 must be pruned. A good dressing for trees 

 infested with scale, is one made of soft soap, 

 cow dung, and lime ; or clay, sulphur, and 

 lime, worked into a paste with water. 

 With this, every hole should be stopped, and 

 if the compost cracks with the frost, it 

 should be renewed. 



Flower Garden. — The shears and prun- 

 ing knife should be used freely amongst ever- 

 green and deciduous trees and shrubs, to 

 keep them within proper limits, and to pro- 

 mote a vigorous and orderly growth. 

 Clear all dead stems and leaves off the bor- 

 ders, and carry to the heap to rot for potting 

 compost. A hole in some out of the way 

 place is the proper destination of vegetable 

 refuse of all kinds. In many places the 

 leaves are left to be dispersed by the winds 

 under fences and into dark corners, where 

 they become a nuisance, and are lost for all 

 useful purposes ; every lover of flowers 

 should prize them as material for one of the 

 most valuable of ingredients in soils for 

 flowers. Take up Tea and other tender roses, 

 and lay them in by the heels against a warm 

 fence, where they can be covered with straw 

 in hard weather ; get fuchsias and other 

 half-hardy plants into pots or boxes, to 

 remain under the stage in the greenhouse, or 

 any place safe from frost, or, if to remain in 

 the ground, tie straw around the stems 

 of standard ; and dwarfs cut close over, and 

 cover the crowns with coal-ashes. Tulips, 

 pansies, phloxes, &c, in the open ground, 

 should have a little protection during frosty 

 weather, either by means of mats on hoops, 

 or light dry litter strewed amongst them. 

 Look over plants in pits and frames, and 

 remove dead leaves, and see that they are 

 neither perishing for want of moisture, nor 

 suffering from damp. As chrysanthemums 

 go out of bloom, cut them down and pack 

 them away in a sheltered place, where they 

 can be covered during frost. Cuttings of 

 chrysanthemums should be struck for speci- 

 men culture next season. Get in, at once, 

 any bulbs not yet planted. 



Greenhouse and Stove. — After frost 

 we always have damp, and in the house this 

 will do much mischief, unless a brisk fire 

 be made up and air given at once to dissi- 

 pate it. During foggy weather, a little fire- 



heat will be useful during the day, even if 

 the temperature is not very low, for it 

 allows of a little ventilation, and a change 

 of air is most essential to the keeping of the 

 plants in health. Chrysanthemums are 

 very useful now to keep the house gay till 

 Christmas ; after which, camellias, rhodo- 

 dendrons, primulas, cinerarias, &c, will be 

 coming on to usher in the spring. Plants, 

 to be forced, should be put in the green- 

 house before they go to the stove, for too 

 sudden a heat is sure to exhaust them, and 

 cause many flower-buds to break into leaves. 

 Deutzias, lilacs, and double peaches, are of 

 great value for conservatory decoration, and 

 are easily forced now with very little heat. 

 Hyacinths for early bloom should have 

 plenty of light, and weak manure-water 

 occasionally. Plants in pots and frames 

 should have air as often as possible, and the 

 soil in the pots should never be allowed to 

 become dust-dry, or the delicate fibres will 

 suffer. So long as frost is effectually kept 

 out, geraniums, calceolarias, verbenas, &c, 

 will be pretty sure to hold up till February, 

 when they must be started for cuttings. 

 Keep them free of dead leaves, and do not 

 crowd them too closely, and, above all things, 

 do not touch with the knife, any that are 

 to be kept without fire-heat. In the green- 

 house, geraniums potted up from the beds, 

 may now be cut in, to commence growth 

 for early blooming. Vines, in the early 

 house, should be watched with attention, 

 and air given at all convenient seasons. Do 

 not raise the temperature till the buds 

 have broken well, and if the border cannot 

 be warmed, see that it is well protected. 

 When fairly started, raise the heat to 65 degs. 

 by day, and 60 degs. by night, and take 

 every necessary precaution to prevent cold 

 dry blasts of air from coming in con- 

 tact with the tender foliage. Pines must 

 have very uniform temperature, as sudden 

 changes are apt to cause them to fruit 

 prematurely. Those to fruit from May 

 to August, should now be well matured, 

 and kept in robust health, without being 

 hurried into growth, but those to fruit 

 next autumn, should be kept growing to 

 prevent too early a disposition to fruit. 

 If the soil gets too dry about young pines, 

 they are apt to fruit too soon, and, at the 

 same time, they must have no more fire- 

 heat than is just sufficient to keep them in 

 health. Average temperature in greenhouse, 

 40 to 45 degs. 



