236 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



every ray of sunshine, so as to pro- 

 mote the ripening of all kinds of stock, 

 and to keep greenhouse plants exposed 

 to the air as long as it is safe to do so. 

 It is not the cold, but the heavy rains 

 which do most injury to tender plants 

 at this season ; hence, many things, 

 besides true greenhouse plants, are all 

 the better for the protection of a frame 

 or cold pit, where they can have shelter, 

 but plenty of air and light. Garden 

 crops are generally good this year; 

 potatoes are, here and there, spoken of 

 as diseased, yet there has been no ex- 

 cess of rain or fog to cause it ; indeed, 

 we rarely have had weather so well 

 suited, both to the ripening of the 

 tubers and the harvesting of the crop, 

 as dux-ing the past month ; and those 

 who have not yet taken up their crops, 

 should do so before the heavy rains 

 set in. This is a busy month ; nearly 

 every kind of winter work may be 

 commenced, and, indeed, completed, if 

 weather permits. Ro3es may be moved 

 at once, in full leaf, and, if left un- 

 pruned, will soon get root, and be well 

 established before spring. Deciduous 

 trees and hardy fruits may be planted 

 towards the end of the month, for 

 there is no need to wait till every leaf 

 has fallen. Get them into their places 

 while the ground is warm, atid a sea- 

 son is saved, and the tree will always 

 be the stronger for it, for the fate of 

 many a tree is sealed in its original 

 planting. Earthwork, too, may now 

 be commenced, and drains laid, turf 

 stacked for forming composts, and 

 deep soiling practised on ground suited 

 to such treatment, so as to have it in 

 ridges in good time to be acted on by 

 frost. The whole of the arrangements 

 for next season should be determined 

 from this time, and, in taking up bed- 

 ders and decorative plants from the 

 borders, their good and bad qualities 

 should all be noted down, so that 

 things that have proved inferior, or 

 that evidently do not suit the soil or 

 situation, may be substituted next 

 season for subjects of higher merit. 

 Every soil has its peculiarities, and 

 one great secret of success, especially 

 in ornamental gardening, is to select 

 varieties that have been proved to 

 succeed in the place ; for eveu a Tom 

 Thumb geranium, or a Rugosa calceo- 



laria, common as they are, do well or 

 ill, according to the effects of soil or 

 climate upon them. Pits, frames, and 

 houses, ought now to be clean and free 

 from the smell of paint and putty. It 

 any repairs have been neglected, see 

 to them at once, and get all sweet and 

 dry without a day's delay ; for when 

 we get to October, we are never sure, 

 for a week together, but that our ap- 

 pliances and manual skill may have 

 a sudden trial. Usually, we have mild 

 weather till Christmas, and there seems 

 every probability that this season will 

 be no exception ; but the prudent gar- 

 dener works by anticipation, and is 

 alwaj's ready for emergencies. 



Kitchen Garden. — Trench over first the 

 ground intended for root crops next season, 

 and choose for potatoes, carrots, parsnips, 

 and beet, plots that have been well manured 

 this year. If the soil allows of deep digging, 

 fork over the second spit, and if it is of a 

 friable and fertile nature, bring it to the top, 

 so as to turn the whole soil over eighteen 

 inches, or two feet deep. Plant out the main 

 crop of early York, and other cabbage, for 

 cutting in April, May, and June next ; put 

 out more collards for early spring use, if any 

 are left in the seed bed, and if the plants are 

 clubbed, cut off the callosities, and dip the 

 roots into a puddle of lime and soot. Cauli- 

 flower plants to be transplanted into frames, 

 or under hand-glasses. In cold and wet 

 districts, it is best to pot them to winter them 

 in frames, to be turned out into beds of rich 

 soil in spring. Take up carrots, potatoes, 

 beets, and salsafv, and store in sand, but 

 leave parsnips in the ground, to be taken up 

 as wanted, unless they are in the way of 

 other operations, in which case, they may be 

 taken up and stored. Broccolis and cabbages 

 that are forward, should be laid with their 

 heads to the north, and their stems well 

 moulded over; this checks them slightly, 

 and enables them the better to bear frost. 

 In undrained soils, it is a good plan to cut 

 a few channels among standing crops, to 

 enable the heavy rains to run off more quickly 

 to an outlet, as dryness of the ground very 

 much lessens the effects of frost. Fork over 

 asparagus beds, and clear away all litter ; 

 remove the stems with a knife, and dress the 

 crowns with manure, and a little fresh mould 

 over all. Earth up celery ; hoe the ground 

 between crops, and keep the borders clean, 

 so as to allow a free circulation of air among 

 the plants. 



Fnurr Garden. — Towards the end of the 

 month, gooseberries, currants, and rasp- 

 berries may be moved. New plantations 



