344 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



favourable weather. Take up and divide herbaceous plants, keep 

 them out of the ground as short a space of time as possible, and 

 take advantage of the opportunity for digging the ground up deeply, 

 and applying a dressing of manure, or fresh soil, or a mixture of 

 both. Frequently sweep and roll the lawns and paths to give them 

 a fresh and bright appearance, and carefully preserve the fallen 

 leaves for rotting down to leaf-mould. 



Kitchen Garden. — Lift full-grown Lettuce and Endive, with 

 a good ball of soil, and place them rather close together in a cold 

 frame or orchard-house, where they will be secure from frost. 

 Dampness is the greatest enemy these subjects have to contend with 

 at this season, and provided they can be kept dry by any means, a 

 few degrees of frost will do them no harm. Look sharp after Cauli- 

 flower and Lettuce plants in frames, and remove every trace of 

 mildew and decay directly it makes its appearance. Give full admis- 

 sion to the air, but keep the foliage dry, and protect from frost. 



Fruit Garden. — Fruit-trees growing too luxuriantly must be 

 root-pruned, and this is the best season of the whole year for per- 

 forming that operation. Trees that have been undisturbed for 

 many years past must be cautiously dealt with, and have only half 

 the roots pruned now, reserving the other for next season. More 

 recently planted trees may have the whole of the roots cut in at once. 

 Open out a trench at a distance of two or three feet from the stem, 

 according to the age of the tree, and after going deep enough to 

 reach all the horizontal roots, work the spade underneath the ball to 

 sever the tap-roots, which materially assist the production of gross r 

 badly-matured wood. 



Greenhouse. — Guard against a damp stagnant atmosphere in 

 this structure. Water the plants carefully, and without throwing 

 much water upon the floor. When the atmosphere appears damp 

 and stagnant, light a fire in the morning of a fine day, and open the 

 ventilators at the same time, to enable the impure air to escape, and 

 admit a fresh supply to take its place. Remove all decayed leaves, 

 and train into shape Azaleas and other plants that need that atten- 

 tion. Keep Ericas, Epacris, and other plants of a like nature, at 

 the coolest end of the house, and such things as Chinese Primulas 

 and Cyclamens at the warmest end. The conservatory should now 

 be gay with Chrysanthemums. Maintain a dry atmosphere. Gold 

 and Silver Zonal and Show and Fancy Pelargoniums must be kept 

 in a temperature of about 40° or 45° near the glass, and sheltered 

 from cold currents of air. 



Stove. — Reduce the temperature of this structure to an average 

 of 60°, with fire-heat alone, and a rise of five degrees with the aid 

 of sun-hpat. Keep the atmosphere much drier than hitherto, and 

 water early in the morning, to enable the dampness therefrom to 

 dry up before evening. Ferns must be carefully handled just now, 

 a thorough rest is nearly as essential to their well-being as it is to 

 flowering plants ; but whilst guarding against giving them too much 

 water, carefully avoid their suffering for the want of that element. 

 Orchids with fleshy pseudo-bulbs, like the Cattleyas, require just 

 sufficient to keep them fresh and plump, but the Vandas, and others 



