OCTOBER. 319 



best preventative against the green -fly, which is a great pest in the 

 cultivation of this plant. Should compost not be prepared, it should be 

 attended to forthwith. Give the final shifting to such as are required 

 for winter flowering. 



Conservatory. — From this time the conservatory will be used as a 

 promenade, and probably as a working room for the ladies in bad 

 weather; care should therefore be taken to have everything kept as 

 neat as possible. Avoid crowding the house for the present, as many 

 things may be kept under temporary shelter ; but keep up a good 

 stock of sweet plants, with enough of plants in bloom to make it 

 attractive. 



Dahlias. — Seed should be saved as often as it can be gathered ripe 

 and dry. Remove all dead petals, otherwise the seed will rot in the 

 pods, there being so much moisture at this time ; a long piece of the 

 footstalk should be gathered with it. See that all are correctly named 

 before the frost arrives. Also mark promising seedlings. 



Flower Garden. — All the one-year-old Scarlet Geraniums, including 

 too the variegated class, which it is practicable to winter in any shape, 

 should be taken up on the approach of frost, and either potted or packed 

 in boxes, in dry sandy soil. These plants will bloom much earlier and 

 more profusely the second year than the first, however well they are 

 prepared ; indeed, we are in the habit of keeping some kinds as long as 

 we can, as we find them much more telling for certain purposes than 

 young plants. Some of our vase Geraniums have six or seven hundred 

 heads of bloom open at one time, and these in very small vases. When 

 the above are potted, they should be placed under glass for a short time 

 to enable them to recover themselves, after which their wintering will 

 depend on what accommodation exists. Salvias, Fuchsias, tall Lobelias, 

 &c, may also be lifted, and, if clone with care, they will soon rally, and 

 become very ornamental for mixing with greenhouse and conservatory 

 plants. Now is a good time to put in cuttings of Calceolarias. Get the 

 rest of the propagating finished quickly, and harden off those already 

 struck. Pay attention to order and neatness by picking off decayed 

 blooms and leaves and keeping the Grass and gravel clean. 



Forcing Ground. — Rhubarb and Sea-kale may be started towards 

 the end of the month, and the empty Melon and Cucumber pits should 

 have the soil turned up and watered, and the pits filled with French 

 Beans (which may have been sprouted for the purpose in heat), Lettuce, 

 Endive, Parsley, and other things required for winter. Plant the Beans, 

 if you have the room to spare, in pits heated so that you can give them 

 a little fire heat by and bye ; they will frequently continue bearing till 

 Christmas, or even later. We prefer the Newington Wonder. 



Hard-wooded Plants. — These will require placing under protection of 

 glass at once. Allow them plenty of room and all the air you can, to 

 get the wood properly ripened before winter. Before placing them in 

 their winter quarters look to the drainage, and have the outsides of the 

 pots well washed ; no plant can thrive well when the surface soil and 

 outside of the not are covered with vegetation. 



Hardy Fruit. — Many kinds of Apples and Pears should be gathered 

 at once, where not already done ; a few late-ripening kinds may remain 



