THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



«7 



70° at ni.elit, 80' by day ; for general col- 

 lections, 65^ by nipiit, 75' by day. 



Annuals oi' nil kinds may be sown now 

 in the open air ; the hardy sorts will be 

 Tip in from ten days to three weeks, the 

 tender kinds in a month or six weeks. It 

 is often a convenience to sow all kinds at 

 once, in accordance with a general plan, 

 and it may be done in April. Of course, 

 asters, balsams, etc., rarely come to much 

 good by this oif-hand method. 



Auriculas to be shaded as the bloom 

 progresses, and have shelter at night by 

 means of mats. Give plenty of water and 

 plenty of air. Thin the pips in good time 

 to the standard number, whatever that 

 may be. There seems to be a tendency 

 to a general concurrence of growers in 

 favour of ^Ve pips fur exhibition trusses; 

 that is the number required by several of 

 the leading schedules this season. It is 

 certainly a more reasonable arrangement 

 than three, whicli was the rule at the 

 Royal Botanic last year. 



Beans to be dressed with soot or wood 

 ashes, and hoed up quite to the lowest 

 leaves. Sow for succession, they like a 

 rich, retentive soil. 



Bedding Plants to be got into cold 

 frames, if quite bushy, and tit for summer 

 work. Totmg stock to be kept growing, 

 and seedlings to be potted off either singly 

 or in little groups, as soon as large enough 

 to handle. Geranittms, calceolarias, etc., 

 removed to pits, should be plunged either 

 in spent tan or coal-ashes, which will keep 

 their roots warm and moist, and obviate 

 frequent watering. 



Cabbage and Caidijlower. — Sow the 

 dwarf sorts of cabbage to follow peas, and 

 fill up anywhere as plots become vacant. 

 Continue planting cauliflowers from 

 frames, but give them the shelter of mats 

 if the nights are frosty. Thej- must have 

 rich soil, be frequently hoed up, and 

 watered in diy weather. 



Chrifsanthemums for general purposes 

 to be now propagated. Suckers are as 

 good as cuttings ; and there need be no 

 disputes about their relative values. They 

 do not reqttire much heat to start them, 

 and nothing better than a gentle hot-bed 

 on the old-fashioned plan. In the Wal- 

 tonian they are sure to mildew if kept 

 very damp and close, so give air and 

 rather dry heat. Old stools may be 

 planted out in the borders. 



Cucumbers. — Sow for ridging out, and 

 get the plants forward in pots, Tliey turn 

 out better when singly, in sixty or forty- 

 eight pots ; tliey should have no check. 

 Shift those already forward. Splash 

 ■water about t\ie beds of fruiting plants, 



and close early, so as to give the plants 

 a good steaming, which they will enjoy. 



' HoUyh'clcs planted now from store 

 pots will bloom to perfection, and have no 

 check from frost. Put a couple of spade- 

 fuls of rotten dung in each hole, plant 

 firm, tally and stake at once ; cover each 

 plant with an inverted flower-pot for a 

 week, and then remove it. Give plenty of 

 water and liquid manure as required. 



Hgacinths must have abundance of 

 water while in bloom, and for some time 

 after ; as long, indeed, as the foliage con- 

 tinues green and growing. After it begins 

 to get discoloured, dry them off gradually, 

 and lav the pots on their sides, where 

 they will have morninsr and evening sun 

 to ripen the bulbs. For management to 

 keep the bulbs for further use, see last 

 year's volitme, p. 72. 



Violets planted now from young run- 

 ners of Russian and the double flowering 

 kinds will make fine plants. For their 

 managoment, see vol iii. p. UO, and vol. 

 iv. p. 56. Seedling plants generally bloom 

 most profusely, and in most of the seed 

 catalogues the best kinds are entered. 



Wall Trees must have protection from 

 the cutting east winds, and the protection 

 should be of a kind easily removed, so that 

 the trees have free air upon them night and 

 day, weather permitting, and be covered 

 with the least possible trouble if the wind 

 shifts to east or north. It will generally 

 be found that those who exclaim against 

 protecting have been in the habit of shut- 

 ting the trees up as if they weremuffled bells. 



Orchard House.— H' this is crammed 

 full of all sorts of things in pots, which is 

 too often the case at this time of year, 

 make a general clearance, for this system 

 of making too much of the glass leads to 

 mismanagement, and one common result 

 is keeping the trees too close in order to 

 help more delicate subjects. Trees must 

 have air and plenty of it. Let the wind 

 whistle among the bloom and it will set 

 fi eely. Give plenty of water at the roots 

 of the trees. 



Azaleas done flowering must be kept 

 rather close, and in a moist atmosphere to 

 favour a quick growth, as it is important to 

 get the new wood well ripened when the 

 growth is completed. Those that are 

 cramped at the roots must be repotted in 

 good peat and silky losim. Artificial peat 

 is wholly unfit for such plants in pots. 



Cnlceokirias coming into bloom must 

 have plenty of water and free ventilation. 

 Syrinae the lower leaves and branches, but 

 wet the blossoms as little as possible. 



Camellias done blooming treat the same 

 as advised for azaleas. Those coming into 



