12 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



teen trenched up in November, as they 

 ought to have been, should be done at 

 once if the weather will permit ; after- 

 wards, on dry frosty mornings, fork them 

 over lightly with a steel fork, the constant 

 stirring being very beneficial to the soil, 

 and speedily rendering it in a fit state to 

 receive seeds and plants. Towards the 

 end of the month take advantage of fa- 

 vourable weather to sow. 



Peas. — Dillistone's Early is eight days 

 earlier than Sangster's No. 1, and there- 

 fore the best to sow. Sow also the same 

 sort in boxes or on a bed in a frame, in 

 case the open ground sowings are all eaten 

 up ; when the reserve will be useful to 

 transplant. The best plan for a few rows of 

 very early peas is to sow the seeds on turf- 

 sods, laid grass side downwards ; the turf 

 should be cut about four inches wide, and 

 the seeds sown along the centre, and the 

 whole regularly laid out to form a bed in a 

 cool frame. The process of transplanting 

 consists in removing the sods with the 

 plants into the prepared trenches. As the 

 plants are apt to push through the turf, it 

 is best to lay the sods on a hard surface, so 

 that when lifted there will be no damage 

 to the roots. Advancer is the earliest mar- 

 row pea, and will answer well to succeed 

 Dillistone's and Early Champions. Wood- 

 ford's Green Marrow, and Veitch's Per- 

 fection will do well to sow at the same 

 time to succeed Advancer. 



Beans to be sown in small breadths : 

 Mazagans for the earliest, and Long Pods 

 for a main crop. Those growing freely to 

 be earthed up, and have a sprinkling of 

 wood ashes to keep away vermin. 



Cabbacje of all kinds may be sown on a 

 warm border ; the most useful to sow now 

 are Shilling's Queen, Early York, and 

 Rosette Colewort. 



Parsnips to be sown for the main crop. 

 Choose a quarter well manured last sum- 

 mer, and that has been laid up all winter. 

 The Hollow Crown is the most useful 

 variety, but in deep, sandy, rich soils, the 

 Guernsey parsnip grows to an immense 

 size. 



Saladings. — Warm sloping borders un- 

 der walls facing south may be turned to 

 good account now for early saladings, as, if 

 the weather should be severe, they can be 

 covered with litter, or kept permanently 

 protected by hurdles of reeds or straw 

 placed on edge diagonally, about five feet 

 apart. On borders so protected sow early 

 short-top radish, Hammersmith and Pans 

 Cos lettuce, two-bladed onion, Golden 

 cress, mustard, Normandy cress. Sow but 

 small breadths at first, as some of the sow- 

 ings may be lost ; and at the same time 



sow a few boxes of lettuce, to be placed in a 

 gentle heat for planting out hereafter. The 

 crowns of horse-radish, forced and blanched 

 in the same way as we have recommended 

 for chicory afford a very agreeable salad at 

 this time of year, and in gardens where 

 horse-radish has run wild and become a 

 pest, it would pay to dig them now ex- 

 pressly to furnish blanched saladings, the 

 flavour being sweet and only gently pungent. 



Potatoes may be planted under warm 

 walls as well as in frames, where they can 

 be cover-ed with mats or calico lights. 

 Choose hard tubers, and let them sprout in 

 full daylight first ; the sprouts should be 

 dark-coloured, firm, and plump ; if weak 

 and blanched, they are of no use for an 

 earlj' crop. 



Tree Onion, Potato Onion, Skallots, 

 and Garlic plant at once. In damp soils 

 shallots are apt to rot if buried, therefore 

 lay them on the surface of the soiP, and 

 let them root into the ground in their own 

 way. The tree onion and potato onion re- 

 quire a rich soil, and must be planted at 

 from three to six inches deep, according to 

 size. 



Fkuit Garden. — Trees not yet pruned 

 will suffer, unless speedily attended to. 

 Save any scions wanted for grafting by 

 heeling them in at the foot of the tree they 

 are taken from. They will take all the 

 better for being cut some time before 

 grafting. Fruit quarters that have been 

 neglected hitherto, must be dressed, 

 cleaned, trained, and put in order at once, 

 for the buds are swelling, and every hardy 

 tree is on the move. Make ready protect- 

 ing material for wall trees, for we may ex- 

 pect sharp weather just as the blooms ex- 

 pand, when the wind usually sets in from 

 the east. 



Apple and Pear Trees infested with 

 moss or vermin may be much benefited by 

 being painted all over with a mixture of 

 Gishurst and clay ; or a mixture of lime, 

 soot, and clay. If the painting is entrusted 

 to a boy, take care that he applies the 

 brush by an upward movement ; if allowed 

 to brush downwards, many spurs will pro- 

 bably be destroyed. 



Flowek Gakden. — Roses to be planted 

 as soon as possible. In light soils, stan- 

 dards will thrive better if some clay is dug 

 in with the manure. Roses on their own 

 roots need a lighter soil than briars, and 

 will never thrive unless the ground is 

 effectually drained, deeply stirred, and 

 liberally manured. They should now be 

 heavily mulched with half-rotten dung. If 

 the dung is quite green and rank it will do 

 as well, but thoroughly rotten dung is 

 almost useless as a mulch for roses. 



