32 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



48-pots as soon as large enough to handle; 

 use a mixture of half leaf-mould and half 

 old dung in a state of powder. Make the 

 ground ready at once on which the first 

 lot are to be planted out. 



Cucumbers for ridge culture to he sown 

 now, or within a week or so. Sow also 

 for frame culture to succeed plants now 

 bearing. We prefer sowing in 60-pots, 

 two seeds in a pot, the strongest plant in 

 each to be kept, and the roots never to be 

 damaged by shifting, so as to have them 

 strong and short for turning out. 



Potatoes. — The earliest sorts may now 

 be planted out in small breadths. If the 

 sets are not sprouted place them in full 

 daylight, and wait till they have made 

 stout purple shoots half an inch long ; 

 then plant them without breaking the 

 sprouts. Main crops may be planted to- 

 wards the end of the month, hut the 

 operation must depend very much on the 

 weather. Better delay a week or a month 

 than plant while the ground is wet. Put 

 all seed potatoes in full daylight in shallow 

 baskets, in thin layers on dry hay or straw. 

 By keeping the shoots short and plump 

 there is less likelihood of disease, and the 

 vigour of the sets is not impaired. 



Rhubarb in open quarters to be heavily 

 covered with half-rotten dung. The last 

 lot may be put in for forcing now. 



Fiujit Garden. — Refer back to the 

 directions given last month; complete all 

 pruning, nailing, and cleaning as soon as 

 possible, and lightly fork over fruit borders, 

 and avoid cropping them as much as pos- 

 sible. 



Flower Garden. — Tender Annuals, as 

 Portulaccas, Thunbergias, Schizanthus, 

 Phlox Drummondi, Cockscomb, and the 

 lovely Celosia aurea, to be sown the first 

 or second week. 



Hoses may be planted now to advan- 

 tage, and plantations that need trenching 

 and manuring may be lifted for the pur- 

 pose. We are advocates for lifting roses 

 annually, and ours are now undergoing 

 the process. Put stakes to all newly- 

 planted standards, as, if they rock about 

 in the wind, they may suffer so much 

 injury by straining of the roots as to die 

 in the course of the spring. Be in no 

 haste to prune roses yet; a few for early 

 bloom may be cut back, but the general 

 stock should remain unpruned a few weeks. 

 Bushes from which flowers are to be cut 

 for show should be planted in a firm loam, 

 well manured with turf and half-rotten 

 dung. Dwarf-growing varieties, which 

 are useful for the front lines of roseries, 

 require an admixture of sand and leaf- 

 mould, or peat, to lighten the soil and 



promote the formation of an abundance 

 of fibres. 



Annuals for specimen and bedding out 

 to be sown now, include Balsams, Cocks- 

 combs, Globe amaranths, Portulaccas, 

 Schizanthuses, Phloxes (don't forget Phlox 

 Drummondi Radowitz), Brachycomas, 

 Stocks, Tropseolums, Coboeas, Lophos- 

 permums, and Acroclinium. It is too 

 early yet for Asters. First-class annuals 

 should be grown with care, the plants be 

 pricked out early and stopped ; if they 

 once get drawn they never bloom satisfac- 

 torily or show their full capabilities. Any 

 that are wanted in large quantities had 

 best, to make sure, be sown in pans also, 

 and placed in a pit. 



Auriculas. — Sow seed of the show 

 varieties and a small pinch of Alpines, 

 which, though 0/ no great value, are sure 

 to prove useful. Sow on nice friable soil, 

 already well moistened, and lay squares 

 of glass over the pans so that no more 

 watering will be necessary till the plants 

 are up. If in heat, it should be very 

 gentle, though a cold frame is sufficient. 



Ranunculuses and Anemones to be 

 planted in beds of sound loam, well drained 

 and well manured. Place the roots' claws 

 downwards two inches deep. The safest 

 method is to open trenches, which are to 

 be sprinkled with coarse sand, on which 

 the tubers are to be placed, and then 

 covered with the soil that was taken 

 out. 



Stocks.— If any delay has occurred in 

 securing stocks for working get them in 

 at once. Briars for standard roses, Ma- 

 nettis for dwarfs, quinces for pears, etc., 

 etc. Pot a lot of briar suckeTs for budding 

 with choice roses for greenhouse culture, 

 and pot also a few young privets, with one 

 clean stem each to work Oleas on. 



Conservatory. — Climbers require at- 

 tention now to remove dead wood, rub 

 away any pushing buds that are badly 

 placed, and to train in young shoots where 

 desirable. Most of our conservatory 

 climbers require a liberal heat now to 

 start them into growth, with a free use 

 of the syringe to keep down red spider. 



Orchid House.— Orchids will in many 

 case3 require to be repotted, and after 

 which they must have the warmest end 

 of the house. Those that do not need a 

 shift should have a little of the eld surface 

 material removed, and its place supplied 

 with fresh; at the same time make fasten- 

 ings safe, and repair blocks and baskets. 



Greenhouse. — Orange Trees should be 

 well cleaned now to remove scale, and the 

 tubs and pots have a fresh surfacing of 

 rich soil or old dung. When starting 



