i8St." 



CALENDAR. 



S. Owens & Co.'s (IMauufacturers of Hydraulic Machinery of every description) 

 Illustrated Catalogue. Whitefriars Street, Fleet Street, London. 

 This is one of the best got up Catalogues we have ever seen. It gives 

 illustrations of almost every descrijition of hydraulic machinerj', and a great 

 amount of useful information regarding it ; and all who are interested in such 

 machinery will be benefited by a perusal of this catalogue. 



CJaltntrar 



FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



Pines. — Should the weather be cold 

 and the days sunless, the temperature 

 for Pines in all stages of growth should 

 be at a minimum throughout the whole 

 of this month. For suckers a tem- 

 perature of 55° at night will be suffi- 

 cient, when hard firing is necessary. 

 If these are being wintered in light 

 houses with bottom-heat supplied from 

 hot-water pipes, 75° to 80° is quite 

 Hufiicient to keep the roots healthy. 

 Look over the plants carefully once 

 a- week, and water such only as re- 

 ([uire it, taking care never to allow 

 the soil to become dusty-dry ; for if 

 allowed to remain so for any length 

 of time, the plants are apt to be 

 checked and stunted, and to start pre- 

 maturely into fruit when subjected to 

 more heat and moisture. Plants that 

 are plunged in beds of moist tan and 

 leaves require comparatively little 

 water for the next month or six 

 weeks. Where ripe Pines are wanted 

 in May and June, a portion of the 

 earliest Queens should be selected, and 

 })laced in a light structure by them- 

 selves, at the end of the month. Give 

 them a bottom -heat of 90°, and a 

 night - temperature of 70°, with 10° 

 more by day when there is any sun. 

 If very dry at the root, give them a 

 watering, but do not supply this ele- 

 ment too liberally until it be certain 

 that the plants are going to show fruit 

 without making a growth ; for early 

 fruit can be had only from such 

 plants as have been well matured, 

 and show fruit without making a 

 growth. Keep a moist atmosphere, 

 but do not give much moisture in the 

 soil. The remainder of the fruiting- 

 plants should be kept cool and dry. 

 A temperature of from 55° to 60° will be 

 sufficiently high for these till the sun 

 gets more power, and solar heat can 

 be husbanded for the night. Continue 

 to supply to those swelling their fruits 



a rather moist atmosphere, a tempera- 

 ture of 70° in the air, and from 85° to 

 90° of bottom-heat. Examine every 

 plant at least once a-week, and water 

 such as are dry with weak manure- 

 water, so that each plant is kept in a 

 moderately moist condition. As soon 

 as the fruit begins to colour, give no 

 more water till ripe, for especially 

 large fruits are apt to get black at the 

 heart by the time they are fully ripe, 

 if much water is given. Suckers on 

 plants from which the fruit is cut 

 should be taken off and potted in 6-inch 

 pots, plunged in a bottom-heat of 85°, 

 and an air-temperature of 60° to 65°, 

 till well rooted. Strong early suckers 

 that were put into their fruiting-pots 

 j in October, and that are in light pits, 

 I and kept near the glass, should be 

 kept at a temperature of 60° to 65^, 

 according to the weather. When the 

 glass rises to 70° by day, give a little 

 air for a few hours, always shutting 

 up early. These, if kept growing 

 without a check and rested in June, 

 will give fine fruit next winter. 



Grapes. ^If the leaves are not all 

 off late Vines on which crops of Grapes 

 are hanging, they should be remov- 

 ed before decomposition takes place 

 in the leaves and their footstalks. 

 Look over the bunches weekly and 

 remove all mouldy berries. Do not 

 let the night -temperature fall below 

 45°, nor rise above 50° with fire-heat. 

 During the prevalence of damp fogs, 

 keep the front lights closed, warm the 

 pipes slightly, and keep a little air on 

 the top. When a fine bright day oc- 

 curs, put a little extra heat into the 

 pipes, and ventilate freely, so as to 

 expel damp. If it be necessary to put 

 plants requiring water into the vinery, 

 the best way is to cut the whole of 

 the Grapes, and bottle them in some 

 cool dry room where an equable tem- 

 perature cau be maintained : then the 



