JOSIAH HOOPES, 



COnitESPONDING EDITORS : 



JAMES TAPLIN, 



MARK MILLER. 



VOL. 29. 



FEBEUAET, 18T4. 



1^0. 332. 



The G-reenlioTise and Flower 

 G-arden. 



Greenhouse for Febr^iary, 



THIS is a month in which this structure 

 should be at its best, and give more en- 

 joyment than at any season of the year. 

 The cold wintry weather we usually expect at 

 this season, preventing ladies and invalids 

 from spending much time in the open air, 

 will give more leisure to attend to those 

 numerous details which add so much to the 

 attractions of a collection of plants, either 

 large or small, and without attention to those 

 details much of the charm of gardening is 

 lost. 



A few opening notes on these details 

 will be of service to our amateur readers, 

 and after being once attended to, will be 

 seldom neglected in future. One of the 

 first points to be noted is perfect clean- 

 liness in both pots and plants ; of course, ed- 

 ucated gardeners do not require reminding ; 

 but often, at times, do neglect details for want 

 of time, gardening being one of those busi- 

 nesses from which the largest amount of 



/ 3 



work is expected from the smallest number 

 of hands. This country is not alone in this 

 requirement; it is much the same in Europe, 

 where labor is much cheaper than in this 

 country. This is a very mistaken idea, and 

 cannot be carried out satisfactorily to any 

 one concerned; it is far better and will give 

 more satisfaction to the owner to have one 

 small greenhouse, or even a Wardian case 

 with plants and connections, in the best order, 

 than to have a Crystal Palace with unhealthy 

 plants in a slovenly condition. 



In the first place, pot plants in a green- 

 house should invariably have at least half 

 inch clean sand to stand on, both for appear- 

 ance and also for the welfare of the plants ; 

 even fine coal ashes is preferable to plain 

 wood or stone stages ; either material gives 

 off a constant moisture, which in a measure 

 counteracts the parching of the night's fires, 

 and the dry winds and bright sun by day 

 which we usually have at this season, although 

 the present winter, so far, has more resem- 

 bled the winters we used to have in England 

 than the bright, cheerful weather of the 

 average United States winter. 



