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The Hoiiiculturid and Jouimal 



G-reenhouse for December. 



OUR readers, with a comfortable green- 

 house, will enjoy it most at this season, 

 when the outside flowers, and also the bright- 

 colored autumn leaves have disappeared for 

 the year which is now nearly closed. Now 

 is a good time to compare notes, and decide 

 what novelties to add to the collection of 

 plants. We frequently meet with some good, 

 old-fashioned plant in out-of-the-way places, 

 which only require to be better known to be 

 generally cultivated. It must be also remem- 

 bered that all the European novelties are not 

 of equal merit ; and many plants which are 

 fine there, are of little value here ; while 

 many plants, only fit for greenhouse cultiva- 

 tion in England, are much finer outside in 

 this country in the summer. 



At this season there is usually more leisure 

 time than at any other ; for the outside jobs 

 will be few, and limited to fine weather, so 

 that every attention must be paid to cleansing 

 plants and pots. Have all dirty pots and 

 pans washed and stowed away in readiness for 

 potting at the busy season. Have broken 

 pots and charcoal in readiness for draining 

 pots, some sphagnum moss under cover for 

 mixing with orchid and anthenium soil, etc. 

 Moss cannot be collected when the swamps 

 are frozen. If a full supply of soil is not 

 housed, do it at once, or it will be in poor con- 

 dition when required for use. If there is 

 time to spare, some plain wire-baskets can be 

 made ready for filling with various plants at 

 the proper season ; but many baskets can be 

 purchased cheaper than made at home. 



CanieU'ms will now be coming in flower. 

 See that there is no dust or water dropped 

 on the flower when the plants are watered, or 

 the flowers will decay in a short time. Be 

 careful the plants do not get dry, or the buds 

 will drop without opening. If press of work 

 has prevented washing the foliage it must not 

 be delayed, for it is difficult to do it thor- 

 oughly without pressing the flowers when on 



the point of opening. If it is desirable to 

 have a number of cut flowers for any special 

 time, these will keep longer if gathered and 

 placed in a cool cellar, free from frost, than 

 if remaining on the plants. 



Azaleas. — The early varieties which have 

 been kept warm will be coming into flower, 

 and may be placed in a cooler part of the 

 house ; but not in a draught. The flowers 

 will last longer when cut, and also on the 

 plants. The old variety, called Amoena, is a 

 very nice little compact sort for early bloom- 

 ing. We have it in flower by the middle of 

 October in a warm house. Give all the 

 plants at rest a thorough washing with soap, 

 sulphur and tobacco water, as previously 

 recommended, if not already done, and place 

 a few more plants in heat to succeed those 

 coming into flower. Give the plants a good 

 soaking of water when required, and keep the 

 plants required to 'bloom at Easter as cool as 

 possible. 



Foi'fiiKj Plauts. — Place a few more roses 

 into a warm house ; some plants of Asters, 

 Japonicas, and Spirea palmata. Some Lilies 

 of the Valley should be placed in a warm 

 place under the stage. Bright light is not 

 necessary for the plant when started, but it 

 requires abundance of water. A few plants 

 of Deutzia gracilis are also useful for early 

 white flowers. A few Rhododendrons and 

 Kalmias, if well furnished with flower buds, 

 are very gay in the early part of the year, 

 and prevent cutting more valuable plants. 



Violets must be protected from frost; and, 

 for flowering at their season, it is necessary to 

 have a few plants in a warm house. These 

 plants dislike much fire heat ; especially if 

 a dry heat, they soon get covered with red 

 spiders, and become exhausted, so that the 

 main stock should be wintered in frames pro- 

 tected from frost, with a few plants in the 

 greenhouse to gather from in very cold, 

 stormy weather, when it is not convenient to 

 open frames. The Marie Louise variety has 

 flowered freely with us out of doors this sea- 

 son from the middle of September, and is 

 covered with flowers at the end of October ; 

 but the first sharp frost will take all the per- 



