286 



CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR JANUARY. 



anrl pile them in aheap; for this is, 

 after all, worth every penny that 

 is paid, for the groundwork or 

 staple matter in all kinds of com- 

 posts. The great drawback is the 

 quantity of grubs usually found 

 in the roots of grass ; but these 

 must be got rid of by hand-pick- 

 ing. Set a boy to remove the 

 turves from one another, and pick 

 out all the vermin he sees be- 

 tween them, whetiier slug, wire- 

 worm, or grub, and pile tliem in a 

 fresh place : the vermin usually get 

 to the part where the turves meet, 

 for the sake of the air. Picking 

 them in this way clears away two- 

 thirds the first picking ; in another 

 week or two remove them back 

 to the first place, and you will 

 find another lot; and about the 

 third or fourth picking will get 

 rid of all Ijut a few stragglers. 

 At the end of a year the turves 

 are to be disturbed by cutting thin 

 slices all down with a very sharp 

 spade, and mixing it. chopping 

 the stuff and knocking it to pieces, 

 when any wireworm, grub, slug, 

 or other vermin that liappens to 

 be left, is geneially exposed, and 

 must be destroyed, if the spade 

 has not alreaily cut it in half. 

 The peat, dungs, vegetables, &c., 

 must each be kept in its distinct 

 heap, to be ready when wanted. 

 Leaves take two years to rot, and 

 sometimes more ; turves will be 

 over three, ahhi^ugh usable at the 

 end of two. The refuse or spent 

 dung of Melon and Cucumber beds, 

 laid one year together after it is 

 done with for the frame, is always 

 valuable ; for with all flowers dung 

 of any sort should be well rotted. 



Pruning and Nailing Climbing 

 Plants, both those which are fresii 

 planted, and others that have been 

 established some time, may be 

 done in all the winter months 



when the weather permits. Enses, 

 Pi/rus Japonica, Wixfaria Sinensis, 

 Jasmine, Honeysuckle, and many 

 other climbers may be now planted 

 for the first time, and be spurred 

 in ; but all the weakly branches 

 may be cut away, and the strong 

 ones nailed out at proper distances, 

 whether honzontal or fan-fashion. 

 Pruning generally. — Lilacs, La- 

 burnums, and Almonds, which 

 have their set times for spring 

 pruning, may nevertlieless be 

 touched this month, whenever the 

 quantity requiring to be done shall 

 cause you to have it some time 

 about; for amateurs have not 

 always the requisite strength of 

 hands to do anything rapidly and 

 where a man does everything with 

 his own hands, and trusts nobody, 

 he can hardly begin too early, 

 though it would be very easy to 

 begin too late ; that is, so late as 

 to be useless. It must be recol- 

 lected that all flowering shrubs 

 show their bloom-buds early, and 

 must be touched sparingly with the 

 knife for the proper time to do 

 the heavy work is directly the bloom 

 is over ; but all thin shoots, wliere 

 they are too crowded and have no 

 flowers on them, or rather no 

 bloom buds, may be taken away 

 clean. Where the bi'anches have 

 bloom-buds on them we must 

 naturally spare them until they 

 have bloomed. Lilacs, Dentzia 

 scahra, and some others which 

 grow before they flower, neverthe- 

 less show, by the boldness of their 

 buds, which shoots are likely to 

 bloom ; and all the spring pruning 

 required is the removal of such 

 small wood as is not likely to pro- 

 duce flowers, and can be spared 

 with advantage. 



Preparing for early Flowers. — 

 It may be generally assumed that 

 nothing in a state of growth can 



