288 



CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR JANUARY. 



confined in small pots full of roots. 

 They must have no water while 

 they have any moisture in the soil. 

 The Pinks and Pansies in their 

 bluoming-pois, and especially the 

 Pansies, are kept growing as well as 

 they can be during the winter, for 

 the sake of their early bloom. 

 Pansies intended to be flowered in 

 the pots, and not yet shitted to 

 their blooming-pots, should be 

 shifted directly or early in Febru- 

 ary, and well watered in to settle 

 the earth about the balls at their 

 roots ; they should be covered close 

 up for a day or two after this, but 

 all alike should have air, and 

 plenty of it, in mild dry weather. 



Dutch Bulbs. — Holland, where 

 bulbs are more successfully grown 

 tlian in any other country, is said 

 to be without any original soil; for 

 light sandy alluvial soil is found 

 more than forty feet in depth, and 

 at the bottom of this may be 

 found whole trees of immense size, 

 which, on exposure to the air some 

 time, fall to pieces. It is in this 

 light soil, every yard of which was 

 once under water, that the bulbs 

 flourish so exceedingly. As, how- 

 ever, the gi-eat secret of their 

 success arises from making the 

 best use of the means at hand, it 

 may be worth while mentioning 

 that the top six inches are always 

 well manured with good well-rotted 

 cowdung, that the bulbs are planted 

 in autumn, covered with straw all 

 the winter, and, when the straw is i 

 removed, watered all over with | 

 liquid manure formed of cowdung : 

 and water. This settles the sur- ' 

 face down, and the wind does not 

 disturb it ; whereas, if the surface 

 were not run together, but left 

 loose as it is under the straw, the 

 wind would blow it away in clouds 

 of dust. This may help us in our 

 cultivation of Hyacinths. 



Haff- hardy things under protec- 

 tion should have air in all fine mild 

 weather, and not be at all moved 

 beyond what is actually necessary. 

 All but frost by way of temperature 

 is safe, and even one or two 

 degrees of this are not killing; but 

 too much wet is bad, and therefore 

 water should be seldom adminis- 

 tered, and rain not allowed at all 

 on them, unless the plants are 

 taken from their frames, and the 

 frames covered up dry. Frames 

 and pits should be Avell cleaned and 

 swept all over inside witii a stiff 

 brush or a birch broom, to keep 

 thera clear of dirt and vermin ; for 

 nothing conduces more to the good 

 health of plants than cleanliness 

 and dryness of the ground on which 

 they stand. Three or four good 

 waterings will almost carry plants 

 through a winter. 



JRanuitculuses. — Turn out the 

 soil from the beds, and lay it on 

 each side the hole. Having thus 

 removed, say a foot of earth, fork 

 up the other well, but leave it in 

 the bottom, and let the earth taken 

 out be dug over and mixed once a 

 week, and each time well examined 

 to detect any vermin that may be 

 in it. The Ranunculuses planted 

 in autumn must be protected with 

 litter. It is a curious fact, but not 

 more curious than true, that in 

 Holland wherever they plant 

 Ranunculuses they find celery, 

 and that among Anemones, Nar- 

 cissus, Tulips, or other bulbs no 

 such intruder appears. We have 

 been assured by one of the most 

 considerable gi'owers in Haarlem 

 that this fact has been noticed so 

 often and so long as to give rise to 

 a notion that Ranunculuses change 

 into celery. With this we will have 

 nothing to do ; but we believe the 

 fact, and promulgate it for the con- 

 sideration of those inclined to 



