CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR NOVEMBER. 



871 



advantageously pruned are allowed 

 to remain, while, if there be a 

 flower-bud on the shoot that should 

 come off, it is such as those tliat 

 we allude to. 



Cinerarias. — The larger plants— 

 or at least the earliest ones — 

 should have had their final shift 

 for blooming. All that remains is 

 to keep them in the full light, and 

 as far as possible free from in- 

 sects, which in a few days accu- 

 mulate vastly if at the first neg- 

 lected. When the blooms have 

 nearly reached the period of ex- 

 pansion it is a good plan to give 

 a little manure water, which may 

 be made from soot, mixing the in- 

 gredients thoroughly, and applying 

 only the clear liquid after the sub- 

 sidence of the solid matter. 



Fire Heat. — Great care must be 

 taken to keep frost out; but it is 

 better when it can be done by 

 covering up close than when it 

 wants fire heat. In hard weather 

 there must be a fire occasionally, 

 and so also in long wet weather, 

 for the house gets damp, in which 

 case light the fires, and when the 

 glass gets up a few degrees open 

 the top lights to let out the damp. 

 A few hours' firing dries the place, 

 and does everything good; but heat 

 and damp draw the plants too much. 



Under the frames of the green- 

 house, or rather the stage, is an ex- 

 cellent preserve for almost every- 

 thing that wants protection from 

 the frost ; but there is an objec- 

 tion to the drip which comes from 

 watering the pots. A piece of 

 waterproof calico thrown over them 

 throws off the wet, and forms one 

 of the best means of protecting 

 Dahlias, various tubers not quite 

 hardy, plants that are dormant, 

 such as Dahlias in pots, and many 

 other things. 



Frames. — At this season the cold 



frames and pits employed for the 

 protection of half-hardy plants, 

 and for sheltering such of the 

 alpines and perennials as need 

 protection, require to be carefully 

 watched, in order to guard against 

 damp — the most insidious enemy 

 of such plants — and to which, 

 owing to the dampness of our 

 climate, they are greatly exposed. 

 The hghts must be kept off during 

 all fine weather, and in dry weather, 

 even though it may be rather cold, 

 provided there is not a keen and 

 nipping air. Even under such cir- 

 cumstances the frames must not 

 be closed entirely, nor in wet or 

 damp weather, but must be tilted 

 up more or less to admit of a 

 change of air, the lights being, 

 however, never opened against the 

 wind. The difficulty of admitting 

 as much air as is requisite, under 

 such circumstances, has led to the 

 provision of ventilators in the back 

 and front walls of frames and pits, 

 and these are exceedingly useful 

 contrivances. A thorough airing 

 can be given without so opening 

 them as to admit rain or keen 

 winds. The ventilators are best 

 made in the form of small wooden 

 slides. Of equal importance to 

 plants of the half-hardy class is 

 the provision of a dry bottom, and 

 the avoiding of spilling any water 

 within the frames during the pro- 

 cess of watering. A damp bottom 

 leads to dampness of the atmo- 

 sphere, and confined dampness of 

 the atmosphere is just what is so 

 fatal to tender plants. Hence the 

 advantage of elevating the plants 

 on an open platform above the 

 floor, and of providing ventilators 

 to secure a cm-rent of air when 

 requisite beneath this platform. 

 The plants themselves require to 

 be frequently picked over, to re- 

 move all dead or decaying leaves, 



