CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR DECEMBER. 



375 



bottom, and sides, however loose 

 it may be in the middle. 



Other Means of Protection. — The 

 most complete of all is glass in 

 various forms, from the common 

 hand-glass — to take off and put on 

 as the changes of weather or the 

 apin'oach of night or moi'ning dic- 

 tate — to the porous pots, green- 

 houses, and conservatories on the 

 largest scale, in which artificial 

 climates can be comm^anded at 

 pleasure, because glass excludes 

 no light, and keeps in the natural 

 warmth of the earth it covers ; 

 at least, it prevents the escape of 

 the natural warmth except by slow 

 degrees, and if the glass be covered 

 during the hard frost it is still 

 more preserved. For all green- 

 house plants it is desirable to 

 avoid the necessity of making 

 fires, if possible, by covering, to 

 keep in the natural warmth, or, as 

 some people describe it, to keep 

 out the cold, instead of having to 

 use artificial heat. The month of 

 December calls upon us for the 

 greatest caution, as the frost is 

 beyond measure treacherous. We 

 may have the garden at sunset 

 wet, close, and fifteen degrees 

 above frost, and in a short space 

 of time find the open air five de- 

 grees below it. Now, this is trying 

 even to many hardy things, for tlie 

 changes are too rapid. This, how- 

 ever, dictates to us the necessity of 

 always leaving the garden safe — 

 the litter laid where it is required, 

 the glasses all in their respective 

 l^laces. Precautions against frost 

 should be taken every night as if 

 it w^ere certain before morning. 



Uncovering protected Plants. — 

 In mild weather give everything 

 the benefit of the air and sun. 

 Uncover at daybreak, that they 

 may lose no daylight. 



The routine business of the gar- 



den for the four months of No- 

 vember, December, January, and 

 February is utterly dependent on 

 the weather, but the same in simi- 

 lar weather all through. It is 

 impossible to give direct instruc- 

 tions, because it is possible that 

 the frost may defeat us in any one 

 or more of them in all our inten- 

 tions. All the duties of the four 

 months might be comprised in two 

 words — cleanliness and protection ; 

 but there are certain things con- 

 tinued through all mild weather, 

 and other certain things necessary 

 in all frosty weather. We are 

 writing of out-of-door business. 

 Keep clear of weeds and vermin ; 

 dig the ground again as you clear 

 off the decayed flowers; turn out 

 the earth of the flower-beds to 

 sweeten, and frequently turn it 

 over, but esiiecially wlien it is 

 frozen on the surface. A few par- 

 ticular classes of flowers may be 

 in want of some management. 



Annuals that were sown in the 

 autumn for early flowering in the 

 spring, or such as have sprung 

 up self-sown in the beds or bor- 

 ders, where they can be retained 

 in patches for the sake of their 

 earliness, are the better for some 

 degree of protection in very severe 

 weather. With all such plants it 

 is, moreover, very important to 

 attend to tliinning in due time, so 

 that the plants may gi-ow sturdy 

 and strong, and not be drawn 

 up spindly and weak from \mog 

 overcrowded, which renders them 

 much more susceptible of frost 

 than when they make their growth 

 after being properly thinned. This 

 thinning is required as early in 

 autumn as the plants become at 

 all thick on the ground, so that 

 they may have the advantngo of 

 exposure to all the sun and light 

 which are at that season available. 



