210 THE KOSE GEOWEE'S CALENDAE. 

 FEBRUARY. 



" February fill the ditch, black or iv^hite, I don't 

 care which," is an old country saying, and it is true; 

 for rain and snow is the order of the month. With 

 this in mind we hasten to straigfhten up our gardens 

 and finish planting on dry open day^. 



After frosts examine all Rose cuttings in the open, 

 and if loosened or lifted in the soil they should be 

 made firm by treading the soil round them. Make all 

 trees secure against March winds, especially climbers, 

 which should be tied in or nailed up, as the case may 

 be. Finish the pruning of all pot Roses and bring a 

 few more trees into the forcing house every week untit 

 the end of the month, when all should be started. 

 Continue gj-afting Roses under glass until the middle 

 of the month. All Roses growing under glass are 

 very liable to mildew and insect pests, due to want of 

 care in the regulating of air and moisture. Half the 

 trouble arises out of the use of some cheap foreign 

 thermometer. The only thermometers, in my opinion, 

 that can be relied on are those made by Negretti and 

 Zambra, which are well tested before sending out. 



Avoid draughts in a house and regulate the tem- 

 perature so as to prevent, as far as possible, the 

 sudden and excessive rising and falling of the ther- 

 mometer. If mildew appears, spray with Cooper's V2K 

 or Abol, both of which will keep down this scourge. 



Climbing Roses under glass will want watching 

 closely for insect pests. It is no use clearing pot 

 Roses of pests whilst climbers in the same house are 

 infested, and more often than not these are the cause 

 of trouble being hard to get at. It is always wisest 

 to fumigate an old greenhouse from time to time, as 

 such are seldom quite free from the enemies of the 

 Rose. At the end of the month, if the weather is mild,, 

 Roses growing on sunny walls may be pruned. 



