190 FLORAL OPERATIONS FOR THE MONTH. 
to do them great damage if they be not constantly attended to in this 
respect. In dry weather give water very freely, and if the plants are 
sprinkled over-head late in the evening with a fine rose or syringe, 
their luxuriance will be greatly promoted. ‘Trap earwigs by all pos- 
sible means, on the principle that prevention is better than cure, they 
will not be wanted when the blooming season comes on. Pelargoniums 
that have shed their flowers should be cut down, dis-rooted, and potted 
in smaller pots, keeping the plants for a week in a close frame, to assist 
them in developing their new shoots. Roses may now be budded, 
moist weather being best for the operation. It is of importance that 
there should be a resemblance between the bud and the stock as to the 
vigour of vegetative growth, in order to ensure a successful result. If 
a Rose of slow development i is budded on a rampant briar, and all the 
strength of the latter is turned into the parasitical stranger, health 
cannot be maintained, nor will a freely vegetating Rose submit to be 
impeded in its progress by a sluggish stock. Roses budded on the 
stocks of Boursaults succeed well. Thin away surplus branches from 
all stocks not budded as early as possible, not to wait a day even, but 
get the branches left strong and healthy. 
IN THE FORCING FRAME, STOVE, &c. 
Where stove and greenhouse plants afford suitable cuttings, propa- 
gation may still be pursued ; as, generally speaking, it can be practised 
with greater success in the early than in the latter part of the year. It 
should be remembered that the propagation of most plants is facilitated 
by the employment of bottom-heat and bell-glasses. Stove plants will 
derive great advantage from a partial shading during the glare of the 
day, and will be less liable to injury from drought. Many plants that 
have made vigorous growth will require shifting, especially such as 
Justicias, Clerodendrons, &e., give plenty of water at the roots, syringe 
often in the evening, and keep the floors of the house and every part 
damp, to assist in maintaining a humid atmosphere ; it is surprising the 
amount of evaporation going on at this season. Bulbs of Amaryllis 
and other stove and greenhouse plants can be put together in a pit or 
frame, where they will be near the glass, and where the influence of the 
sun with a gradual diminution of water will mature them. Never per- 
mitting the foliage to flag is a good criterion as to the quantity of 
moisture required, and they may be kept as near that state as possible. 
In the orchid house copious and frequent waterings are indispensable, 
for all species from the more humid part of the tropics, as Stanhopeas, 
Dendrobiums, Gongoras, &c. 
Such plants as Cattleyas require less heat and moisture, and should 
be placed in a cooler part of the house. All those species generally 
flowering during the winter season should have their growth perfected 
as speedily as possible, and then be gradually excluded from exciting 
influences, and placed in cooler and more favourable situations. 
IN THE GREENHOUSE, COLD FRAME, éc. 
As a free ingress of air must necessarily be permitted during fine 
weather, its rapid circulation, conjoined with active solar heat, must 
