S78 THE FLOEAL. WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



purpose, produced. The roots should never be allowed, if it can 

 possibly be avoided, to get beyond the reach of atmospheric in- 

 fluences. It is in such a position alone that they can procure and 

 assimilate the kind of aliment indispensable to the fruitfulness of 

 the trees. When the borders are imperfectly drained, the fruit 

 produced is not only small in quautity, but of inferior quality, and 

 not fit for dessert or kitchen use, compared with such as is grown 

 on dry and healthy soil. Where the situation is bad, it should not 

 by bad gardening be made worse ; every means should be adopted 

 to modify an evil of itself of sufficient magnitude. I should hope 

 that nobody would ever think of planting trees in future without 

 a complete examination of the condition of the soil, and particularly 

 the subsoil, in order, if necessary, to apply those remedies which 

 skilful gardening may suggest ; and surely there is sufficient still 

 and talent amongst us to meet, if brought into the field, all thy 

 exigencies of the case. 



REMINDERS FOR GARDEN" WORK IX DECEMBER. 



' LL Half-hakdy SnBUBS, Fuchsias, and other plants, not capable of 

 standing bard frost, should have litter laid about tbeir roots and up 

 their stems. Tender roses should be taken up and laid in by the 

 heels in a shed or out-house, whero the frost will not reach them, and 

 covered v'v:. straw or litter. 



Heautsease and Pivks should have litter over them, in case of hard weather. 



Tulips should be cover-r! against frost, which, though not killing, is injurious 

 to the blooms if it reach the bulbs : those in the outer beds, though not, perhaps, 

 of so much importance as the lest or show bed, may have hoops and mats over 

 them with advantage. 



Carnations, Picottees, and Aueiculas, as well, indeed, as all plants in pits 

 or frames, should be kept pretty dry, and in mild, dry weather have all the air 

 that can be given by taking off the glasses alrogether. All dead leaves should be 

 taken off, the surface occasionally stirred, and the greatest care should be taken 

 that no snails or slugs harbour among the pots, and that the bottom of the pits or 

 frames be dry. 



The roots of tender fruit-trees ehould be protected in hard weather with straw 

 and the stems of vines outside of houses, when the heads are growing inside, 

 should be bound down and otherwise protected with straw ; the roots also of 

 those against walls should be covered with litter ; most wall-fruit trees, being 

 earlier excited, should be also covered with litter. 



If the weather be mild, the vegetable garden Bhould have the management of 

 last month continued. 



In bad weather, in-door work should be attended to, the making of labels 

 preparation of sticks and stakes, the breaking of old pots in small pieces to use 

 as drainage, and shifting them through different-sized sieves ; examining all 

 kinds of tubers, seeds, and other subjects, to see they are taking no damage — are 

 all dutit-s which are necessary during the winter, and should be done when nothing 

 can be done out of doors. 



In dry mild weather, alterations, planting, and various pruning work should 

 be done, and the cuttings gathered up and stacked for fuel, or burned to put the 

 ashes on the ground. It is also in the winter season that manures and soils 

 should be collected, and the heape turned over to mix well by the time they are 

 wanted. No weeds should be allowed to grow among the compost. The prin- 

 cipal soils, etc., to collect, are road-scrapings, loam, cow-dung, horse-droppings, 

 sand, etc. 



10 MAR ^72 



