MONTHLY CALENDAR. 191 



477. ShotJd frost appear, or the weather prove damp, light the fires m the 

 afternoon, and shut up the house before the suu disappears, keeping the heat 

 as low as is consistent with keeping out frost and dispelling damp, giving all 

 the air possible in fine weather. Water those plants which have become dry, 

 but water them copiously. The fancy varieties, being the roost delicate, should 

 be kept in the warmest parts of the house, and their foliage thinned out occa- 

 sionally. Use famigation, to prevent the appearance of the green-fly. 



478. A constant and ample supply of compost, well turned and thoroughly 

 dry, should now be prepared for spring potting, and the pots washed and dried 

 for use when wanted. 



479. It is usual, where circumstances permit, to grow hard-wooded plants, 

 such as heaths, azaleas, camellias, and othere of similar habit, in a separate 

 house ; and some cultivators go so far as to recommend those having limitea 

 accommodation to confine their culture to one family, contending that it is 

 better to have a houseful of finely-grown heaths, geraniums, or camellias, a& 

 the case may be, than a miscellaneous collection of indifferently-cultivated 

 plants. This, however, must be a matter of taste. 



4S0. Care shoiild be taken that hard-wooded plants do not suffer from the 

 absence of moisture at the roots. After severe frosts, when the fires have 

 been used, the evaporation by the sides of the pots is very great ; while the 

 siu-face seems to be moist enough this should be seen to. With camellias and 

 other plants of similar habit advancing into bloom, occasional doses of manure- 

 water in a tepid state should be given, and the plants syringed with tepid water 

 every other day, until the flowers begin to expand. 



481. Among the hard-wooded plants, the same remarks respecting heat 

 are applicable ; a temperature of 40° should be aimed at during the night, 

 rising a little by natural causes during the day. Air should be given from 

 above or by means of ventilators, without exposing the plants to cold draughts, 

 and a moisture encouraged by sprinkling the floor, flues, and pipes, when 

 warm, with water. 



482. With heaths, guard against mildew, but water moderately. Avoid 

 ai'tificial heat if possible, but keep out frost ; and, if heat becomes necessary, 

 remove such plants fi-om its influence as are required for later flowering. 



483. Camellias should now be advancing into full bloom, and the young 

 expanding buds should be protected from cold currents of air, but without 

 much fire-heat. 



484. Azaleas should now be growing freely, if they were shifted and promoted 

 to a warm place last month. To get early-flowering plants, some of the more 

 advanced specimens should be introduced to greater heat, while others aro 

 retarded for a succession, to supply the conservatory or window-cases. An 

 Indica alba is a fine early-flowering variety. 



4S5. The Conservator}-, being only a more ornamental variety of the green- 

 house, the same directions apply to it. Being genei'ally alofty building, however, 

 the conservatory is not so well calculated for growing plants unless they be of 

 a climbing habit, when they may be displayed to great advantage. Every- 



