CHAPTER XVI. 

 MONTHLY CALENDAK. 



';X 



§ 1. — Aspect of the Mokth. 



548. February. — Slow but sure is 

 the progress Nature is making ; first 

 a bud or two of larger size than usual 

 appear, then we discover another already 

 silvered over with its greenish-grey, and, 

 after a shower and a dhy of sunshine, 

 it is wonderful to witness the bulk some 

 of the more favourably-situated blossoms 

 have attained. On the south walls, at th& 

 end of the month, in well-sheltered places, 

 the pale blossom of the apricot may be already 

 distinguished through its bursting envelope. 

 The gooseberry-bushes show a glimmering 

 brownish-green, more like the reflection of a 

 colour than the real hue it will presently assume. In sheltered beds, St. Valen.* 



