MONTHLY CALENDAR. 273 



them to their blooming quarters in the flower-garden. Sow ten-week stocks 

 on a sunny bed for succession to those raised in heat. Prepare a pieco ot 

 ground for sowing Anemone seed, — Hortensis, Coronaria, and Kectifolia, are the 

 most useful varieties for shrubberies. Rub the seed clean in sand ; sow in shallow 

 drills nine inches apart, and cover with fine sifted leaf-mould and sand. Get 

 ground in readiness for a general sowing of all biennials and perennials next 

 month. The oftener it is forked over, the more thoroughly pulverized it will be ; 

 consequently, the better adapted for raising seeds of every description. 

 Protect seeds from birds, which are often most destructive just as the seeds 

 are vegetating. Enrich the hooped beds designed for the temporary protection 

 of bedding-plants, nest month, with a liberal dressing of manure, and get 

 everything in readiness that the approaching busy season will demand. 



736. Florists' Floxvers—Atiricidas. — As the power of the sun increases, if 

 the weather continues mild, these plants might now have the benefit of warm 

 showers. The lights should be drawn off daily on fine days. When the weather 

 is rough and boisterous, avoid cutting draughts. See that the plants have 

 plenty of water, as they will now be throwing up their flower-stems. The 

 plunging material may be sprinkled, to keep up a moist genial atmosphere. 

 Plants intended for showing should have seven pips as level as possible, round, 

 and well shaped : any ill-shaped small pips may be cut off to avoid crowding. 

 Cover up securely from frost, and shade for a few hours on bright days : take 

 off offsets, and insert in a close frame ; water with care until rooted. 



737. Carnations and picotees should now, if the weather is mild, be placed 

 in their blooming-pots, and sheltered under glass during bad weather : they 

 should be potted firmly, care being taken to keep the soil out of the axils of 

 the leaves. Pinks in pots or open borders should be top-dressed with a mixture 

 of fine loamy soil and half-rotten manure. 



§ 3.— The Mixed Kitchen-Garden. 



738. There are thousands of good old English gardens where it would not 

 only be contrary to the genius of the place, but practically impossible, to 

 separate altogether the kitchen and flower-garden. Most gardens attached to 

 farm-steads, and many vicarage gardens, fall under this category. But there 

 are many others of greater pretensions, where it would be a great mistake to 

 leave what is called the kitchen-garden entirely devoid of floral ornaments. 

 Without at all interfering with the proper and profitable culture of vegetables 

 and fruits, the kitchen-garden, with a little taste and far less labour, maybe made 

 extremely ornamental. Let the walks that need it be kept well gravelled ; and, 

 as box-edging is always getting out of order in a kitchen-garden, substitute for 

 this a thin tile, one foot long and one inch thick, and about six inches deep, 

 scalloped at the top, which may be purchased at the shops in various pi-t- 

 terns ; or a row of fiu-e bricks, laid at an angle, as in the engraving, make 

 a good edging. These, which are very inexpensive, and last a long while, 



S 



