MONTHLY CALENDAR. 721 



the old fruit available to the young plant. The stem is to it a magazine of the 

 best food, laid up in the best form, in the most easily accessible place. Old 

 routine said, wrench it away, and force it to nurture its babyhood on its own 

 resources. Common sense and analogy demand that it should continue to live 

 beneath its mothers fostering wing until its meridian strength is attained. 

 Nevertheless, the two systems are not incompatible. The pot and bedding- 

 out practices can be readily combined ; thus only allow the same stool to 

 fruit once, and pot, in place of planting out the stronger suckers. 



2257. When the suckers are thoroughly rooted (which is often the case 

 before the fruit is cut), and the fruit is cut, remove the stools, separate the 

 suckei's, make a new bed, and plant the latter singly as at the beginning. 

 Under either plan it will often be necessary to pot quantities of the best suckers 

 to keep up a good stock ; form new beds, &c. When the beds get too thick, 

 or the soil gets exhausted, begin as at the beginning. In growing pines in 

 pots, there will generally be two potting seasons, — March, and June or July. 

 Ten or 12-inch pots will fruit the largest plants, and as soon as the fii'st are 

 cut, and the suckers large enough for removal, the stools may be destroyed. 



2258. In all work among pines, remember their leaves are their very life. 

 Appearances also require that they should never be bruised or injured in the 

 least. Practice alone can enable one to perform the necessary operations 

 without bruising or breaking their foliage. We learn also rather to be proud 

 of our own wounds and bruises as we admire the result of successful cultiva- 

 tion in the noble pine, which constitutes the richest part, and adorns all the 

 rest of the dessert. The roots, too, must be carefully preserved. The facility 

 with which pines emit roots up the stems, made the old gardeners reckless 

 about those they already possessed : hence the wholesale disrooting once so 

 common. But the emission of fresh roots does not necessarily supersede the use 

 of those already formed. Neither do pine-roots die naturally annually ; the 

 more they can be preserved the better. The more mouths, jDrovided there is 

 food to fill them all, the more nourishment and strength will be imparted. 

 It is the business of the cultivator to supply this food in a liquid state when 

 and where it is wanted. Healthy roots and leaves convert it into pine fruit ; 

 consequently, the greater the quantity ased, the heavier, yes, and the better- 

 flavoured, the pine will be. 



2259. Peach-house. — In many places the fruit-house is started this month. 

 For instructions in the preliminary stages, see last month, I do not approve 

 of allowing trees in late peach-houses and orchard houses to get frozen. 

 The wood cannot bear cold so well as that nurtured out of doors ; therefore 

 the outside borders of early houses should be protected, as much to keep in, 

 as to send in heat. 



2260. Fig-house. — Lee's Perpetual fig is the best sort grown ; the white 

 Ischia and Marsella are perhaps a little better flavoured ; but they are small. 

 The plants in trees and pots should be thoroughly cleaned, new borders made, 

 rapid-growing trees root-pruned and all top-dressed, &c,, ready for an im- 

 mediate start. The first batch of strawberries should also be introduced, 



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