CHAP. XII.] FEBRUARY. 3 '2 5 



awakening from the sleep of winter. This is 

 pre-eminently the season for spring planting ; 

 and all the trees and shrubs, and even herba- 

 ceous plants, that are to be removed, are put 

 into the ground. The garden rose trees, and 

 other hardy flowering shrubs, are pruned ; care 

 being taken always to cut them in a slanting 

 direction, and to a bud. When the rose bushes 

 have sent up long untidy shoots, every alternate 

 shoot may be cut down to within a few inches of 

 the ground. Thus treated, the shoots that are 

 left will flower, and those that were cut down 

 will send up strong and vigorous shoots for 

 flowering the succeeding year, when the present 

 flowering stems may be cut in. The bushes 

 will thus be kept of moderate size, and of a 

 compact habit of growth, without the flowering- 

 being materially checked. In February the 

 ranunculus roots are planted that are to flower 

 in the following May, and a hotbed is made for 

 the tender annuals. In short, the business of the 1 

 gardener's year has commenced. 



In the kitchen garden, if the weather be 

 open, the gooseberries and currants should be 

 pruned, and also such of the fruit trees as have 

 been left for spring pruning. If the winter 

 has been very hard, the gooseberries and cur- 

 rants should be left as long as possible unpruned ; 

 because the birds, when driven to distress for 

 want of food, very often pick off the buds; and, 

 should the number of buds have been previously 

 diminished by pruning, the hopes of the season 

 for a good crop of fruit are generallv destroyed. 

 Radishes and lettuce should be sown in Feb- 

 ruary, and spinach ; also the first crop of peas 



