i88 KALENDAR [PT. 



Should the digging of borders not have been finished 

 early in December it will be better to put it off until the 

 bulbs are showing above ground. The operation must 

 then be performed rapidly to avoid the exposure of the 

 tender roots. 



GARDENING IN FEBRUARY 



IT was an American who once observed, with quite as 

 much truth as wit, that in these islands we have no climate, 

 only samples. This remark applies peculiarly to the 

 weather in our month of February ; nobody can ever 

 safely forecast it ; we can but hope that the winter is 

 pretty well gone, and that our preparations for spring 

 may be carried on with greater activity and more con- 

 fidence than during the two previous months, and so, 

 weather permitting, earnest digging, liberal manuring, 

 and scrupulous cleaning are the only obvious tasks we 

 must set ourselves for the coming weeks. 



Those who practise early sowing and aim at early pro- 

 duction, must be prepared to afford some protection to 

 their crops by means of litter, spruce-branches, mats, and 

 such like devices, as circumstances require. In almost 

 all respects the notes for January work still hold good. 

 Early Potatoes* may be planted when the ground is dry and 

 the weather mild. To secure a satisfactory early crop the 

 border should be prepared by the addition of such warm, 

 nourishing stuff as is to be got from the charring of all 

 * See page 122. 



