1090 A MONTHLY CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 



gathered ; watch narrowly for insects. Orchard-house the trees will 

 now be in full bloom ; give air freely ; avoid cutting draughts on cold 

 days ; keep the air dry ; gently top the trees several times a day, and 

 if the pollen sticks to the flowers, use a camel's-hair pencil to dis- 

 tribute it. If frost occurs it must be excluded either with coverings or 

 fire-heat, or the crop will be endangered. Fig-house when the shoots 

 have made three or four joints, stop them to cause them to produce 

 fruit in the autumn. Melons allow several of the main shoots to 

 reach the sides of the frame before being stopped. Cucumbers stop 

 the shoots and cut the fruit when fit. Prune and nail figs. Disbud 

 peaches and nectarines. 



MAY. 



VEGETABLE DEPARTMENT. 



Basil plant on a rich sheltered border. Beans top the early crops ; 

 plant twice in the month. Beet thin to 15 inches apart. Borecole 

 prick out of the seed-bed. Broccoli prick out those sown last month, 

 and make another sowing of the winter kinds ; ako Cape, Grange's, 

 and Walcheren the last week. Cabbage plant out the February 

 sowing. Cauliflower earth up and water with liquid-manure ; take 

 off the hand-glasses. Cucumbers prepare ridges for out-door crops ; 

 attend to stopping, gathering the fruit, and top-dressing those in pots 

 or houses. French Beans make sowings in the first and last weeks. 

 Transplant Leeks. Lettuce transplant early sowings ; sow twice 

 in the month. Onions thin them to nine inches apart. Peas 

 make two sowings. Potatoes earth up the early crops. Radishes 

 make two sowings. Spinach sow in tho middle of the month ; thin 

 former sowings. Scarlet Runners sow in the beginning and middle 

 of the month; plant out those raised in heat. Turnips make a 

 sowing, if not done in the end of last month. 



FRUIT DEPARTMENT. 



Pinery give the plants manure-water occasionally, if fruit of a 

 large size is required ; keep up a high temperature during the day ; 

 sprinkle them in the afternoon ; shut up early, at a temperature of 

 80, allowing it to rise to 90 or 100. Vinery keep the laterals 

 stopped to one joint; take away all useless shoots, thin bunches and 

 berries. Peach- house when the fruit begins to ripen, withhold water 

 both at the roots and over-head ; at the same time admit air freely. 

 Chewy-house raise the temperature to 65 when the fruit is swelling 

 off. Orchard-house open the house as much as possible ; break 

 the force of the wind, and exclude birds and soot, by covering 

 the ventilating space with woollen netting of a quarter or half-inch 

 mesh. Look out for caterpillars on apricots ; destroy green-fly ; disbud 

 the trees, and pinch back all shoots but the leader to about four buds ; 

 syringe and water freely. Fig-house as the first crop approaches matu- 

 rity, only sufficient water should be given to prevent the second crop 



