FEBRUARY. 157 



months. Set in order the garden account book, arrange 

 all the lists of roses and other choice flowers and plants, 

 settle what must be sought for and bought to complete 

 the stocks of particular kinds of plants, and make out 

 lists of seeds to be purchased, or otherwise obtained. 

 Make plans of the beds of the flower garden, and settle 

 how they are to be filled, preparatory to arranging the 

 stock of cuttings, bedding plants, and annuals : head 

 work now will save lots of hard work hereafter, and work 

 for the pocket also. Cut, shape, and smooth plenty of 

 tallies, and put them by in a safe and usual place, for 

 little will be gained if they are either put away where 

 they cannot afterwards be found, or left about to get 

 lost. Let some be of a sort to set in the ground, and 

 others furnished with a hole and twine or wire, for 

 fastening them to trees and plants. It is a good plan 

 for security against loss of names to have numbers cut 

 in the tallies, and to keep the lists of plants agreeing 

 thereto in a book Any covers for protection (see p. 18) 

 that can be made on wet days, are pretty sure to come 

 into use very soon. Eustic stands, seats and baskets, 

 can be repaired, and any carpentry job wanted, attended 

 to. Prepare a lot of crocks for potting. 



Carry on potting to the full extent of the space at 

 command for keeping the plants where they will be safe 

 from frost, and not too much crowded to do well. Any 

 plants from which early cuttings will be wanted should 

 be forwarded now as much as opportunity and their 

 healthy development admit, remembering not to force 

 too much, as run shoots for cuttings will not make 

 strong plants. 



If many annuals are wanted, the hot-bed or hot-beds 

 made last month will now be found useful in rearing 

 hardy and half-hardy varieties. For hardy annuals, 

 plain loam will produce sturdier and better blooming 

 plants than a more manured soil ; and if they are 

 raised on bottom heat, they should be removed from 

 it as soon as they are above an inch high. Hard/ 

 annuals may be sown in the open borders towards the 

 end of the month, if the weather be free from intense 



