504 MANUAL OF GARDENING 



SUGGESTIONS AND REMINDERS. — I. FOR THE NORTH 



JANUARY 



Cabbage plants in frames need free airing whenever the temperature 

 is above the freezing point, or so long as the soil of the bed is not 

 frozen. Snow, in that case, should be removed soon after its fall. 

 As long as the soil is frozen the snow can safely be left on for a number 

 of days. Cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuce seed should be sown at 

 intervals to secure plants for extra-early sales or setting. A month 

 later they will be ready to transfer to boxes, which should go to the 

 coldframe and be given protection by mats or shutters. 



Coldframes must be well ventilated on warm, sunny days; leave 

 the sashes off as long as is possible without injury to the plants. Keep 

 the soil in a friable condition, and look carefully to any possible places 

 where water can stand and freeze. If the frames seem too cold, bank 

 up around them with coarse manure. 



Hotbeds. — Look up and repair the sashes. Save the horse-manure 

 from day to day, rejecting dry litter, and piling up the droppings and 

 urine-soaked bedding in thin layers to prevent violent heating. 



Lettuce in frames treat as advised for cabbage plants. 



Pruning should now be considered. Perhaps it is best to prune 

 fruit-trees in March or April, but grapes and currants and gooseberries 

 may be pruned now. January and February are good months in which 

 to prune peach trees. Thin out the peach trees well, taking care to 

 remove all the dead wood. If you have much pruning to do in apple, , 

 pear, or plum orchards, you will save time by utilizing the warm days 

 now. Study well the different methods of pruning. Never let an 

 itinerant pruner touch your trees until you are satisfied that he under- 

 stands his business. 



Tools should now be inspected and repaired, and any new ones that 

 are needed made or ordered. 



FEBRUARY 



Cabbage. — Sow seed of Jersey Wakefield in flats filled with light 

 loamy soil, the last week of this month. Sow thinly, cover lightly, 

 and place the boxes in a gentle hotbed or any warm, sunny situation. 

 When the plants are strong, transplant them into flats 1^ in. apart 



