142 MONTHLY CALENDAR. 



JANUARY. 



Winter's white sheet now covers earth's cold bed ; 

 Pride of our home, the lovely Flowers, are deadj 

 Some early venturers would the aspect cheer, 

 The first-born children of the dawning year. 



Having shown, in page 100, that heat, air, and water are 

 the food of plants, and necessary to the preservation of their 

 health and life, if given in due proportion according to cir- 

 cumstances, I would, at this season of the year, especially, 

 salute the gardener with " Be ye temperate in all things." 



Temperance in the use of water is of the utmost import- 

 ance in the winter season, for several reasons which may be 

 given. In the first place, water will attract frost, and, there- 

 fore, should be used very sparingly in frosty weather ; 

 another consideration is, that in the absence of heat and air, 

 plants cannot absorb much moisture, and, consequently, must 

 become injured from excessive watering; and it may be 

 observed farther, that it is not prudent to keep plants in an 

 extremely vigorous state, until the season arrives when the 

 external air is soft and salubrious ; they can then have a due 

 proportion of heat, air, and moisture at the same time. 



Perhaps the next important point to be attended to at this 

 time is, to see that the green-house, or room, in which plants 

 are intended to be preserved, is calculated for the purpose. 

 The room should be light and airy, and yet so secure as to 

 prevent the intrusion of external cold air, or the departure 

 of warm air in the night season. 



A Fahrenheit thermometer is indispensable in a green- 

 house, or room, where plants are kept, and the temperature 

 should be always kept up as nearly as possible to forty degrees, 

 in the absence of the sun. If the gardener retire to rest in 

 this variable climate, leaving the mercury much below forty, 

 he may expect to find his plants frozen in the morning. 



A good brick flue is better calculated for heating a small 

 green-house than any other contrivance ; because, after a 

 sufficient fire has been made to heat the bricks thoroughly, 



