MARCH. 



607 



MARCH. 



can be attached in this manner, in the 

 course of three months, and most valuable j 

 plants secured at once. The stock and ! 

 branch must always, however, bear a I 

 proper relation to each other, and the 

 latter, as a rule, should never exceed the i 

 former in thickness. 



Temperature, The interest and beauty 

 of this house will now increase day by 

 day. Let a minimum temperature of 

 45 be maintained, allowing for a rise of 

 10 from sun heat, and give as much air as 

 the state of the weather and the mainten- 

 ance of a kindly, genial atmosphere will 

 permit. The less fire heat that is used, 

 the longer will the flowers continue in 

 blossom ; therefore, in very cold weather, 

 suffer a depression of 5 from the above, 

 rather than increase by artificial heat. 

 Keep the heating apparatus cool in the 

 morning if there is the slightest chance of 

 bright sunshine. Nothing destroys flowers 

 so fast as the sun shining upon a house 

 while the pipes or flues are also in opera- 

 tion ; this remark applies to all heated flue 

 structures, although specially so to conser- I 

 vatories. Flowers reveal its effects sooner, ! 

 but it is doubtful if they suffer more from j 

 this cause than other plants in full growth. 

 In the one case, the effect is apparent at 

 once, in showers of dead flowers ; in the 

 other, it is hidden for months, but not the ] 

 less potent and injurious, except on dull, 

 wet days, than when fires are necessary to 

 expel damp and maintain the temperature 

 while air is freely admitted. Lay it down 

 as a rule that the conservatory fire is 

 drawn right out, or shut off by the valves 

 when that cannot be done, on every 

 morning promising sunshine. 



March. Flower Garden, Work 

 in. 



Anemones. Prepare a piece of ground 

 in the reserve garden for sowing anemone 

 seed ; Anemone hortensis* A. coronarta. 



and A. rectifolia, are the most useful 

 varieties. Rub the seed clean in sand ; 

 sow in shallow drills 9 inches apart, 

 and cover with fine sifted leaf mould 

 and sand. 



Annuals, Winter-sown. Stir the soil 

 among these in the reserve garden, and 

 transplant them, weather permitting, to 

 their quarters in the {"lower garden in 

 which they are desired to bloom. 



Bedding Plants, Beds for. Enrich the 

 hooped beds designed for the temporary 

 protection of bedding plants next month 

 with a liberal dressing of manure, and 

 get everything in readiness that the 

 approaching busy season will demand. 



Bedding Plants, Protecting. It is always 

 desirable to get bedding plants out as early 

 as possible, and yet there is much danger 

 both from wind and frost in so doing. It 

 is an excellent plan to stick sprays of ever- 

 greens, Scotch and spruce firs, in different 

 parts of the bed as a protection. By this 

 means the force of the wind is broken, 

 and the plants take hold of the ground 

 sooner ; the tender leaves also are saved, 

 which otherwise not unfrequently turn 

 brown, and fall off, retarding the growth 

 of the plants. 



Biennials and Perennials. Get ground 

 in readiness for a general sowing of all 

 biennials and perennials next month. 

 The oftener it is forked over, the more 

 thoroughly pulverised it will be ; con- 

 sequently, the better adapted for raising 

 seeds of every description. 



Carnations, Pinks, &c. Carnations 

 and picotees should now, if the weatner 

 is mild, be placed in their blooming pots, 

 and sheltered under glass during bad 

 weather. They should be potted nrmly, 

 care being taken to keep the soil out of 

 the axils of the leaves. Pinks in pots or 

 open borders should be top dressed with 

 a mixture of fine loamy soil and half- rotter- 

 manure. 



