MARCH. 



612 



MARCH. 



Ventilation. March is a peculiarly try- 

 ing month for forcing. The extreme change- 

 fcbleness of the weather, varying almost 

 every hour, from the fiercest sunshine to 

 the bitterest cold, and both these forces to 

 contend against at once, render the utmost 

 attention necessary. This is the more 

 essential, as at this season the young 

 foliage and fruit are so easily injured. 

 Perfect ventilation may be said to consti- 

 tute the main feature of successful cultiva- 

 tion throughout the month. The powerful 

 rays of the sun cmopel us to give air ; the 

 keen withering wind says, Do it at your 

 peril. Both must be obeyed ; but a skilful 

 balance, resulting in a genial atmosphere, 

 must be struck between these contending 

 forces. The moment, too, that one ceases 

 to act, the other must be checked. Does 

 a genial, mild March day for once occur, 

 then you have only to guard against the 

 sun's rays. Is there no sunshine, then you 

 have the cold air only to combat. This 

 principle must be applied to hours and 

 minutes, as well as days. The moment a 

 black cloud intervenes between your glass 

 and the sun, the air must be excluded ; no 

 sooner does the sun emerge from the other 

 side, than air must be admitted. Hence 

 the extraordinary attention required and 

 labour involved in ventilating houses 

 during the month. 



Vinery. Grapes in Marly Stages. The 

 above remarks are peculiarly applicable to 

 grape vines in the early stages of their 

 growth. When fully expanded, the leaves 

 will bear the strongest sun, and exposure 

 to a cold air in the autumn, without incon- 

 venience ; but when young, they are very 

 easily injured. The earliest grapes may 

 now be stoning. Don't attempt to hurry 

 them during this process ; for, in the first 

 place, you will not succeed, and, in the 

 second, you will certainly weaken the 

 vines. This process occurs when the 

 grapes are about three parts grown, and 



often causes vexation and disappointment to 

 young beginners. The grapes make no 

 visible progress for six weeks or two 

 months. They are, however, progressing 

 within, forming their seeds, or stoning, as 

 it is technically called. A temperature of 

 60 at night is enough until this work is 

 completed. Vines should gradually be 

 disbudded, if necessary, when the shoots 

 have attained a length of 2 or 3 inches. 

 By doing this the vine grower is enabled 

 to retain the best for future bearings. 



Vinery. Syringing and Ventilation. 

 The utmost care should be taken to prevent 

 draught, especially a thorough draught 

 passing right through the house. To in- 

 sure this, ventilators should never be 

 opened at opposite sides of the house at 

 the same time that is to say, the top and 

 bottom ventilators, or front and back 

 ventilators, should never be open at the 

 same time. The surface of the floor should 

 be sprinkled several times in the course of 

 the day with a watering pot fitted with a 

 fine rose, and the vines should be syringed 

 twice daily. The most suitable hours for 

 syringing are between 8 and 9 a.m. and 

 between 4 and 5 p.m. 



March. Greenhouse, Work in. 



Azaleas and Camellias should be shifted 

 into larger pots, either as soon as they have 

 flowered or when the new growth is formed. 

 Care must be taken not to allow any water 

 to fall on the petals of camellia flowers, 

 for their beauty and brilliancy is consider- 

 ably marred thereby. And they must be 

 sedulously kept out of draughts. 



Calceolarias. Thin out the worst of the 

 crowded leaves ; peg down the shoots to 

 increase the strength of the plants, and 

 sow seed for next year. 



Cinerarias. Keep clean, remove de- 

 cayed leaves, and throw away all but the 

 most choice varieties as soon as they have 

 finished flowering. Save the best sorts 



