OCTOBER. 



701 



OCTOBER. 



rise from the surface of pots and borders, 

 without having recourse to either sprinkling 

 leaves or paths. Care must be taken not 

 to wet the latter in performing the neces- 

 sary watering. 



Winter Blooming Plants, Ventilation 

 for. When October comes, every plant 

 to be housed, from the camellia to the 

 humblest denizen of next year's flower 

 garden, should be placed in safe qttarters 

 at once safe, remember, but not -warm, 

 quarters, because the latter would be 

 most unsafe. Plants that have stood for 

 months in the free air of heaven are most 

 impatient of confinement. Unless the 

 wind is very cutting, or the thermometer 

 is under 40, the houses should stand open 

 night and day for several weeks after the 

 plants are admitted ; otherwise the sudden 

 change of temperature would either cause 

 flower buds to drop or excite to premature 

 wood growth, the probability being that it 

 would do both. 



Winter- Blooming Plants ', Protectionfrom 

 rain for. The first, and in many places 

 the chief, duly of the month, is to see that 

 all tender and all hardy plants intended to 

 be bloomed in winter are placed under the 

 requisite shelter. Nothing injures the 

 former, or prevents the perfect inflores- 

 cence of the latter, more than being 

 exposed to the chilling, drenching rains 

 that often fall at this period of the year. 

 A day or two of such untoward influences 

 will do more harm than months of exposure 

 to genial balmy air and invigorating dews 

 have done good. 



Winter - Blooming Plants Spoiled by 

 Over-exposure. When the plants have 

 all been housed, it is well that their con- 

 dition should be carefully looked into. If 

 the pots seem heavy the surface soil some- 

 what greasy, with an occasional elevation 

 here and there, and some of the leaves 

 present a bluish, slightly shrivelled, highly 

 polished appearance, their state is far from 



being a desirable one. All healthy root 

 action has been paralysed by the combined 

 influence of water and worms, by whose 

 disintegrating and disorganising forces both 

 the quality and texture of the soil have 

 been changed. Keen winds and heavy, 

 dashing, cold rains, or hail, are almost 

 equally injurious. Their influence is less 

 seen and more irremediable at the time j 

 but it is equally potent afterwards. Those 

 blotches, patches, and bruises, so common 

 on leaves and tender branches of plants in 

 winter, mostly originate from keeping them 

 out too late in the autumn. Nothing can 

 possibly be gained much, yes, everything, 

 may be lost by the practice. Every 

 prudential, sanitary, and economical con- 

 sideration urges the propriety of early 

 housing. 



October. Flower Garden, 

 Work in. 



Auriculas, Polyanthuses, &c. Place 

 auriculas, polyanthuses, pinks, carnations, 

 &c., if not already done, in their winter 

 quarters. Give all the air possible, to 

 induce a quick growth. 



Dahlias, Hollyhocks, &c. Gather holly- 

 hock and dahlia seeds if ripe. Pot choice 

 varieties of hollyhocks, and winter under 

 glass. 



Pansies. Pot up pansies for stores and 

 flowering in pots. Plant out seedlings and 

 put in cuttings. 



Propagation. The great business of 

 propagating for next year should now be 

 consummated. Nevertheless, such things 

 as verbenas, calceolarias, &c., may still be 

 put in with the certainty of success. Some- 

 times these plants flower so freely that it 

 is almost impossible to get suitable wood 

 for cutting until the end of September or 

 beginning of this month. It is almost 

 useless to try to strike pieces of the hard 

 flowering wood ; the small young shoots, 

 heeled off from the flowering branches, 



