DECEMBER. 



727 



DECEMBER. 



the strength into the shoots, to be hus- 

 banded up for a perfect inflorescence at 

 the proper season. Keep the plants within 

 a yard of the glass, if possible, to prevent 

 their drawing, and fumigate as soon as one 

 green fly is visible. 



Routine Work.? Preserve a minimum 

 temperature of 40; give as much air as 

 possible ; see that the stock is kept per- 

 fectly clean by occasional smokings, wash- 

 ings, dippings, &c. ; put on a fire on dull 

 mornings, to enable you to expel damp ; 

 remove heaths, epacrises, &c., to the con- 

 servatory as they come in flower ; shift 

 young plants of Kalosanthes or Rochea 

 into their blooming pots as they require 

 it, and keep everything in a quiet, semi- 

 dormant state until the new year awakens 

 them to hard work and a new life. With 

 regard to general routine work and cultural 

 directions, the instructions given for last 

 month apply equally well to December. 



December. Hotbeds, Frames, 

 &c., Work in. 



Auriculas, &c. These, with carnations, 

 picotees, pinks, and polyanthuses, should 

 be kept cool and dry, and have plenty of 

 air in fine, dry weather. They must be 

 kept close whenever fog or frost prevails, 

 and should be placed on a thick bed of 

 cinder ashes. 



Bulbs, &c. When bulbs in frames, with 

 violets, forget-me-nots, and plants of this 

 kind, begin to show flower, they may be 

 removed to the conservatory, or window, 

 to come into bloom. 



Cinerarias and Calceolarias. Of these, 

 cinerarias in pits will be showing flower, 

 and must be watered freely, and kept near 

 the glass. They should not be subjected 

 to a temperature lower than 40. Frost 

 will not injure herbaceous calceolarias in 

 frames. Care must be taken to fumigate 

 for green fly, if it makes its appearance. 



Cucumbers and Melons. Little can be 



added *u what has been already said. Let 

 the weather be the principal guide as to- 

 giving air, &c. ; be careful that the frames- 

 are ventilated without causing any draught^ 

 which might injure the plants considerably. 

 See that the heat is maintained, and cover 

 with mats at night ; but do not put on the 

 mats so early as to render the days shorter 

 than they are. The mats should be taken 

 off as soon as it is light in the morning, and 

 not till it is getting dark at night, so that 

 they may have all the daylight they can 

 get. 



Plants in Cold Pits, Frames^ &*c. The 

 instructions given for November apply 

 equally now. As far as general treatment 

 is concerned, water and cover with care ; 

 give all the air possible in mild weather. 

 During a severe storm these may remain 

 hermetically sealed for a week with im- 

 punity at a temperature of 35 to 40. 

 After such a long nap, unwrap cautiously, 

 and shade for a few days from the sun's 

 rays. Examine the entire stock every 

 favourable opportunity. 



December. Hothouse or Plant 

 Stove, Work in. 



Flowers in Hothouse. In the hothouse 

 the most conspicuous object will be Poin- 

 settia pulcherrima, a plant of whose strik- 

 ing beauty no description can convey a 

 sufficiently strong idea. Half a dozen of 

 them from 4 to 5 feet high, and having about 

 eight shoots each, terminated by bunches 

 of enormous scarlet bracts, set off by the 

 peculiar shape and colour of the true 

 leaves, is a sight well worth going twenty 

 miles to see. Any one who possesses a 

 hothouse may have this treat at home, as 

 few plants are easier propagated or grown. 

 There is a creamy white variety of this 

 plant Poinsettia pulcherrima albida 

 certainly not to be compared to the 

 other, but still interesting and showy, 

 especially by candlelight. A beautiful 



