160 Horticultural Memoranda for Jlpril. 



FRUIT DEPARTMENT, 



Grape vines, that have so far pushed their buds as to now show their 

 embryo clusters, will need attention. Syringe frequently with pure 

 water, until they show signs of opening, when it should be withheld 

 from them until the fruit is set. 



Cuttings may yet be put in the hot-bed where a large quantity are 

 wanted, and the chance has been delayed. 



Straxoberry beds should be uncovered as soon as possible, unless the 

 nights are exceedingly cold. 



Gooseberry and currant bushes should be i*emoved as early in the 

 month as possible. 



Grafting: the present month is a good season of the year to collect 

 grafts, when it has been neglected the previous autumn : place them 

 in a cool cellar until wanted. 



FLOWER DEPARTMENT, 



Dahlia roots: plant them in hot-beds, or forward them in the green- 

 house, so that their roots can be separated with more certainty; after 

 they are separated, put each in a small pot. Sow the seeds this month, 

 or they will not bloom well the first year. 



Auriculas and polyanthuses that have done blooming should be set 

 in a cool place, not exposed to heavy rains. Sow the seeds of both now, 

 if not done last month. 



Ranunculuses should be planted immediately, if they have been left 

 out since the autumn. Spring planting is, however, in our opinion, not 

 so good as autumn. 



Tiger Jloivers should be potted for early flowering. 



Jimaryllis formosissima should be set in pots, in a light rich soil, in a 

 warm situation. 



Tuberoses should also be potted. 



Gladiolus natalensis and floribundis may be planted as soon as con- 

 venient. 



Pinks that have been sheltered in frames, or in the green-house, should 

 be planted out into their flowering beds as soon as the weather will pos- 

 sibly allow: they suffer by being drawn up in the former place. 



Tulips, hyacinths, and other bulbous roots should be uncovered as soon 

 as the weather is mild: it is better to uncover them at any rate, as they 

 ai'e apt to suffer; and if cold weather ensues, they can easily have a 

 small part of their winter covering thrown over them. Hyacinths that 

 have been flowered in pots should be turned out into the open ground 

 upon the sides of the bulbs, and allowed to ripen. 



Calceolarias: continue to repot these as fast as they require it. 



Annual flower seeds, particularly the tender kinds, should be sown in 

 a hot-bed, or in the green-house; such as the mimuluses, gilias, schizan- 

 thuses, &c. should never be planted in the open ground, exposed to our 

 heavy sjjring rains. 



Roses, in the border, should be pruned about the middle of the month. 



Ericas: continue to propagate these; the present and ensuing month 

 are the best in the season for good success. 



Camellias will still require good supplies of water, and good syring- 

 ings over their heads every day. Pots of seeds, which are just breaking 

 the ground, may be plunged in a bottom heat. 



Geraniums : give a great quantity of air in that part of the house in 

 which these are grown, to prevent their being drawn up. 



VEGETABLE DEPARTMENT. 



Peas : make preparations to get the first sovving into the ground im- 

 mediately. 

 Asparagus will need top dressing, and the surface forked up. 

 Egg-plant seeds require a strong bottom heat to vegetate them. 



