Monthly Calendar of Work. 453 



OCTOBER. 



Transplanting may be commenced during the present month see 

 full directions in the chapter on this subject, p. 58. 



The chief remaining work is gathering fruit Carefully hand-pick 

 all good specimens, and avoid rubbing and bruising. Autumn pears 

 should be picked a few days before maturity ; winter varieties are 

 to be left on the trees as long as they can safely remain without 

 danger of freezing. For a convenient mode of gathering apples, see 

 p. 109 of this work. Apples intended for market should be very 

 carefully handled, never dropped or bruised, and assorted into at 

 least three qualities, namely, extra, medium, and poor the latter to 

 be used for culinary purposes and feeding animals. By this pro- 

 cess, the selected fruit will sell for more than the whole would 

 unassorted ; and the owner will acquire a reputation in market which 

 will enable him to sell at high prices in the most abundant seasons. 



For directions in gathering and keeping grapes, see p. 113. 



Top dressing orchards may be performed any time during the 

 month. 



Grape-vines in green-houses should have their growing shoots 

 pinched in ; and vines in cold houses, as soon as the fruit is picked, 

 should be thrown open and exposed to the air. 



NOVEMBER. 



Transplanting may be continued at any time during mild weather, 

 so long as the ground remains open and the air is not freezing. 

 Register in a book the name of every tree set out, and this record 

 may be referred to in future years when the labels have gone. 

 Young trees in windy places should be either staked, or stiffened 

 against the wind by a mound of earth, p. 62. Mice may be excluded 

 from young trees by small conical mounds a foot high, made smooth 

 and perfectly compact, carefully excluding turf from them. 



Trees received late from a distance may be heeled-in for spring 

 planting, as directed on pp. 64, 65. 



Protect half hardy raspberries by bending down and covering 

 slightly with earth. Cover strawberry beds with coarse stiff straw, 

 or with cornstalks or evergreens. Grape layers should be separated 

 from the vine and pruned, and packed away in moss, or heeled in 

 the earth. 



Cuttings of quinces, gooseberries, and currants should be made 

 and treated in the same way. Cut grafts for spring use, carefully 

 labelling each sort and packing away for winter, p. 37. Stocks for 

 root-grafting are to be taken up and packed in boxes in cellars for 

 winter use. 



Plough between nursery-rows to carry off surplus water in winter. 



