CALENDAR — FEBRUARY. 399 



fruit-room free from spoiled fruit, and now shut it close, 

 admitting as little air as possible. 



Forcing Department. — Piant out melons and cucum- 

 bers on hotbeds and in pits, sowing more for succession. 

 Sow carrots, turnips, and early celery ; cauliflower to be 

 afterwards planted out. Sow tetragonia or New Zea- 

 land spinach in pots. Plant early potatoes on slight 

 hotbeds. Continue the forcing of asparagus, rhubarb, 

 and sea-kale. Pine-apple plants require little air or 

 water at this season, except young plants in dung-frames, 

 which ought to be kept free from damp. Shift fruiting 

 plants by the middle of the month,, if not done in Au- 

 gust. Continue the forcing of all sorts of fruits. Those 

 who have not commenced sooner, and who have a small 

 establishment, will find the middle or end of this month 

 a good season to begin the forcing of vines or peaches. 

 Be careful to protect the stems of vines that are outside 

 of the forcing-houses. 



Let the green-.house and conservatory havp plenty of 

 air in mild weather. Pitt in an extra quantity, if not 

 done in autumn, of cuttings of desirable half-hardy 

 green-house genera for the flower garden ; such as Pe- 

 largonium, Fuchsia, Salpiglossis, Calceolaria, Heliotro- 

 pium. Salvia, Verbena, Petunia, Alonsoa, Mimulus, 

 Lobelia, Maurandia, Tropseolum, Bouvardia, Bodo- 

 chiton, Leptospermum, Anagallis. Many species and 

 varieties of such genera are of great beauty, and con- 

 tribute most essentially to the rich appearance of the 

 flower garden during the summer and autumn months. 

 Sow stocks, a few tender annuals and dahlia seed, on 

 a slight hotbed or in pots. 



Flower Gax.den. — In good weather, plant dried 

 roots, including most of the finer florists' flowers; con- 



