CALENDAR — DECEMBER. 419 



the forcing-houses, prune and train the trees ; dig and 

 dress the borders of those houses in -which this operation 

 'has not ah-eady been done. The forcing of vines is 

 sometimes commenced at this season ; but the progress 

 must be very slow at first: the crops resulting from such 

 early forcing are generally inferior in quantity. 



G-reen-house^ ^-c. — All hardy green-house plants must 

 now be properly protected, by being replaced in the 

 green-house or in pits. Give abundance of air in fresh 

 weather, only applying heat to keep out the frost during 

 the night, or to expel the damp, with the assistance of 

 air through the day : remove all decayed or injured 

 leaves, watering only such plants as require it ; the 

 plants in the alpine and auricula frames ought still to 

 have plenty of air, but very little watef. Commence 

 the forcing of rhododendrons, kalmias, roses, hyacinths 

 and tulips, in the stove or in pits. 



Flower garden S^c. — Plant dried tubers of border 

 flowers, but the finer sorts had better be deferred till 

 spring. Protect such half-hardy plants as were not 

 sheltered last month. Plant deciduous trees and shrabs 

 as long as the weather continues favorable. Dig and 

 dress such flower-borders and shrubberies as may now be 

 cleared of annuals and the stems of herbaceous plants. 



December. 



Kitchen and Flower Garden. — About Christmas, sow 

 a few of the same sorts of peas and beans as in Novem- 

 ber. Very few operations can be carried on during this 

 month, with the exception of trenching and digging in 

 dry weather ; but this ought not to be neglected. 



Plant all sorts of fruit trees in mild weather. Pro- 



