PROPAGATOR'S CALENDAR. 581 



Cress, Cucumber, Melon, and Mustard may also be sown in heat; 

 sow first Celery ; add spawn to Mushroom beds when at a temper- 

 ature of about 60 ; Beans, sow general crop ; Peas, sow second crop ; 

 sow early Horn Carrots ; plant earliest Potatoes on sheltered borders ; 

 sow Cos Lettuce in cold frames ; sow Basil and Marjoram in pans and 

 heat ; Leeks and Onions sow in lines or broadcast ; save fruit-tree prun- 

 ings for grafting ; plant Cucumbers and Melons in frames ; select Beet, 

 Turnips, Onions, Carrots, Salsify, Garlic, Parsnips, &c., for seed-saving 

 purposes ; sow Cucumber, Melons, Vegetable Marrows, Capsicum, French 

 Beans, Celery, Cauliflowers, Tomatoes, Egg-plants, &c., on a genial hot- 

 bed, or on a bottom-heat of about 60 ; start early Potatoes in shallow 

 boxes of soil or rotten manure ; plant Artichokes, Rhubarb, Horse-radish, 

 and Seakale, Asparagus, Spinach, Beet, &c., in the open quarters ; make 

 up Mushroom beds ready for spawning ; sow seeds or kernels of Apples and 

 Pears to raise free stocks for grafting, also nuts of Walnuts, Chestnuts, and 

 Hazels ; plant suckers and cuttings of Gooseberries, Currants, Codlins, 

 Figs, Vines, Mulberries, and Filberts ; Figs, Vines, Filberts, and Mul- 

 berries may also now be layered ; plant suckers of Plums, Pears, Apples, 

 c. , for grafting and budding, and make layers of Muscle Plums to raise 

 stocks on which to bud Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, &c. ; procure scions 

 or grafts of all hardy fruits ready for working in this or next month. 



Flower-Garden and Shrubbery. Now is the time to overhaul and pro- 

 pagate bedding-plants of all kinds. Sow in heat, Lobelia Blue, Pyrethrum 

 Golden Feather, Perilla, Amaranthus, Verbena venosa (if not done last 

 month), Balsams, and all kinds of hardy and half-hardy annuals, in a tem- 

 perature of 50 to 55. During mild open weather, double-blossomed 

 Prunus, Amygdalopsis, Pyrus, Planera, Cydonia, Amelanchier, &c., may 

 be grafted. Examine tubers of Canna, Dahlia, Marvel of Peru, &c., and 

 place them in heat for propagating purposes. This is the time to sow 

 Ranunculus seeds, and this is a flower that every one should grow who has 

 a garden. One of the chief charms of this flower, particularly to a florist, 

 is that it is very sportive and vigorous from seed so much so, that a seed- 

 ling bed is perhaps the great surprise and charm of Ranunculus growing. 

 Even the most double exhibition flower will frequently afford a seed-head 

 when fully expanded, but very seldom any stamens. Pollen must there- 

 fore be obtained from well-shaped and coloured semi-doubles that afford 

 it freely. Good seed somewhat resembles scales or flakes of bran with a 

 slight brown germ set in the middle. It is very delicate, and, like seed of 

 the Auricula, is better left uncovered by any soil, and the soil kept gener- 

 ally moist by a sheet of glass over it, after which place the seed-pans 

 in a cool frame. Scions of Pyrus domestica or True Service-tree may 

 now be grafted on thick pieces of its own roots well furnished with fibres, 

 or on stocks of the Mountain - ash ; and .many other rare or valuable 

 ornamental shrubs, as Spiraeas, &c. , may be propagated in this manner. 

 Work double-blossomed and ornamental Cherries (Cerasus] on the Maha- 

 leb stock, which is itself easily struck from cuttings of the young wood 

 in the autumn. All planting operations should be pushed forward ; and 

 the sowing of tree-seeds, with the exception of Pines and Firs, should 

 be as far as possible completed. Put in cuttings of trees and shrubs 

 not usually propagated by seeds, such as Poplars, Willows, Privet, 

 Elder, and Sea Buckthorn. Remove Lime and other layers from the 

 stools, and transplant in nursery beds, if not already done. Spring work 

 generally should be carried on with vigour when the weather is open. 

 This is an excellent time for grafting Ivies, especially the tree and varie- 

 gated varieties. Any strong green-leaved variety may be struck from 

 cuttings as a stock in the open border, and are then to be dug up and 



