December.'] monthly calendar. 141 



Mignonette, and other tender seedling plants under pro- 

 tection, will require attention at this season; they should 

 not be over watered, or the plants will perish with mildew. 



Camellias should be frequently syringed while in bud, or 

 watered over the foliage with a rose attached to the wa- 

 tering pot, as should all other shrubby plants. 



DECEMBER 



" A wet sultry Summer, prognostics affirm, 

 A boist'rous Autumn will bring in its turn ; 

 A cold sour Autumn and bummer portend 

 A Winter severe from beginning to end." 



If all was not done as directed last month, there is now 

 no time to be lost. All kinds of tender plants in pots, 

 should be set into frames or pits, and plunged in old tan or 

 light mould ; and in the event of severe frosts, coverings of 

 mats, straw, &c. must be laid over them. 



Greenhouse plants will need constant care and attention. 

 When water is necessary, let it be given in mild weather, 

 103. In case of accidents happening from frost, I would 

 remark, that the sudden transition from cold to heat, is often 

 more destructive to plants than frost itself. If, therefore, 

 plants get frozen, and cannot be screened from the rays of 

 the Sun, they should be watered as the air gets warm, and 

 before they begin to thaw. If sufficient attention be paid, 

 so as to have the temperature of the house gradually rising, 

 as the water is sprinkled over the leaves, it may be a means 

 of preserving plants that would otherwise be destroyed. 



See that the greenhouse, or room in which plants are kept, 

 is so secure as to prevent the intrusion of cold air, or the 

 departure of warm air in the night season. 



Collect from heaths and rocks, such kinds of earth as are 

 suited to the different species of exotic plants, and gather up 

 leaves of trees. If you intend to make hot-beds of them, 

 they should be put together dry ; but if you intend them for 

 compost, they may be laid together as wet as possible, in 

 order that the) may rot for use in succeeding years. 



