180 Gardening Lhider Glass 



Days are short and growth is at its minimum 

 (hu'ing this month and the first part of next. 

 Water carefully, as over-watering now may mean 

 that soil will be soggy for several weeks, with 

 resulting injury to plants. Top-dress vegetables 

 and flowering plants with nitrate of soda or other 

 nitrogenous fertilizer, as the nitrogen in the soil 

 does not become available so rapidly for' the 

 plants' use during this period of short days. 



December 



Bring in from frames or cellar early bulbs in 

 flats or bulb pans to be forced. The early varie- 

 ties, like Golden Spur Daffodil, do not need to be 

 frozen before forcing. They can be brought into 

 moderate temperatures, say 50 degrees, after 

 they have made a mass of roots. Water spar- 

 ingly at first, and more generously as vigorous 

 growth begins. They can be started under a 

 bench or in a shady place, but should receive full 

 light as soon as the flower buds begin to show. 



Fumigate, or paint the heating pipes with sul- 

 phur as a preventative against mildew which 

 does serious damage and is fostered by mid- 

 winter conditions. 



Astilbe japonica makes one of the most at- 

 tractive plants for forcing. Clumps should be 

 potted up now and given enough heat to start 



