ON THE MONTHLY CALENDAR. 91 



ART. 4. March. 



This month, if mild, begins the principal business of the 

 flower garden. A hot-bed may be prepared, as before di- 

 rected, for sowing annual flower seeds ; biennials and peren- 

 nials, that are intended for early planting, may also be for- 

 warded by this method. The plants in frames may have 

 more air given them, and every opportunity should be taken 

 to forward them as much as possible for the planting out in 

 the ground. The uncovering of many plants may be seen to 

 near the close of the month, and all kinds of hardy shrubs 

 and plants may be pruned and tied, or nailed, in a proper 

 manner, either to fences, walls or trellises, to which they 

 are intended to be trained. 



In the latter part of this month, all dead stalks may be 

 neatly cut from the plants, and cleared from the garden, and 

 the grass plat may be raked and divested of all the old dead 

 grass, and any thing that may prevent the young grass from 

 coming up in a regular manner ; any parts of the walks that 

 have been washed, either by rain or snow-water, should now 

 be repaired, and put into good order previous to the spring 

 dressing. The pruning of trees and shrubs may be per- 

 formed, by simply, in the first case, divesting them of all 

 dead wood, and thinning out all weak, superfluous branches, 

 and those which cross one another. In the act of pruning, 

 a few simple rules are to be regarded, viz. that all wounds or 

 amputations be made with sharp instruments, and left in a 

 clean, slanting manner, that the wet may not collect on and 

 rot the wound ; the next thing is, that the plants be regulated 

 in such a manner that the sun and air have free access to 

 every part of them ; and thirdly, that their natural form and 

 habit be as much as possible retained. In cases where plants 

 have grown into a straggling manner, they may be headed in, 

 to form a new head or crown. These remarks will be found 

 to answer a general purpose, in pruning plants to their natural 

 habit, if correctly attended to. 



