CALENDAR OF MONTHLY WORK 497 



Of course the work can only be done when the soil is sufficiently dry to tread upon. Par- 

 snips, if needed of a large size, should be sown, giving these plants ample room, 18 inches 

 between the rows being none too much ; thin the plants to half that distance. Celery 

 for early use should be sown in pans or boxes. Only a small quantity will be needed 

 thus early. Tomatoes also should be sown thinly to grow on in pots ; see varieties on 

 pages 418 and 614. If glass is not at command, far better purchase plants than sow 

 too early. 



Fruit Garden. Strawberry quarters, from which a crop was obtained last year, will 

 well repay feeding at this date. If not given food in the autumn, merely hoe the surface 

 not dig - and spread the manure close round the plants, cutting away old leaf growth. 

 Small runners laid in last autumn should be planted out, and new plantations made firm 

 by treading. Raspberry canes may now be shortened to the proper length, and the canes 

 supported. If food can be given, they may have a good top dressing. All pruning of 

 Peaches and Nectarines should now be completed, and this is a good time to dress trees. 

 Syringe walls to get rid of insect pests ; this will save labour in the summer. It may be 

 necessary, near towns, to net Gooseberry trees, as small birds inflict much damage this 

 month ; they are also kept at bay considerably by using black cotton between the branches. 

 This is a good time to give these trees manure, lightly forking it in ; and in gardens where 

 Gooseberries are troubled with caterpillars in the summer, remove the surface soil, burn, 

 and give some new material. 



MARCH 



Flower Garden. The work in this garden will now begin, as though, in a late season, 

 grass mowing will not be necessary, a certain amount of labour in rolling and making 

 things as neat as possible must be done. Tall creepers should be trained, old and poor 

 wood cut out, and new wood laid in ; specially in the case of Roses, as the best flowers are 

 produced on the new wood. Roses in beds should now be pruned, and the beds made 

 neat, the surface being hoed over or lightly forked. Tea Roses that have been given 

 protection should be gradually exposed, and growth shortened ; young shoots should be 

 encouraged from the base. Sow flower seeds, not so much however as next month ; but 

 those who have glass can sow a number of half-hardy plants, and save much time. 



Vegetables. A start must be made in the open if good Brassicas are needed. Beans, 

 both the Long-pod and Windsor, may be sown, the former at the beginning of the month, 

 the last-named at the end. Broad Beans succeed best in a good loamy soil, not too light. 

 It is too early to sow Dwarf Kidney Beans and Runners, but such crops as Spinach, 

 Lettuce, and Globe Beets may be sown ; also early varieties of Turnips, such as Milan 

 and Snowball. Carrots, Early Nantes, and the Short-horn varieties should also be sown 

 in light warm soils. Any spare plants of autumn-sown Cabbage planted out will form 

 a succession to those put in during the autumn. Asparagus beds should be given food in 

 showery weather in the way of salt-fish manure, guano, or other special fertilisers ; food 

 given now that growth is just active is more beneficial than in the early winter months. 

 Beds should be prepared for planting or sowing, and good results are obtained by deep 

 cultivation and a liberal supply of manure. Asparagus should not be too much crowded 

 as is often the case, a distance at least of 18 inches to 2 feet between the rows is needful. 

 Celery sown in March will soon be ready to prick off into boxes or frames ; another or 

 mid -season lot should be sown. All vacant ground should be dug ; other, that is cropped, 

 should be hoed over the first opportunity. 



Fruit Garden. Those who have Peach or Apricot trees should give a slight protec- 

 tion from frost ; the trees should now be nailed or tied to the walls, and where birds are 

 troublesome look well after small fruits which they soon destroy. Much of the work ad- 

 vised last month may have been delayed by severe weather, and all arrears should now be 

 cleared up. 



APRIL 



Flower Garden. This is a most important month to the beginner, as seed-sowing 

 will be more general than at any other season, and much of the future brightness 

 of the garden, say from June to October, will depend upon the labour given during 

 the next few weeks. A hard-and-fast line with regard to dates cannot be given to the 

 beginner for various reasons, the chief one being that we are dependent upon climatic 

 conditions, as even in April ths soil may be too cold or too wet at the beginning of the 

 month. This will delay sowing still later. The soil should be in what is termed a friable 

 condition that is, it should not clog or stick together, but break up freely ; and no matter 

 what seeds are sown, success is always greater when the soil is well prepared. Too deep 

 sowing means failure in a cold, wet spring, so that the nature of the soil, if light or heavy, 

 should be considered. If the latter, cover more lightly, or, better still, give a little lighter 



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