Calendar of Operations 



cut back to the stronger young shoots, and all weak shoots 

 removed entirely. Care should be taken that they receive plenty 

 of water at the root during the growing season. 



Seeds of Mignonette may now be sown, selecting if possible 

 a cool situation facing the North. After sowing, shade the soil 

 with some light material, such as a thin layer of straw, to keep 

 the soil from baking until germination. Sow also seeds of Pan- 

 sies, Hollyhocks, Canterbury Bells, Intermediate Stocks, Wall- 

 flowers, Anemone coronaria, Carnations, and other early Spring- 

 flowering plants. By sowing seeds this month, one can 

 count on having strong plants ready to take the place of those 

 which finish blooming in October, and the plants which begin to 

 show bloom in early Winter will keep the flower-beds bright 

 with color until late in the Spring. 



GREENHOUSE. 



Put in the last of the Poinsettia cuttings for the year 

 as early in the month as practicable, care being taken that 

 the young plants do not suffer from want of water, as few 

 plants show the effects of the lack of it more quickly than the 

 Poinsettia. As it is generally desired that the largest plants 

 possible be grown in small pots, a rich soil should be used in 

 potting. A compost consisting of good turfy-loam, good peat 

 or leaf-mold, and silver-sand, with a sprinkling of bone-meal 

 will be found suitable. In potting, the size of the future pot 

 should be borne in mind as really fine plants may be grown in 

 six or seven-inch pots; so, in the first potting, three-and-a-half - 

 inch pots will be found large enough. When the cuttings are 

 first potted, return them to the cutting bed and keep them shaded 

 closely for a few days, syringing with tepid water several times 

 daily until they form fresh roots when they can be gradually ex- 

 posed to the sunlight. This treatment will cause the leaves to 

 be retained almost down to the soil. In the Southern portions 



[3571 



