388 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE. 



earth mixed with one-tenth part of bone dust or similar fertil- 

 izer, where manure is not obtainable, and on light soils flower 

 beds may be dug up so as to forward the work preparatory to 

 the coming of the busy season. 



FRUIT GARDEN. In light, diy soils planting may be safely 

 done in many sections, but we again caution the inexperienced 

 not to get impatient and begin to plant before the ground is 

 dry. It is bad to do so even in light, sandy soils, but in stiff 

 and clayey ones it will be utter destruction. Again at this 

 season, although a tree or plant will receive no injury when its 

 roots are in the soil, should a frost come after planting, yet the 

 same amount of freezing would greatly injure the plant if the 

 roots were uncovered and exposed. Thousands of trees and 

 plants fail every year from this cause. Thoy are exposed for 

 sale in our markets with no protection to the roots, and even 

 the experienced purchaser rarely has sufficient knowledge to be 

 certain whether the roots of a tree have been injured by being 

 frozen or dried up by the cold winds of March. It is always 

 best, when it can be done, to purchase direct from the nearest 

 reliable nurserymen. They well know the importance of hav- 

 ing the roots properly protected, while in two cases out of three 

 the market huckster neither knows nor cares. 



VEGETABLE GARDEN. This is a busy month. Hot-beds must 

 now be all started, and all the seeds of the hardier vegetables 

 may be sown in the open ground in locations where the frost is 

 out and the ground dry. The list given for the southern states 

 in January may now be used at the north, while for most of 

 the southern states the tender kinds of vegetables may now be 

 sown and planted, such as Egg-Plant, Okra, Melon, Sweet Po- 

 tatoes, Squash, Tomatoes, Potatoes, etc. For early crops north, 

 all these tender vegetables should now be sown in the hot-bed 

 or the greenhouse. 



APRIL. 



GREENHOUSE AND FLOWER GARDEN. Plants, whether grown 

 in the greenhouse or in windows, will require increased ventila- 

 tion and water this month ; and as they will now be growing 

 rapidly, due attention must be paid to shifting into larger pots 

 when necessary, and also increase the space, if possible, by put- 

 ting the hardier sorts out in frames. If plants are crowded at 

 this season in the greenhouse, they will grow spindling and 



