504 MANUAL OF GARDENING 
SUGGESTIONS AND REMINDERS.—I. FOR THE NORTH 
JANUARY 
Cabbage plants in frames need free airing whenever the temperature 
is above the freezing point, or so long as the soil of the bed is not 
frozen. Snow, in that case, should be removed soon after its fall. 
As long as the soil is frozen the snow can safely be left on for a number 
of days. Cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuce seed should be sown at 
intervals to secure plants for extra-early sales or setting. A month 
later they will be ready to transfer to boxes, which should go to the 
coldframe and be given protection by mats or shutters. 
Coldframes must be well ventilated on warm, sunny days; leave 
the sashes off as long as is possible without injury to the plants. Keep 
the soil in a friable condition, and look carefully to any possible places 
where water can stand and freeze. If the frames seem too cold, bank 
up around them with coarse manure. . 
Hotbeds. — Look up and repair the sashes. Save the horse-manure 
from day to day, rejecting dry litter, and piling up the droppings and 
urine-soaked bedding in thin layers to prevent violent heating. 
Lettuce in frames treat as advised for cabbage plants. 
Pruning should now be considered. Perhaps it is best to prune 
fruit-trees in March or April, but grapes and currants and gooseberries 
may be pruned now. January and February are good months in which 
to prune peach trees. Thin out the peach trees well, taking care to 
remove all the dead wood. If you have much pruning to do in apple, 
pear, or plum orchards, you will save time by utilizing the warm days 
now. Study well the different methods of pruning. Never let an 
itinerant pruner touch your trees until you are satisfied that he under- 
stands his business. 
Tools should now be inspected and repaired, and any new ones that 
are needed made or ordered. 
FEBRUARY 
Cabbage. — Sow seed of Jersey Wakefield in flats filled with light 
loamy soil, the last week of this month. Sow thinly, cover lightly, 
and place the boxes in a gentle hotbed or any warm, sunny situation. 
When the plants are strong, transplant them into flats 14 in. apart 
