54 THE FLORIST AND 



drainage. These pots being filled with roots they may be placed into others 

 12 or 14 inches across, where they remain to fruit. Keep them in the house 

 until the growth is completed, afterwards a few weeks' exposure will be bene- 

 ficial; prune in November to lengths of 6 or 8 feet — they will produce from 

 6 to 10 bunches, according to strength, during the following summer. 



Nectarines, Peaches, and Cherries may also be grown in this manner; they 

 require very little care when once established, and will ripen fruit five or se- 

 ven weeks before it can be had out of doors. 



Strawberries in pots, if brought into the greenhouse during last month, 

 will be coming into flower. Let them have plenty of fresh air during favor- 

 able weather while the sun is warm, and keep cool at night; a night temper- 

 ature ranging from 45 to 55 degrees will be sufficient — if lower, all the bet- 

 ter, although they will not ripen fruit as early. A top shelf near the glass 

 is indispensable; supply water freely ; liquid manure maybe used with bene- 

 fit after the fruit is well formed, but not before. S. b. 



The severest weather being past, spring work advances, and it is one of 

 the most essential points in good gardening to be continually looking ahead. 

 The object should be to get work done in advance of the season. With the 

 best efforts to that end, we shall find that we are only u just in time " after 

 all. 



Flower Garden. — As soon as the weather will permit, all alterations, 

 new walks, turf-laying and so on, should be driven to completion. Walks 

 are very seldom well made in this country ; the underdrains which we rely 

 on so much in Europe, are very little use here. The large amount of dust 

 washed away suddenly by our heavy thunder showers, chokes the drains easi- 

 ly ; and in other cases the amount of water is suddenly so great that but a 

 tithe of it can make its exit from the surface through the grating. Having 

 experienced their insufficiency, I have in my practice turned my attention 

 rather to the providing of surface courses. Where a gravel walk has a great 

 fall, I have been able to keep the gravel from washing away by "pebbling" 

 the outsides three, four or five inches in breadth, according to the length of 

 the walk, before an opportunity occurred to throw off the water ; small peb- 

 bles being used and the walk being about half-an-inch higher in the middle 

 than at the outsides, the walk looses none of its neat appearance, while the 

 object is effectually gained. If the walk is to be made on a piece of ground 

 naturally wet, under-drains must of course be employed. Had I not seen so 

 many scandalous specimens of draining lately, I should not think any direc- 

 tions necessary here. Drains are laid in so that they can't act, or soon be- 

 come inoperative, when the report arises that " so-and-so expended vast sums 

 on draining, and it has done no good." The bottom of the trench prepared 

 for the drain — tiles, bricks, or stones — should be dug to one regular grade. 



