236 



GARDENING FOR PLEASURE. 



suits may be obtained, as it is always better to take plants of any 

 kind from a cold climate to a hot one, than from a hot to a cold. 



Vegetable Garden. — Horse manure, leaves from the woods, or 

 refuse hops from the breweries, when they can be obtained, may 

 be got together towards the latter part of the month and mixed 

 and turned to get " sweetened" preparatory to forming hot-beds; 

 for detailed instructions see article on hot-beds. Manure that is 

 to be used for the crops should be turned and broken up as fine as 

 possible, for it should be known that the more completely manure 

 of any kind can be mixed with the soil, the better will be the crop, 

 and of course if it is dug or plowed-in in large unbroken lumps, it 

 cannot be properly commingled. 



MARCH. 



Greenhouse and Flower- Garden. — Brighter sunshine and 

 longer days will now begin to show their effects by a rapid growth 

 of plants in the greenhouse, and also in those of the parlor or 

 window garden ; examine all plants that are growing vigorously 

 and are healthy, and if the roots have struck to the sides of the 

 pot and matted the " ball of earth, then they must be shifted into 

 larger sized pots ; if this is long neglected the plants are certain to 

 suffer in consequence ; for details of operations see chapter on 

 Potting. The plants propagated last month may now need shift- 

 ing also, and propagation should continue of all plants that are 

 likely to be wanted. If propagation is put off later, most plants 

 would not be large enough if needed for bedding purposes in the 

 flower-garden in summer. The hardier kinds of annuals may now 

 be sown ; it is best done in boxes, as recommended elsewhere. 

 Lawns may now be raked off and top-dressed with short manure 

 or rich garden earth where manure is not obtainable, and on light 

 soils flower-beds may be dug up so as to forward the work prepar- 

 atory 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 inj ury when its roots are in the soil, should 

 a frost come after planting, yet that same amount of freezing 

 would greatly injure the plant if the roots were uncovered and ex- 

 posed. " Thousands of trees and plants fail every year from this 



