MONTHLY CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 237 



cause ; they are exposed for sale in our markets with no protec- 

 tion 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 import- 

 ance of having 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 locations where the frost is out and the ground dry, 

 the list given for 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 potatoes, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, etc. 



APRIL. 



Greenhouse and Flower-Garden. — Plants whether grown 

 in greenhouse or in windows, will require increased ventilation 

 and water this month, and as they will now be growing rapidly, 

 due attention must be paid to shifting into larger pots when neces- 

 sary, and also increase the space if possible by putting the hardier 

 sorts out in frames. If plants are crowded at this season in the 

 greenhouse, they will grow spindling and weak. It is better to 

 throw away the common or coarser plants if there is not room for 

 the finer sorts to develop properly. Towards the end of the month 

 it may be necessary to partially shade the glass of the greenhouse ; 

 this may be either done by sheeting hung on rollers from the top, 

 or more simply and cheaply by making a very thin whitewash of 

 lime ; this may be spattered over the glass very lightly at first, just 

 to mark the glass with white spots as thick as if a slight shower 

 should leave the marks of its drops. The wash is to be spattered 

 on thicker every week or two, as the season advances. The plant- 

 ing of all kinds of hardy herbaceous plants and shrubs may now 

 be done in the flower-garden. Bulbs and all tender plants that 

 have been covered for protection in winter may now be stripped, 

 and the beds slightly forked and raked. Sow tender annual flower 

 seeds in boxes. 



Fruit-Garden. — Strawberries that have been covered up by 

 straw or leaves, should now be relieved around the plant, only 

 leaving the covering between the plants ; see chapter on Strawber- 



