JANUARY — FIRST AND SECOND WEEK. 



9 



is necessary to be cautious in the application of humidity, 

 and when they have expanded their flowers to withhold 

 it altogether for a time. Fire or other artificial heat to 

 be applied moderately — that is, from 45° by night to 55° 

 by day, particularly when dark and gloomy weather pre- 

 vails. The houses now commencing to force to be kept 

 moderately moist, and in a sweet healthy state, syringing 

 the trees pretty freely once or twice a-day with tepid 

 water. Shut up early on sunny days, and sprinkle the 

 paths, floors, flues, or pipes frequently. 



Vines. — When they have all broken, the superfluous 

 buds must be rubbed off, and the young shoots stopped 

 as soon as they are long enough to admit the points of 

 the shoots at one bud above the bunch being broken out. 

 In vineries now commencing to force, adopt the practice 

 of producing, where it can be applied, a kindly humidity 

 by means of dung and leaves, or other such fermenting 

 materials. If they are to be broken principally by fire 

 heat, either by flues or hot-water pipes, copious syring- 

 ings must be resorted to with tepid water once or twice 

 a-day. Fire heat to be applied principally by day, with 

 air at the same time, and very moderately at night. 



SECOND WEEK 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



The plants will now require particular attention and 

 a nice discrimination in the application of water : it may 

 be comprehended by all persons interested in gardening 

 operations, that when the soil on the surface of the pot 

 looks damp it will not require water until it gets 

 thoroughly dry at this season, and then it is to be given 

 before the plant droops or flags for want of it. But when 

 the plant droops and the soil on the surface appears 

 damp, the cause is then to be discovered by turning the 

 ball out of the pot, when it will be seen whether the 

 whole or only a portion of the soil is wet ; as it some- 

 times happens, when fresh potted with light soil, it 

 shrinks from the sides of the pot when dry, and when 



