Mar.] 



GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



1029 



MARCH, 



TEMPERATURE. 



Unless in unusually cold weather, little or no fire-heat will 

 now be required in either of these departments, and that little 

 only must be applied on evenings when there is an obvious 

 appearance of frost ; or sometimes in the morning early, when 

 unforeseen frost may have partially entered the house ; but, in 

 either case, it should be applied with caution. When some of 

 the plants nearest the glass may have been slightly touched 

 with frost, the cultivator will remedy the evil by sprinkling or 

 slightly syringing such plants with cold water as early in the 

 morning as possible, after the cause has been ascertained ; this 

 will gradually thaw the leaves, and, if done before the sun or 

 fire-heat begins to act upon them, will remedy the evil without 

 endangering the loss even of the leaves. 



VENTILATION. 



Every fine day, at this time, particularly towards the end of 

 the month, the ventilators should be freely opened, and also 

 some of the sashes, to an extent in proportion to the warmth of 

 the clay ; and the doors or sashes of the conservatory should 

 also be opened in the same proportion. Every day air now 

 becomes of greater importance to the plants, which, without it 

 be given in abundance, would be drawn up sickly and weak. 



WATERING. 



This necessary element must now, to both compartments, be 

 more freely administered ; as many of the plants in both houses 

 will be beginning to gi'ow, and a deficiency of it would be at- 

 tended with the most injurious consequences. Some plants, 

 let it be remarked, will, however, still require it in moderation ; 

 but this can only be learnt by observation. All that can be 



