160 



THE FLORIST AND POMOLOG1ST. 



strong winds must be carefully guarded against. As 

 the house will now be more frequented than it has 

 been for some months, a dry comfortable atmosphere 

 should be maintained. Fire heat will only be neces- 

 sary to dry-up moisture in the house, and to keep 

 out frost, should severe weather set in towards the 

 end of the month, as sometimes happens. Azaleas, 

 Camellias, and other plants swelling their buds will 

 require liberal supplies of water. All plants done 

 growing and at rest must be very carefully watered, 

 and only when necessary. If not already done, a 

 good stock of bulbs should at once be potted for winter 

 and spring flowering. Keep everything in the neatest 

 order. 



Greenhouse. 

 Any plants not yet housed should be got in without 

 delay. Admit air freely during the day in fine 

 weather, and a little at night as long as the thermo- 

 meter out of doors stands at 45°. The great point to 

 be attended to during the ensuing months is to keep 

 the plants in as healthy a state as possible, neither 

 allowing them to be injured by very dull cold weather, 

 nor to be excited into unnatural growth by artificial 

 heat. Pay especial attention to the young stock. 

 Water when necessary, but be careful the soil gets 

 neither too dry nor too wet. Keep the atmosphere as 

 dry as you can by ventilation. Fire heat should only 

 be used to exclude frost. 



Stove. 



Clerodendrons, Allamandas, Dipladenias, and 

 similar plants should be placed at the warmest part 

 of the house, and have full exposure to sun and air to 

 ripen the wood ; they should be so arranged as not to 

 appear unsightly. Fine-foliaged plants should now 

 occupy prominent places. Pay attention to Gesneras, 

 Justiciai, Begonias, Euphorbias, Poinsettias, and 

 similar plants that flower through winter. By keep- 

 ing a good stock of these plants and a few nice orna- 

 mental-foliaged plants, the house can be kept to look 

 as gay in December as in July. 



Flowed. Garden. 

 Continue to keep the garden as neat as possible by 

 removing all decayed flowers and leaves, and by 

 keeping the grass, beds, borders, edgings of all kinds, 

 walks, <fcc, in the best possible condition; by these 

 means a neat appearance can be maintained until all 

 is made desolate by a night's frost. No time should 

 now be lost in getting-in cuttings, if a sufficient 

 stock be not already struck. Attend well to all 

 rooted cuttings ; give' them an abundance of air when 

 the weather permits, Be careful in watering, espe- 

 cially those that are in pits or frames, as damp is the 

 greatest enemy they have to contend with for the 

 next four months. Take-up and pot any plants that 

 are intended to be kept up over the winter, before 

 they are injured by the frost. If placed on a little 

 bottom heat they will soon make fresh roots, and 

 will winter much better, Dahlia roots should be 

 lifted before there is much frost, and dried and put 

 away. Towards the end of the month the old roots 

 of choice Hollyhocks should be taken up and potted 

 or planted in a cold frame to winter. For spring- 

 flowering plant Pansies, Wallflowers, Cowslips, Prim- 

 roses, &c. ; and towards the end of the month plant 

 Aconites, Anemones, Snowdrops, Crocuses, Jonquils, 

 Hyacinths, &c. Should any improvements be in- 

 tended, it is better to com-nence them at once than to 

 defer them till spring, when they are sometimes hur- 

 ried in trying to get them completed by "bedding- 

 out" time. Pleasure Grounds.— Commence altera- 

 tions at once, and push them forward before bad 

 weather sets in. Plant trees and shrubs of all kinds ; 

 if properly removed now they will start into growth 

 in spring with nearly as much vigour as if they had 

 never been transplanted. Secure well to stakes all 

 large trees to prevent them being blown about by the 

 winds. Take advantage of fine weather towards the 

 end of the month to run the machine ever the grass 

 or the last time this season. Sweep and roll walks. 

 Attend above all things to neatness. 



Forcing. 



Fruit. — Pine Apples.— Plants that are swelling 

 fruit must have liberal supplies of water and a warm 



moist atmosphere. Fire heat will now be necessary 

 to keep the temperature about 70° by night and from 

 80° to 85° by day. Air should be given in favourable 

 weather. Plants that are intended to be started in 

 January should now be allowed rest to store-up nutri- 

 ment for the future fruit; they should have little or 

 no water, plenty of air, a dry atmosphere, and the 

 temperature at night should not be less than 60°. Suc- 

 cession plants will now require more room. If the 

 material for bottom heat is not likely to give a Bufli- 

 cient bottom heat during rhe winter, it should now 

 be partially or entirely renewed. After the plants 

 are fresh plunged take great care the bottom heat is 

 always as near as possible about 85° . In fine weather 

 give plenty of air during the forenoons, but always 

 close up early. Vines.— Houses where Grapes are 

 ripe must be kept cool and dry ; in wet weather a 

 little fire heat will be necessary during the day to clry- 

 up damp. Good fires and plenty of air must be given 

 to houses when Grapes are not yet ripe. Take every 

 care of them as they should hang fresh till Mai'ch, 

 when the new ones should be ready to succeed them. 

 The early house should now be started. Give the 

 inside borders a good soaking of -water ; the outside 

 borders, if not heated by hot-water pipes or other 

 means, must have a good covering of fermenting ma- 

 terials. Very little fire heat will be required this 

 month, except in case of frost. Syringe the Vines 

 two or three times daily, and keep up a moist atmo- 

 sphere. Peaches and Nectarines. — Put the lights on 

 the early houses about the middle of the month, but 

 give all the air possible both by day and by night. 

 The lights may remain off the late houses a week or 

 two longer. Cherries. — If it be desirable to increase 

 the stock of plants the present is a favourable time. 

 Nice young plants should now be procured, and if not 

 already in pots they should at once be potted and 

 plunged in an open situation. Figs.— These will now 

 be at rest. It is best not to expose the wood to much 

 frost, but the trees should have plenty of air. Straw- 

 berries. — If our previous directions have been attended 

 to, these should now be first-rate plants ; they should 

 not have much water now, and all runners should 

 be pinched off. Cucumbers and Melons.— Give late 

 Cucumbers plenty of air during the early part of the 

 day. Keep a moist atmosphere, and a night tempe- 

 rature of at least 70°. Keep the shoots properly regu- 

 lated, and on no account let them get crowded. 

 Late Melons must have a good heat to ripen the fruit 

 properly. 



Hardy Fruit. 

 Continue to gather Pears and Apples as they ripen, 

 and store carefully all the fruit. Look over those 

 previously stored, and pick out any bad ones there 

 may be among them. Fruit trees of all kinds may 

 now be planted if the ground is in a proper condition. 

 Look over Peach and Nectarine trees and remove all 

 superfluous shoots. A few weeks' hot dry weather is 

 much wanted to ripen the wood of all kinds of fruit 

 trees. 



Kitchen Garden. 

 Continue to earth-up Celery when dry. Cauli- 

 flowers sown in August should now be either pricked- 

 out into frames, or under hand-glasses. Hammer- 

 smith Hardy Green and Black-seeded Bath Cos 

 Lettuces.— Plant on warm borders for spring use. 

 Cauliflowers that are hardy should be often looked 

 over for slugs; break a leaf or two over the hearts 

 to throw off snow and rain. Potatoes. — Take up and 

 store away. Beet, Salsafy, Scorzonera, Carrots, 

 Jerusalem Artichokes, and Parsnips. — Take up and 

 store away in dry sand. Remove all crops of what- 

 ever kind that are done bearing; and clean, and 

 manure, and dig, or ridge-up as wanted. Stir the 

 ground between winter crops in fine dry weather. 

 Autumn weeds will now be troublesome, especially if 

 the weather be soft and favourable to their growth. 

 Winter Spinach. — Thin and hoe in fine weather. 

 Keep the hoe constantly going in fine weather. 

 Broccoli.— Towards the end of the month lift and 

 lay, with the plant inclining to the north : this checks 

 luxuriant growth and enables it to stand the winter 

 better. Endive,— Tie-up when dry; if slugs arc 

 troublesome give them plenty of quicklime.— M.S. 



