168 



THE P10EIST AND P0M010GIST. 



but guard against cold draughts or -winds. Keep 

 everything as clean as possible. 



Greenhouses. 

 Hardwooded Plants.— In bad -weather look often 

 over the tender species that are liable to injury from 

 damp ; see they are in a light and dry part of the 

 house. Give abundance of air when the weather is 

 mild and fair. Water very carefully, and always in 

 the morning. Unless severe frost renders it necessary, 

 do not yet use much fire heat at night. Occasionally 

 during the month a little fire may be lighted in the 

 morning to dry up the damp. Softwooded Plants. 

 — Pelargoniums.— Shift at once all plants that may 

 require it into larger pots, taking care to drain pro- 

 perly. Keep the plants as near the glass as possible 

 to prevent iheir drawing. Attend carefully to the 

 watering, and see that no plants are watered but. those 

 in want of it. The morning is the best time at this 

 season of the year to water. Do not let the tempera- 

 ture fall below 45" at night, In cold damp weather a 

 little fire heat will be necessary. Give all the air 

 possible when the weather permits. Cinerarias. — 

 Any plants that may require it shift at once into 

 larger pots. Give them every attention necessary to 

 promote free growth. Give air freely in dry weather. 

 Attend carefully to the watering. Those for early 

 flowering should be kept in a gentle heat. Those for 

 late flowering will do well in a cold pit properly pro- 

 tected from frost. Calceolarias. — Pot-off cuttings 

 and seedlings, and shiit any plants that require it. 

 Be very careful in watering at this season. Fuchsias. 

 —Plants for early flowering next season should be 

 started this month. With proper attention in potting, 

 watering, stopping, tying, <fcc., they can be grown to 

 any form or size by June next. Pot-off cuttings that 

 are rooted. 



Stove. 



Look frequently over the plants, and see they are 

 all clean and neatly tied up. Have the plants in 

 flower arranged so as to show to the best advantage, 

 without injuring the other plants. Attend well to the 

 watering. Maintain a night temperature of from 60° 

 to 65°, and give air freely when the state of the weather 

 permits. 



Flower Garden. 

 When the plants in Hie beds have become disfigured 

 by frost, it is advisable to remove them at once out of 

 sight, and fill up the beds with bulbs, hardy-flowering 

 spring plants, or dwarf evergreens. Clean and dig 

 all bur's and borders, and sweep and roll walks. 

 Plant Poses in ground that has been trenched and 

 well enriched with good manure. Chrysanthemums 

 against walls, protect from frost. Dahlias. — Take 

 up, dry, and store away it not already done. Tulips. 

 — Plant about the 9th of the month. Choose a day 

 for doing this. This is a good time to proceed with 

 alterations if any are intended. The stock of "bed- 

 ding" plants should have air on every favourable 

 occasion. The different kinds of Geraniums, which 

 now so justly fill so large a space in the flower garden, 

 require constant attention ; as if kept too close they 

 are apt to damp off. These should, if possible, be kept 

 a littlo warm and dry, more especially the variegated 

 sorts. Pleasure, Grounds.— The planting of trees and 

 shrubs, and alterations of all kinds, should be prose- 

 cuted with energy as long as the weather continues 

 sufficiently mild and open. This should, if possible, 

 be got over in the autumn, and not left till spring. 

 Sweep and clean lawn. 



Forcing. 



Fruit.— Pine Apples.— The plants for starting in 

 January should now be at rest. Ventilate freely when 

 the -weather is fine, and keep the house dry. They 

 will require but little or no water at present. Main- 

 tain a night temperature of about 60°, and see the 

 bottom heat does not get below 80°. Plants showing 

 fruit will require a temperature of from 65° to 70° at 

 night, and 80° during the day. Water with tepid 

 water when they require it. Give plants that arc 

 swelling fruit liberal supplies of water when they 

 require it, and keep a moist warm atmosphere. Suc- 

 cession plants will not require much attention beyond 

 giving air when the weather permits, if they have a 

 nice steady bottom heat of at least 80°, which is abso- 



lutely necessary to insure success. Vines.— Keep a 

 moist atmosphere in the early house. The night tem- 

 perature should not exceed 50° until the buds begin to 

 swell, when it may gradually be raised a few degrees. 

 If the outside border be not heated by hot water, see 

 that it is kept sufficiently warm by fermenting mate- 

 rials. Start a second house, and prune the Vines in 

 others for starting in succession. Late Grapes. — 

 Keep the atmosphere of the house as dry as possible 

 and cool. Cover the outside border with some mate- 

 rial to throw off the rain and snow. Peaches and Nec- 

 tarines.— The directions given last month for the trees 

 in the early houses are applicable this month for those 

 in late houses. Give the houses all the air possible 

 when the weather is at all favourable. Figs.— When 

 the leaves are all off, prune and dress the trees, and 

 tie-in those on trellises. Give air freely in mild 

 weather. Cherries.— Procure a stock of young trees 

 from the nurseries, and pot in turfy loam, and in little 

 rotten cowdung, and afterwards plunge the pots in an 

 open situation. Strawoerrics.— Take advantage of 

 dry weather to get these into winter quarters. Some 

 people plunge them flat, and then cover them in bad 

 weather. We prefer ridging as a much better plan, 

 as the soil can be kept dry, the roots are sate from in- 

 jury, and the plants are easily protected in frosty 

 weather. Put a good batch of plants into a cold pit 

 or vinery to be in readiness for early forcing. Cucum- 

 iers.— If the plants for winter bearing have been pro- 

 peily attended to, they will now be in a condition to 

 do good work during the ensuing months. Give them 

 some air whenever the weather will permit. Water 

 when necessary. Never leave too many fruit on the 

 plants atone time. Keep a moist atmosphere and a 

 good heat at top and bottom. 



Hardy Fruit. 

 Pay great attention to fruit in fruit-room. Pick 

 out, all the small fruit, and any that are in the least 

 decayed, and keep all the best in single layers on 

 shelves. Winter pruning may at once be commenced. 

 Go over all the standard trees, and cut away all un- 

 fruitful, ill-placed branches; also all large spurs. 

 The proper thinning of the spurs is a matter of great 

 importance, and is too often altogether neglected. 

 Proceed with the pruning and nailing of wall fruit 

 trees of all sorts in favourable weather. Prune Goose- 

 berry and Currant bushes. Manure and fork over 

 Strawberry plantations. This is a good time for tlie 

 making of new, or the renewal of old, fruit-tree bor- 

 ders. Bear in mind thorough drainage is indispen- 

 sable to success, more especially wherever a retentive 

 subsoil has to be dealt with. In this case, also, the 

 borders should be elevated a little near to the wall to 

 give a slight slope to the borders ; but where the sub- 

 soil is of a porous open nature, the borders are better 

 made level ; as, if elevated, the trees would suffer too 

 much in dry seasons like the past. In planting fruit 

 trees of all kind, take care to spread all the roots out 

 properly, and see the soil is put in properly about 

 them. It is advisable to spread a little short litter 

 over the roots. All standards should be properly se- 

 cured to stakes. 



Kitchen Garden. 

 If not already done, Carrots, Parsnips, Beet, Salsafy, 

 Scorzonera, &c, should be all taken up in dry weather 

 and stored away. Dress and earth-up Artichokes for 

 the. winter. Cut off the stem of Asparagus close to 

 the ground. Clear off all weeds, and cover the beds 

 with a good coat of manure. Cauliflowers that are 

 heading should betaken up, most of the leaves stripped 

 off and laid in by their heels in dry soil in a pit that 

 can be kept dry and cool : in this way they will keep 

 several weeks. Parsley. — Protect by glass or other- 

 wise. Endive. — Tie-up and blanch. Lettuce.— Pro- 

 tect. Celery.— Earth-up the late crop when dry. In 

 frosty weather cover the ridge with dry litter. Peas 

 and Beans. — Make a sowing of each of early sorts on 

 warm sheltered borders. Broccoli should be checked 

 by being lifted a little with a spade, and inclined to 

 the north. When the ground is dry hoe between the 

 rows of Spinach, Cabbages, &c. Clear off all decaying 

 crops. Manure and trench, or ridge all vacant 

 ground. Sweep and clean walks. Plant Box edgings. 

 — M. S. 



