580 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [Dec. 
or dress them when the ground is so frozen as to prevent your being 
able to plant the good cuttings taken off in pruning. 
Other necessary Work. 
You must be careful to keep the frost out of the apartments where 
the choice winter fruits are put up, for should any of them get fro- 
zen they would certainly decay soon after, and rot the others about 
them. Examine the fruit which you have on shelves in dry warm 
cellars, once every ten days, and take away any that you find taint- 
ed: continue over them near a foot thick of clean dry straw, and 
secure the windows and doors from the admission of frost. 
Take off all moss from your fruit trees, and when it is gathered, 
carry it quite out of the garden to prevent its multiplying by seed, 
which it is very apt to do. 
Nail or tie up the dangling shoots which are loose on walls or 
espaliers, to prevent their being dashed about by the winds, and 
consequently their bark injured. 
Repair all your decayed espaliers, or prepare stakes and other 
materials for so doing as soon as the frost gets out of the ground. 
Make or provide and paint such new frame-work trellises as you 
intend to erect next spring, and do every other work that may have 
a tendency to forward your business at that season. 
Prepare for Forcing Fruit Trees. 
Towards the latter end of this, or the beginning of next month, 
put on the glasses or lights on your fire-heat forcing-frames, such 
as are described in page 40, and immediately prune and nail up the 
trees in regular order, if not done before. 
By this method the trees will not be so sensible of the sudden 
transition from the depth of winter to spring, when you kindle fires, 
as they would if the lights were not now put on; and it will gradu- 
ally bring your trees to a state of vegetation, for the works of na- 
ture are performed by degrees, and not in a hurry. For general 
information respecting the constructing of forcing-fames and houses, 
of every kind, and the methods of working them, see the Fruit 
Garden for January, ^c. 
SOUTHERN STATES. 
In such of the southern states as have not severe frost in winter, 
you may now prune apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, necta- 
rines and apricotsi quinces, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, and 
every other kind of fruit-tree, the orange family and the fig ex- 
cepted. You may also plant all the above, and any other sorts with 
great propriety at this season, excepting the orange family only. 
For the methods of pruning see January, and of planting, see March. 
