THE FRUIT GARDEN. 
451 
With any dry material, as leaves, or with a 
pot, pan or piece of board. 
Lettuce. — Plant out under hand-lights or 
frames, or along the bottom of the south wall, 
where these cannot be had : if the soil is damp 
form artificial banks. Plant six inches apart. 
Mushrooms. — The beds should be kept at 
about 55 degs., which is quite warm enough ; 
and this may be attained by having the dung, 
which is in preparation for the nest bed, in 
the same house. 
Onions, — Attend to the cleaning of those 
stored ; and often run the hoe through the 
winter crop. 
Parsley. — It is well to have a few roots put 
in pots as a reserve to fall back upon, should 
the weather prove severe, and cut off the 
out-door crops. 
Parsnips. — Treat as carrots, if taken up 
now ; but they keep better in the ground. 
Peas. — Sow, at the end of the month, on a 
warm border, or what is better, along the 
bottom of the south wall : the Prince Albert 
and Early Frame are good sorts ; place near 
them, at the same time, a number of mouse- 
traps. 
Red Cabbar/es. — Select some of the best for 
present use, which is said to be the best time. 
Radishes. — Make a sowing along by the 
wall side ; there is a chance of their coming 
in well. 
Salads. — Another sowing of Cress and 
Mustard, also the Normandy Cress will yet 
come in well ; give them a warm situation. 
Salsafy and Scarzonera. — These may now 
be lifted and stored as Beet. 
Shallots. — Plant these on the surface, in 
rows about fifteen inches apart, and six inches 
between the bulbs : give them a soil similar to 
that for Onions — rich, deep, and dryish. 
Spinach. — Hoe, and thin out, and the sooner 
the better. 
Turnip-tops. — It is recommended to select 
a few roots now, and plant them a foot apart ; 
the sprouts will be found useful in spring. 
The bulk of the common sorts may be taken up 
and stored. 
CUCUMBER FRAMES. 
Cucumbers. — When the fruiting bed is in 
readiness for the plants, that is, when the 
neat is sweetened and settled down to about 
70 degs., and the soil has been placed in, 
and has got thoroughly warmed, the young 
plants maybe planted out ; this must be done 
very carefully, and so that they are about a 
foot from the glass. The glass must be 
covered at night. Give a little air daily. The 
temperature should average 70 degs. by day 
and (55 or 68 degs. at night. Put up a lining 
of dry litter around the bed, not to cause any 
additional heat as yet — for the heat of the bed, 
if properly made and of good materials, will 
suffice yet, — but to keep the heat from passing 
away from the bed by its sides. Cucumber 
plants in hot-houses, beyond the ordinary 
treatment maintained in such places, require to 
be evenly watered. The branches or vines of 
the plants should be trained up the roof near 
the glass. Cucumbers in frames are better 
trained over a light flat trellis, than directly 
on the soil. A regular heat, with a little air 
daily, and moderate watering, are the princi- 
pal points in the frame culture of cucumbers : 
the difficulty consists chiefly in maintaining 
the first of these, owing to the fluctuations of 
the weather. ™ 
ME FRUIT GARDEN. 
The final gatherings of the fruit — the tho- 
rough ripening of the wood — pruning, nailing, 
and cleaning, are points which must be at- 
tended to, together with a suitable provision 
of soils for transplanting, &c. 
Apples. — Attend to the fruit-room, and see 
that those spoiling be picked quickly out. As 
soon as the leaves are off the trees they may 
be pruned. Those trees which may be grown 
over with moss, may be cleaned by washing 
with lime and soot water. 
Apricots. — Remove the leaves by degrees, 
and that as soon as possible ; the process is 
most easy by drawing a broom slightly and 
sharply over the trees, the hands also can be 
made very serviceable for the same purpose ; 
the trees will require to be gone over two or 
three times. 
Cherries. — This is a good time for trans- 
planting, particularly as the season has been 
so favourable to the perfecting of the wood. 
Currants. — Those which were matted up 
for preserving, should be exposed and cleaned 
in fine days, taking care to put the covering 
on again. Fresh plantations may now be pro- 
ceeded with, also the prunin^Sif the leaves 
are off. 
Figs must be divested of all their leaves as 
soon as they are ripe ; the pruning may be 
deferred until spring : they may be either 
covered up as they are, or unnailed and drawn 
together as a bundle ; but this may be done 
next month. 
Gooseberries. — Prune the bushes, and dung 
and dig between them: 
Nectarines.- — Have the trees freed from all 
their ripe leaves, which forwards the ripening 
of the wood. 
Peaches. — The same treatment as Necta- 
rines : defer pruning until spring. 
Pears. — See that the different sorts as they 
ripen are properly gathered. 
Raspberries. — Cut out all the old canes, 
and tie in their place four or five of the best 
produced this season. 
Strawberries. — Those plants which were 
pricked out, may be taken and planted out. 
.; G 2 
