THE gardeners' AND NATURALISTS' CALENDAR FOE FEBRUARY. 
guarding against sudden changes. Supply air as libe- 
rally as circumstances will allow. 
Vinery. — A most critical time has passed over for 
vines that have heen forced early. Continued hazy 
weather, and absence of sunshine, will tell on the early 
crop, unless you have abundance of heating power, light 
houses, and dry warm borders at command. Vines, now 
blooming, require much care and attention. A diy 
night temperature of sixty-five degrees for Hamburgs, 
and seventy for Muscats and Sweetwaters, will be re- 
quii'ed to mate them set well. Increase the above ten 
or twelve degrees dming the day, with a ventilation 
adjusted to prevent cold draughts in any part of the 
house, and modified, so as to act gently, though percep- 
tibly, thi-oughout the night. Tie down shoots, and stop 
laterals, and thin directly the hemes are formed. Prune 
straggling and ill-formed bunches, to mate them com- 
pact and handsome. Whatever way the external border 
is heated, care will be required to keep it in a uniform 
state ; if the surface of the border can be kept between 
65 and 75 degrees, the best results wUl be obtained. 
Borders inside the house will require water occasion- 
ally. "Where vineries are now being started, presuming 
the vines are pruned and dressed, commence with a 
genial moist atmosphere of 45 degrees artificial heat, 
and slowly increase it 10 or 12 degrees in the coui-se of 
a month, always allowing a rise of 10 or 15 degrees 
by day. — (See directions above, respecting borders). 
Disbud the shoots when brealdng, and ti-ain care- 
fully. Proceed to prune and dress all late vineries, 
and make every preparation for starting successional 
houses, according to the demand for grapes. J. S. 
Figs. — The first crop of Figs is produced from the 
points of the shoots of the last year. To insure a good 
crop, the tirst object is to have plenty of yoimg wood in 
the trees, whether grown as bushes or ti-ained in the 
fan-marmer. But in doing so, too much young wood 
must not be retained, that being as bad as having too 
little. Previous to forcing being commenced, the bor- 
ders should be weU watered. By well watered, I mean 
every particle of soil should be wetted. It is a very 
general complaint that the yoimg Figs of the first crop 
are exceedingly apt to turn yellow, and drop ofl'. By 
taking oif the point of every shoot, when the trees are 
pruned, I get more Figs than it is necessary to ripen ; I 
am therefore necessitated to thin the iruit. When the 
terminal bud is left to expand and grow, the greater 
number of fruit always turn yellow, and fall off, which 
may be explained in this manner : — The terminal bud, 
in its development, robs the young shoot of all its organ- 
ized matter, and the consequence is, the embryo fruit 
die ofi" for want of their proper food ; and, when the ter- 
minal bud is removed, the young Figs have all the or- 
ganized matter in the shoot for their noui'ishment. A 
temperatm'e, varying from 55 to 65 degi-ees, and during 
sunny weather ranging higher, wiU suit the Fig till the 
leaf is developed, when it will require a much higher 
temperature. A moist atmosphere must at all times be 
kept up. 
Feaches. — To succeed well in forcing Peaches, we 
must know and well consider all the cu'ciunstances that 
sun-ound it in its native clime. From these we learn, 
that light is, in all stages of its cultiu-e, a most essen- 
tial agent, and that, when forced, it must be flowered 
under a comparatively low degree of temperature. Be- 
gin with a temperature of 40 degrees, then raise it to 45, 
afterwards to 55, which must not be exceeded till the fruit 
is set. Then raise to 60, which may be considered the 
standing point until the stoning is over. Then raise to 
65 and 70. This, be it understood, is the amount of arti- 
ficial heat aimed at under ordinary circumstances. The 
weather wiU often cause wide departru-es from this. If 
the weather be bright, mild, and sunny, when forcing is 
commenced, little artificial heat wUl be requfred ; and, 
if it be severe and frosty, the standard laid down above 
wUl be a safe guide. Excepting the time of flowering, 
a moist atmosphere should be maintained. Air should 
be given as early in the day as the weather wiU permit. 
Trees in flower wUl require aU the air possible, and a 
steady temperatm'e of about 50 degrees at night. Trees 
just commenced wiU be benefited by being syringed 
three or four times daily. If the bordei-s were well 
watered, when forcing commenced, they will reqiure 
but little until the leaf is fully expanded, when they 
will require to be supplied liberally, if the ti-ees are 
large and healthy. 
Strawberries. — Success in Strawberry forcing wiU, in 
a great degree, depend on the condition the plants are 
now in, and the treatment they have received during 
the previous autumn. If the plants have well filled 
the pots with roots, and these are now in a healthy 
active state, and if the crowns are well formed, then 
success is, under ordinary tieatment, certain. But if, 
on the other hand, the plants are badly rooted, and the 
crowns badly formed, they wiU then be, under the most 
favourable cfrcumstances, more tiouble than profit. To 
keep up a regular succession, a fresh supply of plants 
must be introduced into heat every fortnight. An essen- 
tial point to obtain good fr-uit is, to get a healthy and 
vigorous development of foliage. To secirre this end, 
the plants shordd have all the light possible at this 
season, abundance of air, and a moist atmosphere, ex- 
cept when in flower. Shelves at the backs of peach- 
houses, vineries, &c., and suspended from the rafters, 
answer admirably well for Stiawbenies. The tempera- 
ture should at first be low, and be raised gradually. 
Plants in flower should have all the air possible, — ■ 
otherwise they will go blind, — and a dry atmosphere, 
with a temperatm-e at night about 50 degrees. The 
small flowers should be pinched oS, and when a sufli- 
cient number of the best are set, the remainder should 
be removed. The moment green fly appears on the 
plants, they must be fumigated. M. S. 
Cueumber House. — The temperature in this house 
should be regularly kept up to 70 degrees by night, and 75 
degrees by day, permitting an increase of from 10 to 15 de- 
grees by sun-heat. Sufficient artificial heat shoidd always 
be used to admit of air being given freely every day ; but 
particularly avoid draughts. Maintain a moist growing 
atmosphere by sprinkling the pipes and floor of the 
house three or foiu' times a-day, where tanks are not 
used for this pm-pose. Syringe the plants eveiy sunny 
day. Should the red spider make its appearance, this 
operation must be more rigorously caiTied into execu- 
tion until this pest is totally annihilated. If mildew 
attacks the plants, syringe and sulphur the affected 
parts immediately it is perceived, and continue its appli- 
cation until the pest is entii'ely got under. Stop the 
shoots at every second joint as the fruit appears. 
Barren shoots are better removed entu'ely, in order to 
avoid a confusion of vine. Impregnate every fruit 
that is intended to grow to perfection, and introduce 
them into glass tubes. Should these not be at hand, 
support them in a horizontal position, and timi the 
curved point of the fruit upwards ; theu' weight will 
straighten them. Plants that have become exhausted 
from bearing or otherwise may be cut back and re- 
started, or entirely removed, and be replaced by yoimg 
ones. Examine the soil, and as soon as roots are seen pro- 
truding from the surface, mulch them ■with an inch or 
two of rich loam, and rotten dimg. Be careful not to 
saturate the bed with water, but give sufficient to keep 
it moderately moist, and, if the plants have been long 
established, weak liquid manure may be alternately 
used with soft water, using it always at the same tem- 
perature as the house. Let the bottom heat exceed the 
top by 10 or 15 degrees. 
