376 CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS, [chap. xir. 
be favourable, but this it very seldom is, as if 
not frosty it is generally very wet. 
In the kitchen-garden the fruit-trees and 
shrubs, particularly the gooseberries, should 
be carefully examined for eggs of insects; 
and the trunk and branches of all suspected 
trees and shrubs should be brushed with soft 
soap and hot water. 
February , 
In this month, if the weather be favour¬ 
able, the gardeners “ dress ” their beds; that 
is, they dig and rake them, manuring them 
if necessary. In the flower-garden the 
Californian annuals that had stood the 
winter in some waste part of the garden are 
now brought forward by spadefuls, and laid 
over the beds intended for them. The early 
bulbs, such as the snow-drop and the Scotch 
crocus begin to appear, and here and there a 
splendid cloth of gold glitters among them 
in its rich yellow and brown. The winter 
aconite and the beautiful hepaticus are now 
in full glory; and in short all nature appears 
awakening from the sleep of winter. This 
is pre-eminently the season for spring plant- 
