OCTOBER. 
319 
Dahlias. —Save seed as often as it can be gathered ripe and dry; a 
long piece of the footstalk should be gathered with it. See that all are 
correctly named before the frost arrives ; also mark promising seedlings. 
Flower Garden. —If considerable attention and labour were necessary 
last month to keep up the gay appearance of the flower garden, how 
much greater attention and labour will now be required to do so ? for, 
owing to the hot weather of the past summer, many things have done 
flowering ; and we may now daily expect strong winds, or heavy rains, 
or what is still worse,—a nipping frost. Go daily over the beds, and 
remove all dead flowers, &c. Roll and mow the grass often: roll the 
walks frequently, and see they are clear of weeds. Put in plenty of 
cuttings of all different kinds of bedding plants, and take care to do it 
ere a sharp frost completely kills them. 
Forcing Ground. —Prepare slight hotbeds for salads; sow Mustard 
and Cress once a week: sow French Beans. 
Fruit (hardy). —Continue to gather and store Apples and Pears on 
fine days; they are ripe earlier than usual this season, owing to the 
hot summer we have had ; ours are remarkably fine this season. After 
the fruit has been laid in the fruit room for a week or two, it should be 
carefully examined; the choicer kinds of late Pears, when dry, should 
be wrapped in paper and placed either in close drawers or large jars ; 
they keep better in this way than when laid on shelves. When proper 
attention has been paid to disbudding and summer pruning, the wood 
and buds will now be in the finest possible condition, after the glorious 
summer just past; the trees promise well for next season. The planting 
of fruit trees should be proceeded with without loss of time—before wet 
unfavourable weather sets in ; also any pruning that may want doing 
should be pushed on with all despatch. 
Greenhouse (hard-wooded). —All greenhouse plants that have stood 
out of doors during the summer months should now be safely housed ; 
give them plenty of air in fine weather, but be careful to keep closed, 
or nearly so, during strong cold winds or frosts. Pay especial attention 
to the watering at this season. Keep every place as dry and clean as 
possible. Soft-wooded. —These should on no account be crowded, and 
they should have plenty of air in fine weather, but they must be care¬ 
fully protected from winds and frosts. Fumigate for green-fly. 
Hollyhocks. —Cuttings will now strike readily if a little bottom heat 
is used; repot those first struck. The stools of choice kinds may be 
potted up, to produce cuttings during the winter. 
Kitchen Garden. —Towards the end of the month take advantage of 
fine weather to get up and store root crops, such as Carrots, Parsnips, 
Beet, Salsafy, Scorzonera, &c. Take up late crops of Potatoes. Continue 
to earth up Celery when dry, and to tie up Endive when dry. Persevere 
in the destruction of weeds when the ground is dry enough for hoeing. 
Clear off* all decayed vegetables, aiid keep every place tidy. Plant 
Lettuces on warm sheltered borders ; plant out a good breadth of 
Cabbages. Plant Cauliflowers under hand-glasses ; also some either in 
frames or on warm sheltered borders to stand over the winter; clean 
and dress Asparagus beds. Manure and trench or ridge vacant ground ; 
push forward all alterations. 
