1877. ] 
VILLA GAEDENING FOR FEBRUARY. 
45 
or eight o clock, when it threatens to be frosty or cold. A gentle syringing may 
be given at midday, when it is sunny. It is a great mistake to keep the atmo¬ 
sphere of a plant-house too arid and dry; at the same time, syringing must not 
he resorted to when frost impends. Such plants as Azaleas, Hyacinths, Camellias, 
Cinerarias, &c., coming into flower may have a little weak manure-water twice 
01 thrice a week,^ or some guanb-water, at the rate of about one ounce to a gallon 
of water. Occasional fumigations with i;obacco-smoke or washings with soft-soap 
and warm water will be required to keep down greenfly, especially on Cinerarias, 
Mimulus, Pelargoniums, &c. Any soft-wooded plants of which it maybe desirable 
to obtain an increase by cuttings, such as Fuchsias, Petunias, Verbenas, and 
Heliotropes, should be placed in the warmest part of the greenhouse towards the 
end of the month to encourage the production of young growths suitable for 
making cuttings from. 
Frames: Give plenty of air on all favourable occasions, but close the frames 
before it gets dark, as fog and mist generate damp, and the plants need to be 
kept as dry as possible. Many hardy plants, such as Violets, Polyanthuses. 
Primroses, Hepaticas, Anemone fulgens, Scillas, &c., are now coming into flower 
and they need to be carefully watered early in the day in fine weather, and have’ 
plenty of air. A mild, gentle shower or genial rain will do them good, but not 
enough to damage the flowers. Single and double Primroses are charming 
objects when in flower in pots, protected in a cold frame. Carnations, Picotees, 
Pinks, and Cloves in pots, waiting to be planted out in spring, are benefited by 
gently stirring the surface-soil, and cutting away decaying leaves. 
Kitchen Garden: Fruit-trees should now be pruned, and hVall-trees trained and 
the shoots nailed in position. The blossom-buds are fast beginning to swell, and 
the work shoula be put in hand at once. Currants and Gooseberries, as well as Pasp- 
berries, may be pruned, and the soil about them dug and made neat for spring. There 
are signs that the rainy season is changing to finer weather, and thus sowing claims 
attention. As soon as possible. Early Peas, Longpod Beans, Radishes, and Onions 
may be sown. A little discretion is necessary in selecting the varieties, for in a 
small garden dwarf-growing types only should be grown. Radishes (Wood’s Early 
Frame) should be sown on a warm border, and the seed covered with a little litter 
as a protection from birds till it begins to grow; then the litter should be taken 
off by day, and put on again at night. Seeds of Onions should be sown earlier 
than is generally the case; the plants get well started into growth before drought 
sets in. ^ Rhubai b and Seakale can be blanched or forced by putting pots or any 
such things over the roots, and covering them with a coating of dung. If Ehu- 
barb-roots be lifted and placed under a greenhouse stage, with some soil and litter 
about them, gatherings can be had much earlier than from the open ground. 
Flowei Garden: Shrubbery-borders should be dug over, and a neat appearance 
given to them. Garden-edgings, such as Box, Thrift, Grass, Daisies, &c., should 
be trimmed, and mended where there are vacancies. This work should be done 
as soon as it can be taken in hand. Shrubs should be pruned, and climbers made 
neat by cutting away all decaying growths, and thinning the leading shoots. 
Thorn and privet-hedges should be clipped. The Herbaceous mixed border 
s ould be carefully forked over, and a top-dressing of leaf-mould and dung 
applied. The dung and leaves required for making-up a warm bed for a frame 
should now be got together, and well shaken-up, ready for use in the early part 
of March. Such a bed is most useful; it comes in handy for raising tender 
annuals and bedding plants from seed ; for hardening off young-struck cuttings 
of Fuchsias, Dahlias, Heliotropes, &c.; and finally, makes a summer cucumber or 
Vielon-bed. Beds of spring-flowering plants should have the surface stirred, and 
