FEBRUARY. 
47 
soon as you remove any plants coming into 
bloom, introduce in their places more hardy 
Azaleas, Kalmias, Rhododendrons, Deutzias, 
Lilacs, Honeysuckles, Bibes, Daphnes, and 
Roses'; also, for a variety, a few double- 
flowering Cherry and double scarlet Thorns. 
Give them a gentle bottom heat, and syringe 
freely. Cucumbers .—Keep up a moist grow¬ 
ing atmosphere, and a temperature of about 
70° by night and 75° by day, with an increase 
by sun heat of 8° or 10°. Guard against red 
spider by syringing. Water a little more 
freely, but be careful not to overdo it. Train 
young shoots, and stop beyond the fruit. 
Keep the young plants near the glass and in 
a nice steady bottom heat. Shift into larger 
pots as they require it. Melons. — These 
require careful attention in watering, potting, 
&c. Keep them in a steady bottom heat and 
a moist growing atmosphere, and as near the 
glass as possible ; by this means the plants 
will be strong and stiff, and after planted out, 
if properly attended to, there wid be no dis¬ 
appointments in dying-off suddenly. Poor, 
lanky, weak plants always require careful 
nursing, and, notwithstanding, they often 
cause serious disappointments; but strong, 
stiff, healthy young plants, when planted 
in a good loamy soil, and with a regular bot¬ 
tom and top heat and attention to watering, 
training, and thinning of the shoots, &c., will 
always give the greatest satisfaction : this, 
therefore, is a point well worth attending to. 
Peach-house .—Trees in flower should have all 
the air possible. Houses just commenced 
will not require much fire heat if the weather 
be mild. Syringe two or three times daily with 
tepid water. See Calendar for last month. 
Pinery .—Get soils under cover, that they may 
be in a proper state for potting when wanted 
for the general shifting, which is approaching. 
See that the whole stock of plants has a 
regular bottom heat; they will now require a 
little more water and a slight increase of tem¬ 
perature. Strawberries. — Give plants in 
flower all the air possible, and be careful in 
watering them; do not give them too much, 
nor let them suffer for want of it. When the 
fruit is set, pinch off all the small ones, and 
remove the plants to a shelf where they can be 
kept pretty close, and where they will have 
plenty of light. Water frequently with liquid 
manure, but cease as soon as they begin to 
change colour; then keep them rather dry, 
and give more air : by these means you will 
secure the three principal points of a good 
Strawberry—size, colour, and, last but not 
least, flavour. Introduce into heat, regularly 
every fortnight, a fresh supply of plants. Keep 
a keen look-out for green fly, and fumigate 
as soon as you perceive any. Vinery .— lhin 
the berries in the early houses as soon after 
they are set as possible. Disbud Vines that 
are breaking. Syringe two or three times 
daily Vines just commenced. Maintain a 
tolerably moist atmosphere in all except where 
the Vines are in flower. If you would avoid 
“ rust,” “ shaking,” id genus omne, give a 
little air at the top of the houses early in the 
morning; this lets out heated moisture, which, 
when confined and the sun comes on the 
houses, causes serious injury to the young 
berries. Do not admit much air through the 
front ventilators at this early season. Avoid 
a high temperature at night, but always get 
the flues or pipes pretty hot early in the 
morning; but let the fires get low before the 
sun gets very powerful. When the pipes are 
hot in the morning, you can always with 
safety give more or less air according to the 
weather. We never have a badly-coloured 
bunch of Grapes, which we attribute, in great 
measure, to our giving air early in the morn¬ 
ing, and properly attending to it at all other 
times. Shut up early in the afternoon, and 
sprinkle the paths at the same time with tejpid 
water, and not cold water, as is too frequently 
done. In tying down the young shoots, do 
not attempt to tie them to their proper place 
at once—if you do many of them will break 
off; better go over them two or three times, 
and tie them each time as close as you can 
without any danger of breaking them. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
When the weather is favourable, lose not a 
moment in pushing forward all operations. 
Endeavour always to be beforehand with your 
work. When the soil is wet, do not meddle 
with it; if it he in a nice working condition, 
towards the end of the month plant Globe 
and Jerusalem Artichokes, also autumn-sown 
Onions, Cabbages, Cauliflowers, and Lettuces 
—the two latter on sheltered borders. Plant 
hardy herbs of all kinds, also Eschallots and 
Garlic. Sow Peas and Beans in pots and 
boxes, and put them into a little heat; when 
up gradually harden, so that towards the end 
of this or the beginning of next month they 
may be planted out when the weather is fa¬ 
vourable. Sow Peas and Beans in the open 
borders twice during the month. Sow a good 
breadth of Parsley. Sow some Cabbages for 
autumn crop. Sow some Cauliflower and 
Lettuce in a little heat, also Celery ; and sow 
Radishes on warm borders. Plant early Po¬ 
tatoes in warm sheltered situations, and, if 
the soil be pretty dry and the weather favour¬ 
able, the general crop of early ones may be 
planted. We grow our earliest crop of out¬ 
door Potatoes as follows:—We sprout the 
sets, and towards the end of this or beginning 
of next month, when the soil and weather are 
favourable, we plant on a warm sheltered bor¬ 
der the Peas which have been brought forward 
in pots and boxes in rows from 5 to 6 feet 
apart, and between the rows of Peas we plant 
the Potato set which had been previously 
sprouted. We rod the Peas as soon as they 
are planted, and on each side of the Potato 
rows we raise a little ridge of soil, so that 
when they begin to push through the earth 
we draw a little of this soil over the young 
