48 
THE FLOEIST AND POMOLOGIST, 
[ February, 
Out-Dooes. —Owing to the mild weather of last month, the buds of the 
Apricot will be in a forward state, therefore no time should be lost in getting the 
trees pruned and nailed, and the covering in readiness, in case of sharp frost. 
If any covering thicker than a net be used, it should be so arranged that it can 
be easily removed in the day-time. Proceed at all favourable opportunities 
with all pruning, nailing, fee., and finish planting all small fruit-trees before the 
month is out. Make new plantations of Strawberries in well-manured ground. 
Clear out and top-dress with rotten manure those that are growing in beds thickly 
together. Stake and mulch newly-planted trees. Any glass structures that are 
not artificially heated, such as glass-cases, orchard-houses, &c., should have 
abundance of air during sunshine, to prevent the trees getting too forward. The 
trees should be all pruned, and top-dressed with loam and rotten manure. Give 
those in pots a good soaking of liquid manure if they are dry, and plunge the 
pots if convenient to do so.—J. Powell, Frogmore. 
VEGETABLES 
Much will have been done in this department during the previous month 
towards the preparation of the ground for the main spring crops, but if any 
digging or trenching still requires doing—the ground being vacant—the work 
should now be got through with all possible despatch. I referred last month to 
a few subjects which ought to be sown as early crops, and again suggest that a 
successional batch of seeds be sown of either Peas (main early sorts). Broad Beans, 
&:c., towards the middle or end of the month. It is also judicious to make an 
early sowing about the end of the month of Spinach^ Radishes^ Lettuces, Endive^ 
&c., and a planting of Potatos (early kidneys) about tlie third week of the month. 
They must be sown, however, upon a warm, sunny aspect, at the foot of a wall 
or fence, by which means a valuable early supply may be secured. Make up 
the plantations of autumn-planted Cabbages from the store-seed beds where such 
exist. If no autumn-sown plants remain, it will be necessary to make a sowing 
upon rich soil placed in shallow pans or boxes. It would also be judicious to 
sow in like manner a small quantity both of Broccoli (Walcheren and Snow’s) 
and of Cauliflower (Early London). The seedlings, if they are transplanted into 
other pans or boxes so soon as they are sufficiently large to handle, and are 
slightly “ nursed ” on until they are large enough, and the season has 
sufficiently advanced, may be planted out very earl}^ and will furnish heads of 
valuable produce many weeks before those grown from seeds sown in the open 
ground a month or two later. Earth up the rows of all autumn-planted 
Cabbages^ and use the hoe freely between all growing crops of Spinach^ young 
autumn-sown Carrots (Short Horn), Onions^ fee. These all delight in having the 
soil moved freely between them, and it conduces greatly to a free and permanent 
growth when this^light attention is accorded them. 
Keep up a br^ heat in Cwcw^/jJifr-houses and pits proper, during the lightest 
and brightest part of the day—always, however, with some amount of fresh air, 
the more the better, so long as the above conditions are maintained. As the 
days lengthen, and with them both the duration and intensity of the light, 
a little more moisture may be diffused throughout the structure ; a slight 
increase of the night air may also be permitted with advantage. Be particular 
at this time not to permit too many fruits to swell off, as all the spare resources 
of each plant should be harvested, in view of giving the plants as vigorous a 
start as possible, preliminary to their abundant early spring fruit production. To 
tax their strength too greatly at this time, would be to lessen their fruitfulness 
in the future. Sow seeds of Cucumber^ where symptoms of exhaustion are exhibited 
by the plants in any structure,— William Eaeley, Valentines, 
