FEBRUARY. 
61 
Hardy Fruit .—The frosty weather during the last month offered a 
good opportunity to get manure on the quarters and other places' occu¬ 
pied by small fruit; and when the weather is open, no time should 
be lost in getting it forked in about the trees, and ground trenched, if 
it is necessary, to make new plantations of Gooseberries, Currants, and 
Raspberries, all of which should now be planted. Strawberries, when 
they are growing thickly together, should have the dead leaves cleared 
away, the beds cleaned from weeds, and dressed over with short manure 
or leaf mould; this should be done by the end of the month. New 
plantations may now be made, choosing a time when the soil is in a 
lit condition to receive the plants. Finish the planting of all hardy 
fruit-trees before the month is out, and mulch the surface round the 
trees with rotten manure; secure all newly-planted trees to stakes, as 
well as others that may require it in exposed situations—also those 
whose stems are not perpendicular. Proceed with the pruning, &c., of 
all sorts of fruit-trees. Apricots should be nailed at once, if not already 
done, and the covering material got in readiness to protect the trees 
when necessary; and it will be well to bear in mind that whatever 
covering is used for protecting the blossoms from frost, it should be so 
arranged that it may be easily removed in the day time, otherwise 
more harm than good will be done by covering. Nothing answers the 
purpose better than thin canvas fixed on rollers, so that it may be 
easily drawn up or let down at any time with comparatively little 
trouble. Orchard houses, and walls covered with glass, or any other 
glass structure not artificially heated, should have abundance of air in 
bright weather, to prevent the trees being excited too early in the 
spring. The trees should be all pruned, and those in pots top-dressed 
with fresh loam and dung. Plunge the pots if convenient; much advan¬ 
tage will be gained by so doing. Forcing Ground .—Prepare pits or 
frames for planting Ash-leaf Kidney Potatoes ; those speared last month 
should be planted on a slight hotbed at once; give plenty of air in fine- 
weather as soon as they come into leaf. Remove those in pots to a 
place where they will have the advantage of air and light; fill up the 
pots with light soil; prepare succession beds for sowing early Horn 
Carrot and Wood’s Frame Radish, and give plenty of air to those that 
are up. Make a sowing of Basil and Knotted Maijoram, and small 
Salad occasionally ; place a few more roots of Mint, Chives, and Tarra¬ 
gon in heat to keep up the supply according to the demand; sow suc¬ 
cession crops of French Beans, in pots, of the early dwarf kinds, and 
keep a moist heat to those in bearing, using the syringe frequently in 
order to check red spider. Give all the air possible to Peas in pots 
every day when the weather permits. Bring in a succession of 
Rhubarb, Seakale, and Asparagus roots, and place them in the forcing 
pits, and attend to the linings of those forced in the open ground. 
Collect horse droppings, and place them in a heap under cover in 
preparation for making new Mushroom beds. Those already made 
should be spawned when the temperature of the bed is about 65*^. 
Give air every favourable opportunity to Cucumbers and I\Ielons, 
and maintain a night temperature of 70°, allowing a rise of 10° 
or !5° through the day during sunshine, and close early. Plant 
