APRIL, 
91 
arranged as to give a ready command of heat 
to affect the air of the house the same night, 
for at this time of the year artificial heat is 
seldom required in the day. Stop shoots 
where more branches are required to form 
handsome well-furnished plants. Train the 
young shoot3 so that the whole may exhibit 
regularity, and let this be subsequently main¬ 
tained by checking over-luxuriance where 
symptoms of it are beginning to appear; and 
on the other hand, encourage the weaker 
branches by training them outwards towards 
the light, giving their extremities an upright 
direction. Attend to watering and shading 
when necessary, and it must be kept in mind 
that shading is most required in clear after 
dull weather. Camellias will now be getting 
out of bloom, and should be making their 
growth. Where the soil in the pots is ex¬ 
hausted shift now by all means, using dry 
turfy loam and peat. Give a little extra heat, 
and as fresh roots are made supply manure 
water. Cinerarias. —Attend to watering and 
shading in order to prolong the bloom. Sow 
for autumn and early winter-blooming. Epa- 
crises .—Cut in early-flowering kinds, and 
place them in a warm house or close frame, 
syringing overhead till they break; when 
more fresh roots are made 2 inches long, repot 
in turfy peat and sand with good drainage. 
CONSERVATORY. 
Examine the state of the borders, and water 
them effectually. Spring water will be found 
warmer at the present season than that of 
rivers and open tanks, and it may be em¬ 
ployed in preference, being nearer the tem¬ 
perature of the air of the house. But it would 
be still more preferable to use rain water, 
manure water, and warm water mixed, so as 
to equal the mean temperature of the air of 
the house when applied. The temperature 
should be 60° to 65° by day, and 50° by night. 
Arrange the plants in flower so as to produce 
the best effect. They should now be numer¬ 
ous. Acacias, Polygalas, Chorozemas, Pul- 
tenaeas, Boronias, Leschenaultias, Coronillas, 
and Correas are highly ornamental, either for 
the greenhouse or conservatory. 
PITS AND FRAMES. 
These will be much occupied with bedding 
stock. Let it be carefully attended to as 
regards watering, and as much air should be 
given as the state of the weather will permit, 
in order to harden the plants for the open air. 
Many kinds of plants may be advantageously 
shifted on and kept growing to make larger 
plants before being turned out; for instance, 
Pelargoniums, the object being to cover 
the ground as soon as possible with a display 
of fine flowers. This is aimed at in two 
ways: some propagate a vast number of 
plants in small pots which can be kept in a 
limited space, and thus it can be afforded to 
plant the ground thickly ; others adopt what 
we think the better plan, and shift the plants 
into 48’s, thus using fewer but larger plants ; 
but, in consequence of being larger, fewer 
plants are really necessary to ultimately 
cover the ground as well and even better 
than by the other mode, whilst the flowers 
become better developed, and the whole free 
from the disagreeable appearance of crowding. 
Forward tender and half-hardy annuals and 
biennials, such as Stocks, &c. 
FORCING. 
Pines. —Plants ripening-off their fruit 
should have a dry atmosphere, and a tem¬ 
perature of 80° of bottom heat, and a top heat 
of 84°, or by sun heat 90°, increasing at last 
to 95°. Succession plants should be kept 
growing in a moist heat, but give them suffi¬ 
cient air and space to prevent them from 
being drawn up weakly. Syringe them fre¬ 
quently. Plants that have been kept in pots 
all winter should now be looked o^er, and 
the strongest selected for planting out if that 
excellent system is adopted; or, if not, let 
them be shifted into larger pots, giving little 
water till they strike fresh root. Vines .— 
Attend to syringing, stopping, and regulat¬ 
ing the shoots, and thinning the berries as 
before directed. Gradually increase the tem¬ 
perature as the berries increase in size ; or it 
may be said, till tbe fruit is ripe. As regards 
temperature, let the motto be “ Onward,’,’ 
without ever permitting one decided draw¬ 
back. Peaches and Nectarines. —See that the 
borders, particularly of the earliest house, 
are sufficiently moist, for it is not well to 
have to supply water when the fruit is ripen¬ 
ing ; therefore, before that process com¬ 
mences, let the borders be put in a condition 
that the trees will not suffer till it is over. 
Take care of succession shoots, for which the 
lowest situated at tbe base of the bearing 
shoots ought to be reserved. Figs .—Syringe 
frequently, and see that tbe plants do not 
at any time get too dry at root. Keep a 
moist atmosphere, but when the fruit begins 
to ripen let it gradually become drier. Stop 
shoots so as to check the over-luxuriance of 
the trees and induce the formation of fruit- 
buds. Cherries. —When the fruit begins to 
colour, the temperature may be gradually 
raised to 65° at night, and 80° to 85° in the 
day with plenty of air and water till the fruit 
is ripening-off. Strawberries. —Clip-off the 
upper part of the scape, as before directed, 
when a sufficient number of fruits are set on 
the lower part; for the green one- that will 
never ripen are worse than useless, as they 
appropriate sap, which can never be elabo¬ 
rated into eatable substance in parts that are 
little else than rudimentary, and which in the 
Strawberry can only be formed slowly, how¬ 
ever much heat be applied as a stimulus. 
Keep introducing fresh pots as fruit is 
gathered, for the spring is likely to be back¬ 
ward, and a supply from the open ground 
may, consequently, be late. But supposing 
the succession of those potted for forcing 
should be likely to run short, and the blank 
