256 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
the point which would check the plants. 60° 
and 80° are safe points for the night and day 
thermometers to range from, and the bottom 
heat should not be much less than 85°. Vinery. 
-If, as directed last month, the Vines in the 
early house have been dressed, borders covered, 
&c., gentle fires may be lighted on dull cold 
days, so as to keep the temperature to 45° by 
night and 60° by day, with a pretty liberal 
admission of air. We prefer the border being 
covered only with leaves, Fern, or dry straw, 
and afterwards coated over with coarse mortar 
or concrete to exclude wet, to putting ferment¬ 
ing dung on the border. Keep a dry atmo¬ 
sphere to ripe Grapes, and remove all super¬ 
fluous leaves to admit the air to the bunches. 
In wet weather let the fires be lighted in the 
morning to dry the air of the house, and let 
it go out in the evenings, air at all times 
being admitted. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Look to your Potatoes and other roots 
stored away. Take up Endive in quantities 
on the approach of frost, and fill empty frames, 
sheds, or other places where you can keep it 
dry and preserve it from frost. Lettuce must 
have the protection of glass to get it good 
through the winter. Earth up Artichokes to 
preserve the crowns from frost; and Parsley 
should be hooped over to be ready for protect¬ 
ing when required. Give plenty of air to Cauli¬ 
flowers, Lettuces, and Radishes under hand¬ 
glasses, and see that a quantity of the two 
former are planted in sheltered places for 
further protection in severe frost. A sowing 
of Peas for the first crop may be made towards 
the middle of the month, and at the same time 
a few rows of Mazagan Beans may be planted. 
Trench and ridge up vacant ground to ex¬ 
pose it to the weather. 
FRUIT GARDEN. 
Hardy Fruit .—Go over the Apples and 
Pears stored away, and remove decayed 
specimens. Keep the room cool, and ventilate 
pretty freely until the sweating process is over, 
after which a rather close, dry, and cool atmo¬ 
sphere is best adapted for keeping fru ; t. Now 
is the best time for planting fruit trees, and 
where additions are wanted, or new borders 
made, no time should be lost in getting the 
materials together, and the trees in the 
ground. Pruning may commence at once 
with such trees as have lost their leaves; and 
Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots should have 
their ripe leaves removed with a slight besom, 
to admit the sun and air to the wood. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
Continue to place under protection half- 
hardy plants taken up from the garden, as 
room can be found for them. Those who 
have an orchard-house will find it invaluable 
for wintering many things in this way, which 
suffer more from damp than cold. Give the 
recently struck cuttings as much light and 
air as you can, to get them established and 
hardened off before winter, or they will most 
likely fog off. Scarlet Geranium cuttings 
may yet be put in, placing the pots with the 
cuttings on the shelves of any house where 
they can be kept dry. Those who are deficient 
of room for wintering Scarlet Geraniums may 
keep them in any dry out-house open to the 
south, that the plants may get what sun there 
is till sharp frosts set in, when any place secure 
from frost, but dry, will keep them for a long 
time uninjured; give them no water whatever, 
nor allow the rain to fall on them. The 
great secret is getting the wood hard and well 
ripened; and then when kept dry they will 
break freely on the return of warm weather. 
The beds of the flower garden, as the summer 
plants are cleared away, should either be 
neatly raked over or the beds filled with dwarf 
shrubs, bulbs, early flowering herbaceous 
plants, and annuals previously sown for this 
purpose. To make a display in spring, a 
very nice arrangement of colours may be made 
with Crocuses and early Tulips, fc flowed by 
Narcissus, later Tulips, Hyacinths, Scillas, 
and Anemones, &c. 
florists’ flowers. 
Auriculas .—There is often trouble at this 
season in keeping these plants sufficiently dry, 
to prevent damping of the folit *e. Give all 
the air possible without allowing , ^m to have 
rain. If the plants are in an elevated position, 
so much the better. Remove dead foliage as 
often as it appears. Carnations and Picot'ees. 
—Treat these plants nearly similar to the 
Auricula, so long as wet weather continues, 
and water but sparingly in clear weather. 
Cleanliness, with plenty of light and air, is the 
principal thing to attend to, to ensure success. 
All should by this time be in their winter 
quarters. Dahlias. — These should, if not 
already done, be taken up and stored for 
wintering the first time the soil is tolerably 
dry; dry them thoroughly, with some of the 
soil about them. Seed will require much at¬ 
tention to prevent its rotting in the pod. 
Hollyhocks .—A cold pit or frame is sufficient 
to winter well-established plants if kept near 
the glass, but they should have sufficient pot- 
room, and not be over-watered. Those now 
striking will be liable to damp off from over¬ 
moisture, which must be guarded against. 
Pinks .—If not already done, afewpairs should 
be potted up, to fill vacancies in beds that may 
occur during the winter, as well as some of 
the more tender-growing kinds, to ensure 
them against eventualities. A small bed of 
such planted out in spring will be very useful, 
and will in some seasons produce the finest 
flowers. Tulips .—Complete planting without 
delay, the beds having been prepared as 
previously recommended. The beds may re¬ 
main open and unprotected till after Christ¬ 
mas. 
