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situations, and when unprotected, have suffered from the frosty weather. 
With us they are most abundant, but they have been well “protected.” 
Watch the appearance of caterpillars on the Apricot trees; they 
seriously injure the foliage in a short time, if not destroyed; hand 
picking is effectual, but it is rather tedious work. The following is an 
equally effectual and a very quick mode of destroying them :—Put a 
little white hellebore in some water, stir well up, and then syringe the 
trees. Two or at most three syringings’will completely kill them ; 
give Peach and Nectarine trees two or three syringings with weak 
tobacco water, to clean them of aphis; attend regularly to the 
disbudding and stopping of the shoots ; thin fruit when too thick. 
Greenhouse ( hard-wooded plants'). —Air. should be given 
abundantly, and towards the end of the month a little should be left on 
at night. Shade large specimen plants in flower ; as they go out of 
bloom pick the seed-vessels off; cut back Epacrises and other things 
requiring it; when they break, and the young shoots have made some 
growth, they should be thinned and neatly tied out, and the plants 
shifted if they require it. As the young plants will now be growing 
freely, they should not on any account be crowded ; they should have 
plenty of air, and the shoots should be stopped and tied out; syringe 
in the afternoon, and attend well to watering. Soft-wooded.* —Give 
these liberal shifts, using a tolerably strong rich compost; they should 
be well stopped and tied out, and have plenty of room, in order to make 
large fine plants. 
Kitchen Garden. —The destruction of weeds is an operation of the 
utmost importance to be attended to during the present month ; the 
thinning of the young crops is also an operation demanding timely and 
regular attention; manure and dig all vacant ground for Brussels 
Sprouts, Broccoli of sorts, Winter Greens, &c ; plant Cauliflowers and 
Lettuces, plant Tomatoes under walls, and other sheltered situations, 
prepare trenches for Celery, and plant some for early use, plant Leek 
in trenches, similarly prepared as for Celery, plant herbs of all kinds, 
sow Cauliflowers, Lettuces, Turnips, Radishes, and Spinach for 
successional crops, sow a small quantity of Endive, sow Mustard and 
Cress weekly, sow Scarlet Runner Beans, sow Broad Beans and Peas 
twice during the month, sow French Dwarf Beans, sow Parsley ; keep 
early Potatoes well earthed up, it will save them from frost, if there 
happens to be any: attend to the rodding of Peas ; should insects be 
troublesome among seed beds, strew some soot or lime over them ; if 
the weather continue dry, many things in the open ground will require 
to be watered, whenever it is necessary; it should be given abundantly 
and often, until a change of weather ; attend to all routine matters. 
Pansies. —Cuttings should now be put in as often as they can be 
procured, placing them in a shady border. They will strike much more 
freely now than during the summer months. 
Peach-forcing. —The fruit in those that were started before Christmas 
will now be approaching maturity; they should have abundance 
of air, and the atmosphere should be kept rather dry. Turn aside or 
bend down any leaves that shade any of the fruit. The successional 
crops will require the treatment previously given to the early house,— 
