THE GARDENERS’ AND NATURALISTS’ CALENDAR FOR DECEMBER. 
247 
head, as a one-sided tree is a very unsightly object. A 
few year’s attention will do much to renovate old, sickly, 
rmproductive trees. If they have been neglected for a 
long period, and require a large quantity of wood to he 
cut out, it may be advisable to take away only a portion 
of it in one season, and the following season the other 
portion. If any larger branches are removed the 
wounds should be coated over with tar or paint, so as to 
prevent the wet getting in. The trees would be greatly 
benefited, if the stems and large branches were scraped 
and washed with soap suds, containing a little lime and 
soot. H. C. 0. 
KITCHEN-GARDEN. 
At this season of the year very little cropping is required; 
the principal objects are to economize time by making 
whatever preparations are necessary for the reception of 
future crops, and to protect, as far as practicable, all 
things that are likely to suffer from the influence of 
frost. Few articles are in greater request than Parsley 
for culinary purposes; therefore, a portion had better 
he protected, as it cannot withstand severe frost with 
impunity ; any other things, such as Lettuces, Endive, 
Cauliflowers, and Early Brocolies, should have what¬ 
ever artificial accommodation can conveniently he be¬ 
stowed upon them. Mulch the beds of Rhubarb, and 
cover well the roots of Globe Archichokes. Dig up or 
trench any quarters or spaces that may have become 
vacant, as directed for last month ; other matters, such 
as stirring the soil between growing crops, should be 
attended to, as recommended on that occasion. Earth up 
Celery whenever necessary, choosing the finest days for 
the operation. Continue to sow small Salading weekly, 
and place the boxes in heat. Introduce Asparagus roots 
into pits or frames, where a gentle heat can be supplied; 
make up another bed for Mushrooms, and keep the tem¬ 
perature of the house from 50° to 55°. Rhubarb and 
Sea Kale should be introduced to this house, or he 
covered as often and in such quantities as the demand 
upon such articles renders necessary. Peas and Beans 
may he sown in some weR-sheltered border, hut the 
better plan is to raise the former in pots, the latter in 
boxes, and transplant them in spring. J. C. S. 
WILD FLOWERS. 
"We retain our accustomed heading this month, hut 
shall speak merely on the point mentioned last month, 
namely, the formation of local Floras, since there is 
little to he done out of doors at this time of the year. 
A local Flora, properly compiled, should he much 
more than a list or collection of the plants of a given 
district; it should attempt to furnish the data upon 
which the more extensive generalizations of botanical 
geography are founded. The climate, soil, and subsoil, 
with the elevation, exposure, and other points, should 
he investigated, and hi this way the means he afforded 
of testing the various theories of the influence of exter¬ 
nal agents upon vegetation. 
The following points appear to he those which must 
he attended to, in order to this end :— 
The district intended to he included should have its 
boundaries marked, not by coimty or parish hounds, 
or by rivers, but by the lines indicating the change of 
subjacent geological formations or rocks, forming the 
subsoil, and he further subdivided wherever there is a 
difference of subsoil within the district. Each subsoil 
district should have its general elevation above the sea 
marked, at least in hilly or mountainous districts, toge¬ 
ther with a division according to aspects in the last. 
The quantity of rain falling in the district should be 
ascertained, the prevailing winds, and the mean tem¬ 
perature at least of January and July. 
Then aU the species should he enumerated, and, by 
careful investigation in aU parts of the district, their 
comparative frequency in the various subdivisions de¬ 
termined, noticing especially the commonest —those giving 
the prevailing character to each locality. In addition 
to this, all “ accidental” or artificial causes modifying 
the distribution, or forming sources of the introduction 
of particular species, must be made out and particularly 
noted. 
An explanatory catalogue of the plants contained in 
a district, drawn up on this plan, will furnish a very 
valuable contribution, not only to botanical geography, 
but to the physiological history of species, and the study 
of the general relation of plants to the conditions in 
which they exist; in fact, it is only when we shall 
have obtained a large number of such “ Floras” that 
these departments of Botany will he brought into a 
clear and satisfactory condition. A. H. 
ANIMAL KINGDOM. 
Ornithology. —All hail! to thee, hearty old De¬ 
cember, with thy frosty nose and snowy locks, we will 
greet thee kindly, like an old and trusty friend, for thou 
bringest with thee many joys, although thy path is not 
strewn with flowers. Like thy half-brother June, thou 
art not less welcome; few can look upon thy fruit—the 
pretty red berries of the HoUy, as they deck the win¬ 
dow of the humble home or stately hall, and not feel a 
quiet sort of joy, a little allied with sadness, arise 
within their breast; for it recalls to min d scenes of 
festivity passed with friends, many of whom have since 
gone from amongst us, and now sleep soundly in their 
narrow beds. May the earth lay lightly on them! 
Then thy Mistletoe—the lovers’ friend—-with its wax- 
like berries, what joyous associations are connected 
with it. "When seen suspended from the ceiling the 
matron looks with pleasure to her youthful days, when 
she, a coy maiden, was enticed beneath it, and there 
had to pay the forfeit in a lover’s kiss ; the maidens 
look slily at it, and vow that they will not go within its 
influence—a vow more often made than kept. 
But though so pleasant a time for us, the poor birds 
are often great sufferers. When the earth is covered 
with her snowy mantle, and the hedges stripped of all 
their berries, they are put to great straits to obtain 
food. The farm and rick-yards are now resorted to by 
many species of birds, collected together by the same 
cause—a scarcity of food. Birds that are strangers to 
each other during the rest of the year, are now united 
in a common brotherhood—misfortune making them all 
equal. Some birds suffer much more than others ; the 
Fieldfares ( Merula pilaris), although reared in a clime 
much farther north than ours, are mostly the first to be 
affected by long continued frosts, at times becoming so 
feeble as to lose all power of flight; and they have been 
picked up in large numbers in this exhausted state, a 
mere bag of feathers, the poor birds having been liter¬ 
ally starved to death. But how differently fare the 
Blackbirds ( Merula vulgaris) ; winter appears to be their 
time of feasting, for they are now a complete ball of 
fat; but then then mode of life is different; unlike the 
Fieldfares, which confine their search for food to the 
upper part of the hedges and hushes, the Blackbirds 
pursue theirs entirely about the roots, where they find 
a plentiful supply of snails and grubs without much 
trouble, merely scratching aside the leaves, the ground 
underneath being but little affected by the frost, from the 
protection afforded it by the thick covering of bushes; 
here they pursue their hunt after food in silence, and 
mostly singly, for they are very unsociable in their 
habits. The skill with which they hatter the sheR of 
a Snail to pieces to get at the inhabitant, is very amus¬ 
ing. The Redwing ( Merula iliaca ), and Thrushes {Me¬ 
rula musica), partake, in a great measure, of the habits 
of the Blackbird, so that they suffer much less than 
many others. 
The Bullfinches (Pgr r hula vulgaris), will often, 
