1S7!) J 
LE3 TALMIEBS. 
4.j 
make nice cuttings, and if put into a sandy 
soil in pots and pans, and placed in some moist 
heat, they will soon strike. If the villa 
gardener trusts to his spring-propagated plants 
to give him what he wants for his flower-beds 
in summer, the sooner he can get to work the 
better. Amateur gardeners who have to ju'o- 
vide a goodly number of plants, and to whom 
quick production is an object, should grow a 
few of the Dwarf Nasturtiums^ such as Beaiiii/ 
of Malvern, Luteum improved. Lustrous, &c. 
Stock plants of these, when excited into growth, 
furnish a great number of cuttings, and quickly 
root. About the middle of the month some 
useful half-hardy annuals may be sown in the 
hot-bed, such as Zinnias, Phlox Drumniondii, 
Balsam, Asters, Stocks, Rhodanthe, &c., prick¬ 
ing-off the plants as soon as large enough, and 
growing on into size as quicklj' as possible. 
Most greenhouse plants will now be making 
an advance in growth, and will require a 
more liberal supply of water. Plenty of air 
should be given, when the weather is mild and 
pleasant. Now is a good time to clean the 
glass and shelves of a greenhouse, ready for 
spring. Cleanliness and light are important 
conditions affecting the well-being of plants. 
Cold Frames. —The occupants are now be¬ 
coming very interesting. The great advance 
which betokens the rapid on-coming of spring 
has already commenced, and movement is the 
order of the day. Christmas Roses in pots and 
^ Primula purpurea are the tw'o first to put in 
appearance. The former have not had the soil 
changed in w'hich they are growing, but are 
having a slight surface-dressing of Clay’s 
Fertiliser, w'hich, washed into the soil with 
water, is greatly helping the plants. Some 
gai'deners complain they cannot succeed with 
Christmas Roses grown in pots ; perhaps, 
because they shift them every year. Anemone 
fulgens, Triteleia, Primroses, Pobjanthuses, 
Aeptilegias, and lots of other things, are getting 
active; and they will be helped by a surface¬ 
dressing, taking away any old sour soil, and 
adding something fresh, sweet, and good. 
Advantage should be taken of a fine day to 
take the pots from the frame, brush and clean 
the inside walls of it, loosen the bottom and 
add a slight layer of fresh ashes; and on 
returning the pots; stand them a little 
wider, so as to give space for the advancing 
growth of the plants. As soon as any good 
things show flower, they can be taken to the 
greenhouse, to assist in making that gay. 
Flower Garden. —Beds of spring-flowering 
plants, having had any losses through the frost 
made good, should have their surfaces stirred, 
and top-dressed with a little fresh soil. Antir¬ 
rhinums, Pentstemons, Stocks, and Wallfloicers 
have suffered severely during the frost, and in 
many cases are killed outright. If a sowing of 
the two former be made at once in a gentle 
heat, the plant will get on fast enough to bloom 
in August and September. We shall have to 
wait for Wcdlflowers, Stocks, Forget-me-nots, 
&c., for another year. Mixed borders of hardy 
plants should bo gone over, the surface cleaned 
and stirred, as far as it can be done with safety, 
and a top-dressing of dung and decaying leaves 
added. Seedling Violas and Pansies in boxes or 
beds, raised from seed sown in autumn, should 
now be planted out to flower, and will be found 
useful in early summer. Unoccupied flower-beds 
should bo dug over, preparatory to planting 
them in April and May. Mignonette, Siveet 
Peas, Candj/tufts, Fschscholtzias, and other 
useful hardy annuals may now be sown. 
Messrs. Vilmorin and Co.’s new white and pink 
Candytufts are well worthy attention, and so 
are the pretty forms of Dianthus chinensis, 
double and single. 
Kitchen Garden. —The ground is in air unfit 
state for sowing as we write, being cold and 
w'et, but crops must be sown. Some succession 
Peas and Beans should be put in as soon as 
the ground can be worked, and later, the bulk 
of the vegeteble crops. A fine day should be 
chosen to sow Cabbages, Broccolis, Caulifowers, 
Savogs, Beet, Carrots, Pai'sleg,Parsnip, Sjnnach, 
&c. From the 12th to the 20th of March is 
reckoned a good time for successional sowdngs. 
In the matter of Peas, a good rule for keeping 
up a supply is to sow when the last-sown crop 
is just appearing above ground. In sheltered 
positions early Potatos can be planted early in 
the month, and the main-crop varieties towards 
the end of the month. 
Ft uit Garden. —All nailing, pruning, and 
training should be executed without delay, as 
getting in the kitchen-garden crops will occupy 
a great deal of time. All fruit-trees are as yet 
quiet, or only just beginning to swell their 
buds, and we are pleased to note there is a 
general pi'omise of a fruitful season. If the 
recent severe frost has restored the balance of 
time and order among the seasons, and spring, 
for this j’ear at least, does not put in appear¬ 
ance in the middle of winter, we shall not have 
so much reason to regret the spell of wintry 
weather, which for such a length of time 
has held dominion over the face of Nature.— 
SUBUEBANUS. 
LES PALMIERS. 
« HIS is the title of a handsomely illus¬ 
trated book on Palms, recently published 
by M. Eothschild of Paris. The author 
is M. Oswald de Kerchove de Denterghem, 
whose name is familiar as that of one of the 
leading horticulturists of Ghent, and who, in 
the fine collection of the Comte de Kerchove, 
and those of the far-famed Ghent nurseries, has 
