203 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
amount of light. Keep Cucumbers for winter 
supply hardy. Pines .—As the principal sum¬ 
mer crop is over, the beds should be at once 
prepared for the reception of the ensuing sea¬ 
son’s crop. Previously, however, to placing 
the plants in the pits, let the house, heating- 
apparatus, &c., be put in good order, as this 
cannot be well done after the plants are in. 
After repeated trials with compost, we still 
incline to pure loam, if of good quality. As 
the fruiting plants are placed in their per¬ 
manent quarters, pot-on all the succession 
plants a stage, to fill up their places. 
KITCHEN GAllDEN. 
This will be a busy month for the kitchen 
gardener. The winter and spring crops will 
require frequent hoeings in the intervals be¬ 
tween the rows, and water occasionally in dry 
weather. As more ground comes to hand dig 
up immediately, and plant a further supply of 
Broccoli and "Winter Greens ; all will be use¬ 
ful in spring. On a warm rich soil, plant the 
first crop of spring Cabbage. Should the 
weather be dry, Cauliflowers, Lettuce, and 
Kadish.es, should be well soaked, to have them 
crisp and tender Well water Celery, and re¬ 
move the side suckers before earthing up ; let 
the plants become strong before this is at¬ 
tempted. Take up Onions, and dry for storing, 
likewise Potatoes. Sow a plot more of Tur¬ 
nips, they will come in either for roots or 
leaves in spring. A small sowing of Cauli¬ 
flower, Lettuce, Onions, Cabbage, Spinach, 
and Parsley, may be made for furnishing a 
late spring supply. 
FRUIT GARDEN. 
Hardy Fruits .—The summer wood of the 
wall and espalier trees will now be laid in. If 
time permit thin out likewise all the useless 
wood from Apple, Pear, and in fact every de¬ 
scription of fruit tree. The advantage of this 
will consist in admitting more light and air 
to embryo fruit-buds, and furnishing them at 
the same time with a larger amount of nutri¬ 
tion. Protect wall fruit from wasps and flies. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
In addition to the ordinary routine of clean¬ 
ing, mowing, and dressing the beds, some of 
the earliest blooming annuals may now want 
removing, and their place should be filled up 
from the reserve stock, of which there should 
always be kept a sufficient supply in hand for 
these purposes. Trim in straggling growths, 
and remove decayed blooms, dead leaves, &c. 
The propagation of stock for next season’s 
supply should now be proceeded with without 
delay. 
florists’ flowers. 
Auriculas .—These will only have to be kept 
clear of insects and dead foliage, and moder¬ 
ately moist to keep the young roots well at 
work. If premature trusses of flowers should 
appear, pinch the buds off when well above 
the foliage. Carnations and Picotees .—The 
soil for wintering these should be kept sweet 
and tolerably dry. Commence potting into 
small pots towards the end of the month, to 
enable the plants to become well-established 
to stand the winter. Let them be well 
hardened off as soon as they have taken root. 
They are generally grown too tender. It will 
be better to err with a little too much exposure 
than to afford too much shelter on every 
occasion that the weather may prove unfavour¬ 
able. Avoid wet, and give plenty of air ; these 
are two of the most important points in the 
winter culture of the Carnation and Picotee. 
Dahlias .—If the disbudding and thinning of 
the shoots have been attended to, as previously 
directed, there will be but little to do this 
month but to attend to the bloom. Late plants 
will require another thinning. In shading 
for exhibition avoid the error too often com¬ 
mitted of close-shading the blooms in a young 
state. Four or five days before the time they 
are required for exhibition is a sufficient time 
for many kinds at the commencement of the 
season, to be extended to eight or ten days 
as the season advances. Previous to shading, 
they should be securely tied, to prevent their 
being damaged by friction against the sur¬ 
rounding foliage. Many kinds take a much less 
time in blooming than others. This should 
be well attended to by the grower of flowers 
for exhibition. Soft-centered Dahlias take the 
shortest time in coming to perfection. Those 
that have a hard green centre wdien young, 
take the longest, and should be allowed more 
time in blooming. Hollyhocks. — Cuttings 
should be put in largely this month; they 
strike readily, and make excellent plants for 
another season. Seed should be gathered early, 
that the old flowering spike may be cut off 
to encourage the root to throw up cuttings. 
Sow seed as soon as ripe, and by transplanting 
the young plants, as soon as large enough, 
into small pots for wintering, they will flower 
well the next summer, thereby saving a sea¬ 
son. Pansies .—Plant out bedsfor early spring 
blooming, and pot up what are required for 
flowering in pots towards the end of the month. 
Seedlings, as soon as large enough, should be 
planted out for blooming. Late-saved seed 
may be sown, but not later than the first week 
in the month. Cuttings may be put in at 
this time with a certainty of striking, if healthy. 
Pinks.- —Prepare beds for planting out at the 
end of the month for blooming. The beds 
should be a little raised in the centre, to throw 
off the wet; plant about 6 inches apart. 
Rotten manure and common road sand should 
be mixed with the soil rather plentifully. Pot 
up a part of'the stock—duplicates of the choice 
kinds—for wintering under glass, or to be 
sheltered, like Carnations during the winter. 
These, if planted out in well-prepared beds 
about the 1st of March, bloom both early and 
fine. Tulips .—Examine the bulbs occasionally ; 
green fly sometimes attacks the points, and is 
easily checked if attended to in time. The 
soil in the beds for blooming them should be 
occasionally turned. 
