The Flower Garden. 
lanting Holly Bushes. 
Where it is intended to plant Holly bushes, 
pecimen trees, or plants to form a hedge, 
re ground should be prepared forthwith, 
lollies thrive best lin a well-drained, deep 
jam; it is useless to plant them in poor, 
hallow, shingly soil, as they would never 
e satisfactory, but, on the contrary, they 
f ould be an eyesore and barely live from 
ear to year. But where Hollies are grow¬ 
ing in suitable ground they, both of the 
reen and variegated sorts, will be attractive 
nd form distinctive features in gardens, 
•ingle specimens on lawns and in sbrub- 
eries and Holly hedges look very beautiful 
rhen they are in good health. 
There are two very important points to 
bserve in connection with the successful cul- 
nre of these plants, namely : the providing 
f a suitable rooting medium, and the right 
ime and treatment of transplanting. From 
he present date to the end of May Hollies 
oay be shifted. If the soil is too pcor for 
. specimen plant, remove it to a depth of 
t least 2 ft. over a space of 5 ft. across, and 
eplac^ the original with some good loamy 
oil. 
Fiig. 1 shows how the root^ must be placed 
n the large hole. The stem of the plant 
aust not be buried, but the roots A should 
e spread out, the soil made firm around 
hem, and, finally, from the edge of the hole 
3 B to the stem, the surface soil should be 
eft cup-shape to retain water. It is highly 
mportant that the roots be kept in a moist 
tate after planting is done. Furthermore, 
he tree should be firmly staked to prevent 
he roots moving, then the specimen will soon 
:et established. 
lardy Annuals. 
Every effort should now be made to get 
he border soil in good condition for the 
eeds of hardy annuals, which must be sown 
ery scon. It will he labour well spent if 
ihe ground is thoroughly prepared. Hardy 
■nnuals are a beautiful class of plants, and 
ew other kinds of plants repay labour of 
his sort more than they do. 
Never mind how deeply the soil has been 
lug previously, turn it up deeply again and 
aix some rotted manure with it if it has 
;ettled down firm, and has, moreover, not 
>een manured. ■ 
"ender Annuals. 
Transplant the seedlings of these while 
hey are quite small in boxes filled with a 
ight compost, or in frames. Slugs are very 
>artial to many kinds of annuals, especially 
jiinnias arri Salpiglcssis ; so constant watch 
oust be kept to preserve the young plants. 
’orcotl Bulba. 
Do not throw away forced bulbs of Hya¬ 
cinths, Tuliips, Narcissus, etc., but place 
hem (in the soil in which they were forced) 
n a warm position outside, and let them 
gradually harden and mature. In the mean- 
ime, select places in the open borders, and 
nark them in readiness for the planting of 
hese bulbs later on; they will supply nice 
lowers for cutting purposes in future j'ears. 
Fig. 3. Shows the right way to disbud a 
Peach branch. 
Fig. 3. The right way to transplant Onions. 
267 
The Fruit Garden. 
Disbudding Peach and Nsctarine Trees. 
The young shoots on these trees on outside 
walls will now require attending to. If left 
orl the shoots would become a veritable 
thicket of growth, useless for future use and 
spoiling the current season’s crop of fruits. 
But the work of removing the shoots must be 
done gradually; if all were taken off a tree 
in one day a check would be the result. We 
do not want to unduly disturb the flow of 
sap to the young fruits, so remove a few 
growing buds from each branch every day, 
and thus spread the. work over about one 
week. 
Fig. 2 shows how the shoots should be left 
that are to supply the crop of fruits next 
year. Three new shoots on a branch about 
20 inches long, and two on one about a foot 
long, will be sufficient to retain. A, new 
shoots; B, shows where surplus ones have 
been rubbed off; C, young fruits. Where 
possible retain shoots and fruits that grow 
on the upper side of the branch, as shown 
in the sketch, then they will have the full 
benefit of the sunshine and light. 
Pear Trees in Bloom. 
Some varieties of Pears growing on the 
Quince stock flower profusely every year, 
hut do not “set” their fruits well. Where 
there are great quantities of flowers on.the 
trees, it is a good plan to thin out a few of 
the smallest blossoms in each truss, or 
cluster, then 'the central one will the more 
readily, and surely, swell. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Weeds. 
At this season of the year there should not 
be any weeds in the vegetable garden. When 
the soil iis dry hoe the ground with the Dutch 
hoe between all growing crops, as well as 
vacant spaces. It is a very easy matter to 
keep down weeds while they are small, and 
the loosening of the surface soil admits the 
warmth from the sun, and so greatly assists 
the growth of the crops. 
Onions. 
This is an ideal time for planting all the 
box-raised Onion plants. Lift each plant 
carefully to preserve all the roots, using a 
hand trowel for the planting. 
.’F.ig. 3 shows how to transplant the Onions 
in rows. If the ground has not been pre¬ 
viously got ready it must be dug deeply and 
levelled, putting out the plants A in we-li- 
broken up soil after mixing a liberal 
quantity of rich manure with the subsoil 
portion B. C C denotes the lines of plants 
which should be put out at least 10 inches 
apart, the lines being 14 inches asunder. 
Shallots. 
Shallots are now growing freely, and 
should he assisted by sprinkling about one 
ounce of nitrate of soda over each square 
yard of ground. 
Cabbages. 
The same quantity of nitrate may be put 
on between the rows of plants, as advised 
here for Shallots ; it will hasten the growth 
and deepen the colour of the leaves. 
Tomatos. 
Newly dug ground is not as suitable for 
Tomato plants as that which has been pre¬ 
pared several weeks prior to the time of 
planting. Prepare the ground now on warm, 
sheltered borders, and near south walls, then 
the soil will have time to settle down before 
you put out the plants, which should, ,in 
the meantime, be grown in a warm frame in 
pots or boxes. 
Seeds to Sow. 
Sow more Peas, Spinach, Carrots, Broad 
Beans, Lettuces, Radishes, and winter 
Greens. Foxglove. 
