THE WEATHER.-CALENDAR. 
187 
kept down by the cold and humid surface; but if the moist weather continues, 
snails and slugs will be great pests. 
If dry weather sets in, the autumnal bloom on the borders will be very fine; 
but in the meantime, some blooms—as for instance, those of the very double 
roses—have a difficulty in expanding ; and if the rains continue, matters will be 
still worse :—the rain not only, as it were, solders the outer petals together, but 
it stimulates the individual growth of the plants ; and therefore, if it continues 
much longer, we may expect to see shoots rising in the middle of many ot the 
aborted roses. 
Prognostications of the weather are but quackery, or, at the best, guess¬ 
work ; because we never can number half the circumstances of any former 
case, and thus we cannot reason from any thing like a perfect analogy. But 
as the intercourse of the earth and the atmosphere has been re-established 
without any very violent or general struggle, the conclusion naturally to be 
drawn is, that the autumnal rains will not be very surly or very heavy ; and 
the inference from this is, that the winter should be mild. 
CALENDAR FOR AUGUST. 
Stove. —Attend to the general cultivation of plants here as directed for last 
month. Specimen plants, when they require it, may be repotted for the last 
time. This is an excellent time for budding, grafting, and general propagation. 
Cape and other bulbs that have completed their summer’s growth may be 
dried off, though, as the principal thing to be attained is a good growth, it 
should not be done too soon or too rapidly. 
Greenhouse. —Hard-wooded plants, that have completed their seasonal 
growth, should be watered sparingly; Camellias frequently lose the buds by 
being stimulated to a second growth at this season by overwatering. A 
thorough ripening of all the parts is what is most required. Propagate by 
cuttings, buds, &c, every thing it is desirous to increase. Leave air every 
night unless the end of the month is cold. All repairs should be completed 
as fast as possible. 
Flower Garden. —American plants do not require so much water now. 
That the wood may ripen well, repot Auriculas. See that the pots used are 
clean, and keep a good drainage ; for on this depends the safety of the plants 
during winter. Finish laying and pipeing Carnations, Picottees, Pinxs, 
Pansies, and other biennials. Fine sorts of Dahlias may still be propagated, 
though there is some chance of losing them in the winter. Blooming plants 
should be kept tied up, and thinned, where required. Look closely after 
earwigs. Chrysanthemums struck last month may now be potted. Place 
them on a warm border, with bricks or tiles under the pots, to prevent worms 
entering. Water them when the sun shines on them. No plant repays the 
little trouble required more than these. Seeds of hardy bulbous-rooted plants 
may now be sown, and their roots taken up and replanted whenever necessary. 
The seeds should be sown in pans or shallow boxes, so that they may be 
removed to a cold frame, or other shelter, in the winter months. 
