CALENDAR FOR MARCH. 
hazel, the alder, the birches, poplars, various willows, and the 
yews, will afford excellent opportunities for examining the 
structure of monoecious and dioecious flowers; and the elms 
ought also to claim the attention of botanical amateurs, in order 
to help to clear up the confusion in which our native species of 
that genus are at present involved. The beautiful Daphne 
Mezereum, and also D. Laureola , will also be in flower, and 
should be sought for especially in woods on a chalky soil, and 
further, the hellebores, the daffodil, butchers’ broom or knee- 
holly, and many other plants, in similar situations. To enume¬ 
rate all that may be found would stretch this notice to too 
great a length; but at least from forty to fifty species of flower¬ 
ing plants ought to be observed by any moderately industrious 
collector during the month. 
In the flower-garden great activity will be required to pre¬ 
pare for summer display, as well as to make the most of those 
heralds of that more gorgeous time, the hardy bulbs and other 
plants, whose early flowering renders them such universal 
favourites. The propagation of all bedding-out plants, of which 
there is not already a sufficient stock, should be proceeded 
with. Hardy annuals should also be sown, both in pots and in 
any vacant spaces where they can remain to flower. Of course 
any departure from high keeping will lessen the enjoyment of * 
the garden, and at no period of the year so much perhaps as 
at the present time; extreme neatness, and close attention to 
common routine work, must therefore be strictly adhered to by 
all who wish to derive the greatest amount of pleasure from a 
garden. 
In the greenhouse many of the plants will require to be 
shifted into larger pots. This operation should not be per¬ 
formed until the plant evidently requires it, as shown by its 
renewed growth. As the large shift, if not the one-shift, system 
is now very generally practised, the amateur should be careful 
to avoid the use of compost reduced to a fine state by sifting or 
otherwise. The earth used, whether loam or peat, should be 
as turfy and fibrous as possible, and only reduced according to 
the size of the shift, so as to go tolerably easily between the 
ball of the plant and the side of the new pot, being careful to 
use plenty of drainage all through the earth, especially with 
very large specimens. Charcoal forms the best draining mate¬ 
rial, on account of its lightness, independent of any chemical or 
