Chapter VIII: Part II: The Practice of Horticulture (6)

Although enormous quantities of water are required during the summer season, great care must be exercised in applying water to the winter crops. When severe frost prevails the lights or cloches are rarely taken off except to gather mature specimens; and no water is given directly overhead to the plants for fear of chilling them and checking growth. They must secure their supply of moisture from the rain that falls on the glass, and flows into the narrow pathways from 9 in. to 12 in. wide between each range of frames. As the beds are only about 4(1/2) ft. wide, the water from the pathways is soaked up on each side by capillary attraction, and in this way the roots secure a sufficient supply.

Besides an abundance of water in summer there must also be an enormous quantity of good stable manure available during the winter months. This is necessary not only to make up the required hotbeds in the first place, but also to fill in the pathways between the frames, wherever it is considered advisable to maintain the heat within the frames at a certain point. As it is impossible to use an ordinary wheelbarrow in these narrow pathways, the workman carries a specially made wicker basket called a "hotte" on his shoulders by means of two straps. In this way large quantities of manure are easily transported to any required spot, and although the work looks hard to an English gardener, the Frenchman says he can carry more manure with less fatigue in half a day than an Englishman can transport in a day with a wheelbarrow.

This is merely an outline of the system, which is now being taken up in various parts of the United Kingdom, but not too rapidly. The initial expenses for frames, lights, cloches, mats and water-supply are in many cases prohibitive to men with the necessary gardening experience, while on the other hand those who have the capital lack the practical knowledge so essential to success.

For full details of this system see _French Market-Gardening, with
details of Intensive Cultivation_, by John Weathers (London, 1909).

VIII.--_Calendar of Garden Operations (A) for Great Britain._

JANUARY

_Kitchen Garden._--Wheel out manure and composts during frosty
weather; trench vacant ground not turned up roughly in autumn. Sow
early peas in a cold frame for transplanting. Sow also first-crop
peas, early in the month, and William I. towards the end; Early
Seville and Early Longpod beans; and short-topped radish in two or
three sowings, at a week's interval, all on a warm border; also Hardy
Green and Brown cos lettuce in a frame or on south border. Plant
shallots and Ashleaf potatoes on a warm border. Protect broccoli as it
becomes fit for use, or remove to a dry shed or cellar; lettuces and
endive, which are best planted in frames; and parsley in frames so as
to be accessible.

_Fruit Garden._--Plant fruit trees in open weather, if not done in
autumn, which is the proper season, mulching over the roots to protect
them from frost, and from drought which may occur in spring. Prune
fruit trees in mild weather or in moderate frosts, nailing only in
fine weather. Wash trees infested with insects with one of the many
insecticides now obtainable. Take off grafts, and lay them aside in
moist earth in a shady place.

_Forcing._--Prepare manure for making up hotbeds for early cucumbers
and melons, where pits heated with hot water are not in use; also for
Ashleaf potatoes. Sow also in heat mustard and cress for salads,
onions for salads; tomatoes, celery to be pricked out for an early
crop; and Early Horn carrot and kidney-beans on slight hotbeds. Force
asparagus, sea-kale and rhubarb, in hotbeds, in pits, in the
mushroom-house or in the open garden by the use of covers surrounded
with warm litter; for cucumbers a top heat of 70 deg.; for vines in
leaf and flower a temperature ranging from 65 deg. to 70 deg. Keep
forced strawberries with swelling fruit well watered. Plant vine eyes
for propagation in a brisk heat.

_Plant Houses._--Give abundance of air to the greenhouse, conservatory
and alpine frame in mild weather, but use little water. A supply of
roses, kalmias, rhododendrons, &c., and of hardy flowers and bulbs, as
lily of the valley, hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, &c., should be kept
up by forcing.

_Flower Garden._---Plant out tubers and bulbs of border flowers, where
neglected in autumn, deferring the finer florists' flowers till next
month. Transplant herbaceous plants in light soils, if not done in
autumn; also deciduous trees, shrubs and hedges. Lay edgings in fine
weather. Sow mignonette, stocks, &c., in pots; sow sweet peas and a
few hardy annuals on a warm border. Give auriculas and carnations
abundance of air, but keep the roots rather dry to prevent damping
off.

FEBRUARY

_Kitchen Garden._--Sow successional crops of Early Seville beans, and
William I., American Wonder or other peas in the beginning and end of
the month; early cabbages to follow the last sowing in August; red
cabbages and savoys towards the end. Sow also Early Horn carrot; Early
Purple-top Munich turnip; onions for a full crop in light soils, with
a few leeks and some parsley. Sow lettuce for succession, with
radishes and Round-leaved spinach, twice in the course of the month;
and small salads every fortnight. Plant Jerusalem artichokes,
shallots, garlic, horse-radish and early potatoes. Transplant to the
bottom of a south wall a portion of the peas sown in pots in frames in
November and January for the first crop. Sow Brussels sprouts in
gentle heat for an early crop.

_Fruit Garden._--Prune apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums, before
the buds are much swelled; finish pruning apples, pears, cherries,
gooseberries, currants and raspberries, before the end of the month;
also the dressing of vines. Keep the fruit-room free from spoiled
fruit, and shut it close. Cut down the double-bearing raspberries to
secure strong autumn-fruiting shoots. Head back stocks preparatory to
grafting.

_Forcing._--Sow melons and cucumbers on hotbeds and in pits. Sow
carrots, turnips, early celery, also aubergines or egg-plants,
capsicums, tomatoes and successional crops of kidney-beans;
cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, in gentle heat, to be afterwards
planted out. Plant early potatoes on slight hotbeds. Continue the
forcing of asparagus, rhubarb and sea-kale. Commence or continue the
forcing of the various choice fruits, as vines, peaches, figs,
cherries, strawberries, &c. Pot roots of mint and place in heat to
produce sprigs for mint sauce. Be careful to protect the stems of
vines that are outside the forcing-houses.

_Plant Houses._--Let the greenhouse and conservatory have plenty of
air in mild weather. Pot and start tuberous-rooted begonias and
gloxinias. Pot young plants of Hippeastrum, and start the established
ones. Propagate chrysanthemums in cool-house or vinery under hand
lights or frames. Put plants of fuchsias, petunias, verbenas,
heliotropes, salvias and other soft-wooded subjects, into a
propagating house to obtain cuttings, &c., for the flower garden. Sow
stocks, dahlias and a few tender and half-hardy annuals, on a slight
hotbed, or in pots. Propagate old roots of dahlias by cuttings of the
young shoots in a hotbed. Sow petunias in heat, and prick out and
harden for bedding out; also gloxinias to be grown on in heat till the
flowering season.

_Flower Garden._--In dry open weather plant dried roots, including
most of the finer florists' flowers; continue the transplanting of
hardy biennial flowers and herbaceous plants. Sow in the last week
mignonette, and hardy annuals, in a warm border, for subsequent
transplanting.

MARCH

_Kitchen Garden._--Sow main crops of wrinkled marrow peas; Longpod and
Windsor beans; cabbage, onions, leeks, Early Horn carrots, parsnips,
salsafy, scorzonera, Brussels sprouts, borecoles, lettuces and
spinach. In the beginning and also at the end of the month sow Early
Strap-leaf and Early Snowball turnips and savoys. In the last
fortnight sow asparagus, cauliflower and the various sweet and savoury
herbs; also sea-kale, radishes, celery, celeriac and parsley. Small
salads should be sown every ten days. Make up beds for mushrooms with
well-prepared dung towards the end of the month. Plant early potatoes
in the first week, and a main crop during the last fortnight.
Sea-kale, asparagus and peas raised in frames may now be planted; also
garlic and shallots. Full crops of cabbages should be planted out;
also cauliflowers under hand-glasses. Propagate by slips, or by
earthing up the old stems, the various pot-herbs.

_Fruit Garden._--Finish the pruning of fruit trees before the middle
of the month. Protect those coming into blossom. Begin grafting in the
third week; dig and dress between the rows of gooseberries, currants
and other fruit trees, if not already done. Kill wasps assiduously as
soon as they appear.

_Forcing._--Continue the forcing of melons, cucumbers, tomatoes and
the various fruits. In the vinery and peach-house, attend to the
keeping down of insects by syringing; and promote the growth of the
young shoots, by damping the walls and paths morning and evening. Sow
capsicum and tomato; also in slight heat such tender herbs as basil
and marjoram.

_Plant Houses._--More water may be given than formerly. Sow seeds of
greenhouse and hothouse plants; also the different sorts of tender
annuals; pot off those sown last month; sow cineraria for the earliest
bloom; also Chinese primulas. Shift heaths and other hard-wooded
subjects and stove-plants; plant tuberoses in pots for forcing. Begin
to propagate greenhouse plants by cuttings; also coleuses by cuttings
in heat, potting them off as soon as rooted.

_Flower Garden and Shrubbery._--In the last week, sow hardy annuals in
the borders, with biennials that flower the first season, as also
perennials. Plant anemone and ranunculus roots and the corms of
gladiolus. Transplant from the nursery to their final sites annuals
sown in autumn, with biennials and herbaceous plants. Propagate
perennials from root-slips and offsets. Continue to propagate the
finer sorts of dahlias, both by cuttings and by division of the roots.
Finish the pruning of all deciduous trees and hedges as soon as
possible. Attend to the dressing of shrubberies; lay turf-edgings, and
regulate the surface of gravel walks.

APRIL

_Kitchen Garden._--Sow asparagus, sea-kale, Turnip-rooted beet,
salsafy, scorzonera, skirret, carrots and onions on heavy soils; also
marrow peas, Longpod and Windsor beans, turnips, spinach, celery,
cabbage, savoys and Brussels sprouts for succession. Sow broccoli and
kidney-beans both in the second and in the last week, and lettuces and
small salads twice or thrice during the month; sow all herbs, if not
done last month. Sow vegetable marrow. Plant cauliflower, cabbages,
sea-kale, lettuce; and finish the planting of the main crops of
potatoes; divide and replant globe-artichokes. Propagate all sorts of
pot-herbs, and attend to the hoeing and thinning of spinach, onions,
turnips, carrots, beet, &c. Earth up cabbages, cauliflower, peas,
beans and early potatoes. Stake up peas; blanch sea-kale and rhubarb
in the open air by covering with straw or leaves.

_Fruit Garden._--If vines have been neglected to be pruned, rub off
the buds that are not wanted; this is safer than pruning now. Protect
the finer sorts of fruit trees on the walls. The hardier orchard-house
fruits should now be moved outdoors under temporary awnings, to give
the choicer fruits more space,--the roots being protected by plunging
the pots. Mulch all newly-planted fruit trees, watering abundantly in
dry weather.

_Forcing._--Continue the preparation of succession beds and pits for
cucumbers and melons. Sow; pot tomatoes and capsicums for succession.
Pollinate tomatoes by hand to ensure early fruit on plants intended
for outdoor culture. In the forcing-houses, from the variable state of
the weather, considerable vigilance is required in giving air. Keep
down red spider (Acarus) in the more advanced houses by frequent
syringings and a well-moistened atmosphere. Continue the usual
operations of disbudding and thinning of fruit, and take care to keep
up the proper temperatures.

_Plant Houses._--Still sow tender annuals if required; also cinerarias
and primulas. Proceed with all necessary shiftings. Propagate rare and
fine plants by cuttings or grafting; increase bouvardias by cuttings,
and grow on for winter flowering. Pot off tender annuals, and cuttings
of half-hardy greenhouse plants put in during February to get them
well established for use in the flower garden. Transfer chrysanthemums
to sheltered positions out of doors, and provide means of protecting
them from frost and cutting winds.

_Flower Garden and Shrubbery._--Sow main or successional crops of
annuals of all sorts--half-hardy annuals in warm borders, or on slight
hotbeds. Biennials and perennials should be sown before the middle of
the month. Plant out gladioli, if not done, tigridias and fine stocks.
Finish the transplanting of herbaceous plants by the end of the first
week. Cuttings of border chrysanthemums may now be dibbled in a warm
spot out of doors. Protect stage auriculas and hyacinths from extremes
of every description of weather; and tulips from hoar-frosts and heavy
rains. Plant out tender deciduous trees and shrubs raised in pots;
plant out tea-roses, mulching the roots. Remove part of the coverings
of all tender shrubs and plants in the first week, and the remainder
at the end of the month. Form and repair lawns and grass walks by
laying turf and sowing perennial grass-seeds; mow the lawns
frequently; plant evergreens.

MAY

_Kitchen Garden._--Sow main crop of beet in the first week, small
salads every week, radishes and lettuces thrice, spinach once a
fortnight, carrots and onions for late drawing, kidney-beans in the
first week and together with scarlet runners in the last fortnight;
endive for an early crop; also peas and Longpod and Windsor beans,
cauliflowers, Early York or Little Pixie cabbages, Brussels sprouts,
borecole, broccoli, savoys and kale for late crops. Sow vegetable
marrows and hardy cucumbers on a warm border in the last week; sow
cardoons in trenches, or (in the north) in pots under glass shelter;
sow chicory for salading. Continue hoeing and earthing up the several
crops.

_Fruit Garden._--Disbud peaches, nectarines and other early trees
against the walls; also attend to the thinning of fruit. Give
occasional washings with the engine to keep down insects. Pick
caterpillars from gooseberries and wall trees on their first
appearance. Remove from raspberries and strawberries all suckers and
runners that are not wanted.

_Forcing._--Plant melons and cucumbers on the hotbeds prepared for
vegetables in February, and now free. Plant out vegetable marrows and
pumpkins on dung-ridges, under hand-glasses. Sow late crops of
cucumbers and melons.

_Plant Houses._--Turn out hardy plants about the middle, and the more
tender at the latter end of the month. Sow tender annuals for
succession, potting and shifting those sown at an earlier period; sow
cinerarias for succession; and a few hardy annuals and ten-week stock,
&c., for late crops. Pot off all rooted cuttings. Put in cuttings of
the different desirable species which are now fit for that purpose.
Plant out in rich soil Richardias, to be potted up in autumn for
flowering. Bedding plants should be placed to harden in sheltered
positions out of doors towards end of month. Towards the end of the
month many of the main stock of chrysanthemums will be ready for the
final potting.

_Flower Garden._--Sow annuals for succession in the last week, also
biennials and perennials in the nursery compartment, for planting out
next year. Propagate plants of which more stock is required either by
cuttings or by dividing the roots. Plant out, during the last week,
dahlias, hardy pelargoniums, stocks and calceolarias, protecting the
dahlias from slight frosts. By the end of the month, masses of the
following plants may be formed with safety in warm
localities:--pelargonium, heliotropium, fuchsia, petunia,
nierembergia, salvia, verbena, bouvardia and lobelia. Protect tulips,
ranunculuses and anemones from the mid-day sun, and from rains and
winds. Remove the coverings from all tender plants in the open air.

_Shrubbery._--Transplant all kinds of evergreens, this month and
September being the proper seasons. The rarer conifers should be
planted now and in June, after they have commenced to grow. Proceed
with the laying down of lawns and gravel-walks, and keep the former
regularly mown.

JUNE

_Kitchen Garden._--Sow kidney-beans for succession; also the wrinkled
marrow peas and Seville Longpod and Windsor beans for late crops. Sow
salading every ten days; also carrots, onions and radishes for drawing
young; and chicory for salads; sow endive for a full crop. In the
first week sow Early Munich and Golden Ball turnips for succession,
and in the third week for a full autumn crop. Sow scarlet and white
runner beans for a late crop, and cabbages for coleworts. Make up
successional mushroom beds early in the month. Plant full crops of
broccoli, Brussels sprouts, savoys, kales, leeks and early celery,
with successional crops of cabbage and cauliflower. In the first
fortnight of the month, plant hardy cucumbers for pickling, in a warm
border, placing hand-glasses over them towards the end of the month.
Plant out capsicums and tomatoes in sunny positions, and stake and tie
securely. Pull and store winter onions, if ripe.

_Fruit Garden._--Train and prune the summer shoots of wall and trellis
and other trained trees. Mulch and water fruit trees and strawberries
in dry weather, desisting when the fruit begins to ripen. Net over
cherry-trees. Destroy aphides and other insects by syringing with
tobacco water, or by fumigating, or by dusting with tobacco powder.

_Forcing._--Proceed with planting melons, cucumbers and tomatoes. Keep
up the necessary temperatures for the ripening of the various fruits.
Ventilation will still require constant care. Tomatoes will now be
fruiting freely; thin out judiciously, avoiding excessive pruning at
one time. Attend to the gathering of fruit as it ripens.

_Plant Houses._--These will now be occupied with tender greenhouse
plants and annuals, and the more hardy plants from the stove. Shift,
repot and propagate all plants that are desirable. Sow fragrant or
showy annuals to flower in pots during winter; and grow on a set of
decorative plants for the same object. Continue the final potting of
chrysanthemums as the plants become ready.

_Flower Garden._--Plant out dahlias and other tender subjects, if risk
of frost is past. Take up bulbs and tuberous roots and dry them in the
shade before removing them to the store-room. Fill up with annuals and
greenhouse plants those beds from which the bulbs and roots have been
raised. After this season, keep always a reserve of annuals in pots,
or planted on beds of thin layers of fibrous matter, so as to be
readily transplanted. Layer carnations and pipe pinks in the end of
the month. Keep the lawns closely mown.

JULY

_Kitchen Garden._--Watering will be necessary in each department, if
the weather is hot and dry. In the first week, sow peas for the last
crop of the season; also Longpod beans and French beans. In the last
week, sow red globe or Chirk Castle turnip for a full winter crop,
spinach for an early winter supply and Enfield Market cabbage for
early summer use. Sow endive, for autumn and winter use, in the
beginning and end of the month; also successional crops of lettuce and
small salads. Make up successional mushroom beds. Plant full crops of
celery, celeriac, endive about the middle and end of the month; late
crops of broccoli, cauliflower and coleworts in the last week. Gather
and dry herbs; also propagate these by slips and cuttings.

_Fruit Garden._--Continue the pruning and training of wall and
espalier trees, and the destruction of noxious insects. Pot
strawberries for forcing next winter, and make new beds out of doors
as soon as well-rooted runners can be obtained. Propagate the
different sorts of stone fruit trees by budding on other trees or on
prepared stocks. Gather fruits of all kinds as they ripen.

_Forcing._--Prune melons and cucumbers, giving air and water and
maintaining heat, &c. Continue the routine treatment in the
tomato-houses. Feed the plants artificially as soon as good crops are
set; do not wait for signs of distress. The forcing-houses ought to
have abundance of fresh air and moisture where required, along with
the necessary heat.

_Plant Houses._--Ventilation will be necessary to keep down excessive
heat; and attention must be paid to potting, shifting and putting in
cuttings, and giving abundance of water to the potted plants, both
indoors and out. Sow seed of herbaceous calceolarias; shift heaths, if
they require it; cut down pelargoniums past flowering, and plant the
cuttings.

_Flower Garden and Shrubbery._--Take up the remaining tuberous roots,
such as anemones, ranunculuses, &c., by the end of the first week;
fill up their places, and any vacancies that may have occurred, with
annuals or bedding plants from the reserve ground. Repot auriculas,
and sow auricula seed in boxes under glass. Propagate herbaceous and
other plants that have gone out of flower, by means of cuttings and
slips, especially those required for spring bedding; propagate also
the various summer bedding plants increased by cuttings. Increase
roses and American shrubs, by layering, budding or cuttings, and go on
with the layering of carnations and picotees. Stake and tie up dahlias
and strong herbaceous plants.

AUGUST

_Kitchen Garden._--Sow winter and spring spinach in the beginning and
about the end of the month; parsley and winter onions, for a full
crop, in the first week; cabbages about the middle of the month, for
planting out in spring; cauliflower in the first half (Scotland) and
in the second half (England) of the month; Hardy Hammersmith and Brown
Cos lettuce in the first and last week; small salads occasionally; and
Black Spanish radish, for winter crops. Plant out kales and broccoli
for late crops; plant celery (earthing up the advancing crops as
required), endive for succession, and a few coleworts. Take up
shallots, garlic, &c.

_Fruit Garden._--Proceed in training and regulating the summer shoots
of all fruit trees as directed for the last three months. Net up, in
dry weather, gooseberry and currant bushes, to preserve the fruit till
late in the autumn. Make new strawberry beds if required. Preserve the
ripening fruits on the wall and other trees from insects, and destroy
wasp nests. Gather fruits as they ripen.

_Forcing._--The routine of cultivation in hotbeds and pits may be
continued. Sow tomatoes and cucumbers for a winter crop. Make up
mushroom beds. In the forcing-houses, where the crops are past, part
of the sashes may be removed, so as to permit thorough ventilation.

_Plant Houses._--Attend to the propagation of all sorts of greenhouse
plants by cuttings, and to the replacing in the greenhouse and stoves
the more tender species, by the end of the month in ordinary seasons,
but in wet weather in the second week. Sow half-hardy annuals, as
Nemophila, Collinsia, Schizanthus, Rhodanthe, &c., to flower during
winter.

_Flower Garden and Shrubbery._--Sow in the second and the last week,
on a warm border of a light sandy soil, with an east aspect, any
free-flowering hardy annuals as _Silene pendula_, Nemophila, &c., for
planting in spring; and auricula and primula seeds in pots and boxes.
Propagate, all sorts of herbaceous plants by rooted slips or suckers;
take off layers of carnations, picotees and pansies. Plant cuttings of
bedding plants, and of bedding pelargoniums in boxes for convenience
of removal. Layer the tops of chrysanthemums, to obtain dwarf
flowering plants. Transplant evergreens in moist weather, about the
end of the month; and propagate them by layers and cuttings. Pot
Neapolitan violets for forcing; or plant out on a mild hotbed. Clip
box edgings.

SEPTEMBER

_Kitchen Garden._--Sow small salading for late crops; and lettuce and
spinach, if not done last month, for spring crops. Plant endive and
lettuce at the foot of a south wall to stand the winter; plant out
cabbages from the chief autumn sowing. Plant cauliflowers on a warm
border in spaces such as can be protected by hand-lights. Thin the
winter spinach, when large enough, that it may have space to grow. If
broccoli be too rank or tall to withstand the winter, lift and lay
nearly up to the neck in the earth, the heads sloping towards the
north. Lift onions, and lay them out to ripen on a dry border or
gravel-walk. Lift potatoes and store them.

_Fruit Garden._--Finish the summer pruning and training. Where the
walls are heated, assist the maturing of peaches and nectarines, and
the ripening of the young wood for next year, by fires during the day.
Gather and lay up in the fruit-room with care the autumnal sorts of
apples and pears. Prepare borders and stations for fruit trees during
dry weather. Plant strawberries for a main crop. Repot orchard-house
trees, disrooting if necessary.

_Forcing._--Take care that late melons, cucumbers and tomatoes be not
injured by getting too much water and too little air. Sow a few kidney
beans for an early forced crop. Expel damp, and assist the ripening of
late grapes and peaches with fires during the day. Prune early vines
and peaches.

_Plant Houses._--The various pot plants should now be put in their
winter quarters. Keep up moderate temperatures in the stove, and
merely repel frosts in the greenhouse, guarding against damp, by
ventilation and by the cautious use of water. Pot hyacinths, tulips
and other bulbs for forcing; and propagate half-hardy plants by
cuttings. Begin the housing of the main stock of chrysanthemums.

_Flower Garden, &c._--Sow in the beginning of this month all
half-hardy annuals required for early flowering; also mignonette in
pots, thinning the plants at an early stage; the different species of
primula; and the seeds of such plants as, if sown in spring, seldom
come up the same season, but if sown in September and October,
vegetate readily the succeeding spring. Put in cuttings of bedding
pelargoniums in boxes, which may stand outdoors exposed to the sun,
but should be sheltered from excessive rains. Continue the propagation
of herbaceous plants, taking off the layers of carnations, picotees,
pansies and chrysanthemums, by the end of the month; choice
carnations and picotees may be potted and wintered in cold frames if
the season is wet and ungenial. Plant evergreens; lay and put in
cuttings of most of the hard-wooded sorts of shrubby plants.

OCTOBER

_Kitchen Garden._--Sow small salading and radishes in the first week,
and lettuces in frames on a shallow hotbed for planting out in spring.
If the winter prove mild they will be somewhat earlier than those sown
next month or in January. Plant parsley in pots or boxes to protect
under glass in case very severe weather occurs. Plant cabbages in beds
or close rows till wanted in spring; and cauliflowers in the last
week, to receive the protection of frames, or a sheltered situation.
Store potatoes, beet, salsafy, scorzonera, skirret, carrots and
parsnips, by the end of the month. Band and earth up cardoons.

_Fruit Garden._--Such fruit trees as have dropped their leaves may be
transplanted; this is the best season for transplanting (though with
care it may be done earlier), whether the leaves have fallen or not.
Protect fig-trees, if the weather proves frosty, as soon as they have
cast their leaves. Plant out raspberries. The orchard-house trees
should be got under glass before the end of the month. Gather and
store all sorts of apples and pears, the longest-keeping sorts not
before the end of the month, if the weather be mild.

_Forcing._--Maintain the heat in hotbeds and pits by means of fresh
dung linings. Give abundance of air in mild bright weather. Dress
vines and peaches. Clean and repair the forcing-houses, and overhaul
the heating apparatus to see it is in good working condition. Plant
chicory in boxes or on hotbeds for blanching. Sow kidney beans. Make
up successional winter mushroom beds.

_Plant Houses._--Replace all sorts of greenhouse plants. Fill the pits
with pots of stocks, mignonette and hardy annuals for planting out in
spring, along with many of the hardy sorts of greenhouse plants; the
whole ought to be thoroughly ventilated, except in frosty weather.
From this time till spring keep succulent plants almost without water.
Begin to force roses, hyacinths and a few other bulbs, for winter and
early spring decoration. Plant hyacinths in glasses for windows. The
last of the pot chrysanthemums should be housed by the end of the
first week.

_Flower Garden._--Sow a few pots of hardy annuals in a frame, or on a
sheltered border, for successional spring use if required. Plant the
greater part of the common border bulbs, as hyacinths, narcissi,
crocuses and early tulips, about the end of the month, with a few
anemones for early flowering. Transplant strong plants of biennials
and perennials to their final situations; also the select plants used
for spring bedding. Protect alpine plants, stage auriculas, and choice
carnations and picotees with glass frames; and tea roses and other
tender plants with bracken or other protective material. Take up, dry
and store dahlias and all tender tubers at the end of the month; pot
lobelias and similar half-hardy plants from the open borders.
Transplant all sorts of hardy evergreens and shrubs, especially in dry
soils, giving abundance of water. Put in cuttings of all sorts of
evergreens, &c. Plant out the hardier sorts of roses.

NOVEMBER

_Kitchen Garden._---Trench up all vacant ground as soon as cleared of
its crops, leaving the surface as rough as possible. Sow early peas
and Early Dwarf Prolific beans in the second week, for an early crop;
also in frames for transplanting. Protect endive, celery, artichoke
and sea-kale with stable-litter or fern, or by planting the former in
frames; take up late cauliflower, early broccoli and lettuces, and
place them in sheltered pits or lay them in an open shed; earth up
celery; manure and dress up asparagus beds.

_Fruit Garden._--Plant all sorts of fruit trees in fine weather--the
earlier in the month the better. Protect fig-trees. Commence pruning
and nailing. Gather and store the latest apples and pears. Examine the
fruit-room and remove all decayed fruit.

_Forcing._--Keep up the requisite degree of heat in hotbeds and pits.
Cucumbers and tomatoes will require more than ordinary attention.
Force asparagus, rhubarb and sea-kale, in the mushroom-house, in pits,
or in the open border under boxes or cases surrounded and covered by
well-fermented stable dung and leaves. Sow Early Horn carrot; also
kidney beans and radishes, on hotbeds. In the forcing-houses prune and
train the trees; fork over and dress the borders of such houses as
have not been already done.

_Plant Houses._--The directions for the greenhouse and conservatory in
January apply also to this month generally. Continue the forcing of
roses, hyacinths, &c. Houses containing large-flowered Japanese
chrysanthemums will require to be kept dry, airy and moderately warm
to prevent "damping-off" of petals.

_Flower Garden, &c._--Plant dried tubers of border flowers, but the
finer sorts had better be deferred till spring. Plant tulips in the
early part of the month. Put in cuttings of bedding calceolarias,
choosing the shoots that will not run up to flower. Protect such
half-hardy plants as are not already sheltered. Plant deciduous trees
and shrubs so long as the weather continues favourable, and before the
soil has parted with the solar heat absorbed during summer. Dig and
dress such flower borders and shrubberies as may now be cleared of
annuals and the stems of herbaceous plants.

DECEMBER

_Kitchen Garden._--Collect and smother-burn all vegetable refuse, and
apply it as a dressing to the ground. Sow a few peas and beans, in
case of accident to those sown in November, drawing up the soil
towards the stems of those which are above ground as a protection;
earth up celery; blanch endive with flower-pots; sow radishes in a
very sheltered place. Attend to trenching and digging in dry weather.

_Fruit Garden._--Plant all sorts of fruit trees in mild weather.
Proceed with pruning and nailing wall-trees. Examine the fruit-room
every week, removing promptly all decaying fruit.

_Forcing._--The same degree of attention to hotbeds and pits will be
necessary as in the last month. Continue the forcing of asparagus,
rhubarb and sea-kale, in pits and in the mushroom-house. Proceed with
the usual routine of culture commenced last month. Make the necessary
preparations to begin forcing early or succession crops by the last
week of this or the first of next month.

_Plant Houses, Frames, &c._--Carnations and picotees in pots must be
kept rather dry to prevent damping off. Heaths and Australian plants
must be very sparingly watered, and kept with only fire heat enough to
repel frost. Cut down plants of chrysanthemums, which should be placed
in a cool pit, near the glass, in order to afford hard sturdy cuttings
in February. Shy plants should be given gentle bottom heat to induce
growth, which should be gently hardened by exposure under cooler
conditions.

_Flower Garden, &c._--Plant shrubs in open weather. Prune shrubs.
Sweep and roll the lawns, and put in repair the gravel-walks, keeping
the surface frequently rolled. (J. Ws.; W. R. W.)

(B) _For the United States (chiefly for the latitude of New York)._

JANUARY

_Flower Garden and Greenhouse._--Little is to be done in either. In
the greenhouse care must be used to protect against frost. Ventilate
but little, and with care; raise the ventilating sash only high enough
to let the heated air from the greenhouse drive back the outer air so
as not to chill the plants. To destroy the red spider, syringe the
plants copiously at night, and splash the paths with water. The aphis,
or "green fly," must also be destroyed; tobacco may be used. Various
new preparations are coming on the market for the destruction of
greenhouse pests. Several new effective preparations of tobacco have
been brought into use. The white-fly is now a common pest in
greenhouses, the nymphs being greenish scale-like objects on the under
sides of the leaves, and adults very small white flies. The remedy is
to spray with kerosene emulsion or whale-oil soap; or if on cucumbers
or tomatoes, it is best to fumigate with hydrocyanic acid gas, using
one ounce of potassium cyanide to each 1000 cubic ft. of space. (This
material is very poisonous.) Many greenhouse insects can be kept more
or less in check by careful and effective hosing of the plants at
proper times. At this season roses, grape vines and other plants are
often affected by mildew; an effectual remedy is to paint the
hot-water pipes with a mixture of sulphur and lime, put on as thick as
ordinary whitewash, once each week until it is checked; but care must
be taken not to apply it on any surface at a higher temperature than
212 deg. Hyacinths and other bulbs that have been kept in a cellar or
other dark cool place may now be brought into the light of the
greenhouse or sitting-room, provided they have filled the pots with
roots. If they are not well rooted, leave them until they are, or
select such of them as are best, leaving the others. In the outside
flower garden little can be done except that shrubs may be pruned, or
new work, such as making walks or grading, performed, if weather
permits. See that the ornamental plants and trees are not injured by
heavy weights of ice or snow.

_Fruit Garden._--Pruning, staking up or mulching can be done if the
weather is such that the workmen can stand out. In all warm or
comfortable days the fruit trees may be pruned.

_Grapery._--Graperies used for the forcing of foreign grapes may be
started, beginning at a temperature of 50 deg. at night, with 10 deg.
or 15 deg. higher during the day. The borders must be covered
sufficiently deep with leaves or manure to prevent the soil from
freezing, as it would be destruction to the vines to start the shoots
if the roots were frozen; hence, when forcing is begun in January, the
covering should be put on in November, before severe frosts begin.

_Vegetable Garden._--But little can be done in the northern states
except to prepare manure, and get sashes, tools, &c., in working
order; but in sections of the country where there is little or no
frost the hardier kinds of seeds and plants may be sown and planted,
such as asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, leek, lettuce, onion,
parsnip, peas, spinach, turnip, &c. In any section where these seeds
can be sown in open ground, it is an indication that hotbeds may be
started for the sowing of such tender vegetables as tomatoes, egg and
pepper plants, &c.; though, unless in the extreme southern states,
hotbeds should not be started before the beginning or middle of
February. Make orders for the spring seeds.

FEBRUARY

_Flower Garden and Greenhouse._--The directions for January will in
the main apply to this month, except that now some of the hardier
annuals may be sown in hotbed or greenhouse, and also the propagation
of plants by cuttings may be done rather better now than in January,
as the greater amount of light gives more vitality to the cutting.

_Fruit Garden._--But little can be done in most of the northern states
as yet, and in sections where there is no frost in the ground it is
likely to be too wet to work; but in many southern states this will be
the best month for planting fruit trees and plants of all kinds,
particularly strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, pear and apple
trees, while grape vines will do, though they will also do well quite
a month later. Continue the pruning. Fruit trees for spring planting
should be ordered, if not already done.

_Grapery._--The graperies started last month at 50 deg. at night may
now be increased to 60 deg., with a correspondingly higher day
temperature. Great care must be taken to syringe the leaves thoroughly
at least once a day, and to deluge the paths with water, so as to
produce a moist atmosphere. Paint the hot-water pipes with sulphur
mixture, as recommended in January.

_Vegetable Garden._--Leaves from the woods, house manure or refuse
hops from breweries may be got together towards the latter part of
this month, and mixed and turned to get "sweetened" preparatory to
forming hotbeds. Cabbage, lettuce and cauliflower seeds, if sown early
this month in hotbed or greenhouse, will make fine plants if
transplanted into hotbed in March. This is preferable to the use of
fall-sown plants. Manure that is to be used for the crop should be
broken up as fine as possible, for the more completely manure of any
kind can be mixed with the soil the better the crop will be, and, of
course, if it is dug or ploughed in in large unbroken lumps it cannot
be properly commingled.

MARCH

_Flower Garden and Greenhouse._--The long days and bright sunshine
will now begin to tell on the plants under glass. Examine all plants
that are vigorous and healthy; if the roots have matted the "ball" of
earth they must be shifted into a larger-sized pot. Plants from
cuttings struck last month may now be shifted, and the propagation of
all plants that are likely to be wanted should be continued. Hardier
kinds of annuals may be sown; it is best done in shallow boxes, say 2
in. deep.

_Lawns_ can be raked off and mulched with short manure, or rich garden
earth where manure cannot be obtained. Flower-beds on light soils may
be dug up so as to forward the work of the coming busy spring season.
Lawns may be benefited by a good dressing, in addition to the manure,
of some reliable commercial fertilizer. If the lawn is thin in spots,
these places may be raked over heavily and new grass seed sown.

_Fruit Garden._--In many sections, planting may now be done with
safety, provided the soil is light and dry, but not otherwise.
Although a tree or plant will receive no injury when its roots are
undisturbed in the soil should a frost come after planting, the same
amount of freezing will, and very often does, greatly injure the plant
if the roots are exposed.

_Grapery._--The grapery started in January will have set its fruit,
which should be thinned by one-third. The temperature may now be
further advanced to 70 deg. at night, with 15 deg. higher in the
daytime. The same precautions must be used against mildew and insects
as given in January. Graperies wanted for succession may be started in
February or this month.

_Vegetable Garden._--This is a busy month. In localities where the
frost is out of the ground, if it is not wet, seeds of the hardier
vegetables can be sown. The list of seeds given for the southern
states in January may now be used at the north, while for most of the
southern states tender vegetables, such as egg plant, okra, sweet
potatoes, melon, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, &c., may be sown and
planted. Hotbeds must now be all started. In March flower seeds and
vegetable seeds may be sown in boxes or flats in the greenhouse, or in
residence windows, or near the kitchen stove. Unless one has space
under glass, or in hotbeds, in which the plants may be transplanted
before they are set in the open ground, it is well not to start the
seeds too early, inasmuch as the plants are likely to become too large
or to be pot-bound, or to become drawn.

APRIL

_Flower Garden and Greenhouse._--Window and greenhouse plants require
more water and ventilation. Due attention must be paid to shifting
well-rooted plants into larger pots; and, if space is desired, many
kinds of hardier plants can be safely put out in cold frames. Towards
the end of the month it may be necessary slightly to shade the glass
of the greenhouse. All herbaceous plants and hardy shrubs may be
planted in the garden. The covering of leaves or litter should be
taken off bulbs and tender plants that were covered up for winter, so
that the beds can be lightly forked and raked. Sow tender annual
flower seeds in boxes inside.

_Fruit Garden._--Strawberries that have been covered up with straw or
leaves should be relieved around the plants, leaving the covering
between them. Special care must be exercised that the mulch be not
left on too long; the plants should not become whitened or "drawn."
Raspberries, grape vines, &c., that have been laid down may now be
uncovered and tied up to stakes or trellises, and all new plantations
of these and other fruits may now be made. Fruit trees may be grafted.

_Vegetable Garden._--Asparagus, rhubarb, spinach, &c., should be
uncovered., and the beds hoed or dug lightly. Hardier sorts of
vegetable seeds and plants, such as beets, cabbage, cauliflower,
celery, lettuce, onions, parsley, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radishes,
spinach, turnip, &c., should all be sown or planted by the middle of
the month if the soil is dry and warm, and in all cases, where
practicable, before the end of the month. It is essential, in sowing
seeds now, that they be well firmed in the soil. Any who expect to get
early cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce or radishes, while planting or
sowing is delayed until the time of sowing tomato and egg plant in
May, are sure to be disappointed of a full crop. Frequent rotation of
crops should be practised in the vegetable garden, in order to head
off insects and diseases; and also to make the best use of the land.
Every three or four years the vegetable garden should be laid out in
some new place; but if this cannot be done, the crops should be
rotated on different parts of the old garden.

MAY

_Flower Garden and Greenhouse._--Window and greenhouse plants should
be in their finest bloom. Firing may be entirely dispensed with,
though care must still be exercised in ventilating. If weather is cold
and backward, however, and in very northern regions, care must be
taken not to stop firing too soon, or the plants will mildew and
become stunted. Every precaution must be used to keep the air moist.
"Moss culture" may be tried, the common sphagnum or moss of the
swamps, mixed with one-twentieth of its bulk of bone-dust, being laid
as a mulch on the top of the earth of the flower-pots; its effect is
to shield the pots from the sun, and at the same time stimulate the
roots to come to the surface. By the end of the month all of the
plants that are wanted for the summer decoration of the flower border
may be planted out, first loosening a little the ball of earth at the
roots. If the weather is dry, water freely after planting. When the
greenhouse is not to be used during the summer months, camellias,
azaleas and plants of that character should be set out of doors under
partial shade; but most of the other plants usually grown in the
conservatory or window garden in winter may be set in the open border.
Flower-beds should be kept well hoed, and raked, to prevent the growth
of weeds next month.

Pelargoniums, pinks, monthly roses and all the half-hardy kinds of
flowering plants should be planted early, but coleus, heliotrope and
the more tender plants should be delayed until the end of the month.
Annuals that have been sown in the greenhouse or hotbed may be planted
out, and seeds of such sorts as mignonette, sweet alyssum, Phlox
Drummondii, portulaca, &c., may be sown in the beds or borders. The
china aster is now one of the most popular of summer and fall plants.
The seed may be sown in the north as late as the middle of May, or
even the first of June, with good results for fall blooming. If the
plants are started early in the greenhouse, they are likely to spend
themselves before fall, and therefore a later sowing should be
provided.

_Lawns_ should be mown, and the edgings trimmed.

_Fruit Garden._--The hay or leaf mulching on the strawberry beds
should be removed and the ground deeply hoed (if not removed in April
in the more forward places), after which it may be placed on again to
keep the fruit clean and the ground from drying. Where it has not been
convenient before, most of the smaller fruits may yet be planted
during the first part of the month. Tobacco dust will dislodge most of
the numerous kinds of slugs, caterpillars or worms that make their
appearance on the young shoots of vines or trees. Fruit trees may be
planted this month, if they were not planted in March or April. If
they have been kept fresh and dormant, they should still be in good
condition. The broken roots should be cut back to fresh wood, and the
tops should be headed back in proportion.

_Vegetable Garden._--Attention should be given to new sowings and
plantings for succession. Crops sown last month will have to be
thinned out if large enough. Hoe deeply all transplanted crops, such
as cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, &c. Tender vegetables, such as
tomatoes, egg and pepper plants, sweet potatoes, &c., can be planted
out. Seeds of Lima beans, sweet corn, melon, okra, cucumbers, &c.,
should be sown; and sow for succession peas, spinach, lettuce, beans,
radishes, &c., every ten days.

JUNE

_Flower Garden and Greenhouse._--Tropical plants can now be used to
fill up the greenhouse during the summer months. It should be well
shaded, and fine specimens of fancy caladiums, dracaenas, coleus,
crotons, palms, ferns and such plants as are grown for the beauty of
their foliage, will make a very attractive show. If these cannot be
had, common geraniums may be used. The "moss culture" will be found
particularly valuable for these plants. Hyacinths, tulips and other
spring bulbs may be dug up, dried and placed away for next fall's
planting, and their places filled with bedding plants, such as coleus,
achyranthes, pelargoniums, and the various white and coloured leaf
plants. It will be necessary to mow the lawn once a week, and
sometimes oftener.

_Fruit Garden._--The small fruits should be mulched about the roots,
if this has not yet been done. If the fruit garden is large enough to
admit of horse culture, it is best to keep the bush-fruits well
cultivated during the season; this tillage conserves the moisture and
helps to make a full and plump crop of berries. In small areas the
mulching system is sometimes preferable.

_Vegetable Garden._--Beets, beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, lettuce,
peas and radishes may be sown for succession. This is usually a busy
month, as many crops have to be gathered, and, if hoeing is not
promptly seen to, weeds are certain to give great trouble. Tomatoes
should be tied up to trellises or stakes if fine-flavoured and
handsome fruit is desired, for if left to ripen on the ground they are
apt to have a gross earthy flavour.

JULY

_Flower Garden and Greenhouse._--Watering, ventilating and fumigating
(or the use of tobacco in other forms for destruction of aphides) must
be attended to. The atmosphere of the greenhouse must be kept moist.
Watch the plants that have been plunged out of doors, and see if any
require repotting. All plants that require staking, such as dahlias,
roses, gladioli and many herbaceous plants, should now be looked to.
Carnations and other plants that are throwing up flower stems, if
wanted to flower in winter, should be cut back, that is, the flower
stems should be cut off to say 5 in. from the ground.

_Fruit Garden._--If grape vines show any signs of mildew, dust them
over with dry sulphur, selecting a still warm day. The fruit having
now been gathered from strawberry plants, if new beds are to be
formed, the system of layering the plants in small pots is the best.
In general, field strawberries are not grown from potted layers, but
from good strong layers that strike naturally in the field. In the
north, spring planting of strawberries is generally advised for market
conditions; although planting in early fall or late summer is
successful when the ground is well prepared and when it does not
suffer from drought. Where apples, pears, peaches, grapes, &c., have
set fruit thickly, thin out at least one-half to two-thirds of the
young fruit.

_Vegetable Garden._--The first ten days of this month will yet be time
enough to sow sweet corn, beets, lettuce, beans, cucumbers and
ruta-baga turnips. Such vegetables as cabbage, cauliflower, celery,
&c., wanted for fall or winter use, are best planted this month,
though in some sections they will do later. Keep sweet potatoes hoed
to prevent the vines rooting at the joints.

AUGUST

_Flower Garden and Greenhouse._--But little deviation is required in
these departments from the instructions for July. See that sufficient
water is applied; the walks may be wet in the houses.

_Fruit Garden._--Strawberries that have fruited will now be making
"runners," or young plants. These should be kept cut off close to the
old plant, so that the full force of the root is expended in making
the "crowns" or fruit buds for next season's crop. If plants are
required for new beds, only the required number should be allowed to
grow, and these may be layered in pots as recommended in July. The old
stems of raspberries and blackberries that have borne fruit should be
cut away, and the young shoots thinned to three or four canes to each
hill or plant. If tied to stakes and topped when 4 or 5 ft. high, they
will form three or four branches on a cane, and will make stronger
fruiting plants for next year.

_Vegetable Garden._--Hoe deeply such crops as cabbage, cauliflower and
celery. The earthing up of celery this month is not to be recommended,
unless a little very early supply is wanted. Onions in many sections
can be harvested. The proper condition is when the tops are turning
yellow and falling down. They are dried best by placing them in a dry
shed in thin layers. Sow spinach for fall use, but not yet for the
winter crop. Red top, white globe, and yellow Aberdeen turnips should
now be sown; ruta-baga turnips sown last month will need thinning, and
in extreme southern states they may yet be sown.

SEPTEMBER

_Flower Garden and Greenhouse._--The flower-beds in the lawn should be
at their best. If planted in "ribbon lines" or "massing," strict
attention must be given to pinching off the tops, so that the lines or
masses will present an even surface. Tender plants will require to be
put in the greenhouse or housed in some way towards the end of this
month; but be careful to keep them as cool as possible during the day.
Cuttings of bedding plants may now be made freely if wanted for next
season, as young cuttings rooted in the fall make better plants for
next spring's use than old plants, in the case of such soft-wooded
plants as pelargoniums, fuchsias, verbenas, heliotropes, &c.; with
roses and plants of a woody nature, however, the old plants usually do
best. Dutch bulbs, such as hyacinths, tulips, crocus, &c., and most of
the varieties of lilies, may be planted. Violets that are wanted for
winter flowering will now be growing freely, and the runners should be
trimmed off. Sow seeds of sweet alyssum, candytuft, daisies,
mignonette, pansies, &c. Visit the roadsides and woods for interesting
plants to put in the hardy borders.

_Fruit Garden._--Strawberry plants that have been layered in pots may
yet be planted, or in southern districts the ordinary ground layers
may be planted. The sooner in the month both are planted the better
crop they will give next season; and, as these plants soon make
runners, it will be necessary to trim them off. Attend to raspberries
and blackberries as advised for last month, if they have not already
been attended to. All fruit trees should be gone over for borers
before cold weather sets in; they also should have been gone over for
the same purpose in May and June.