Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/302

290 290 HORTICULTURE [CALENDAR. YIIL CALENDAR OF GARDEN OPERATIONS FOR GREAT BRITAIN. 1 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 Dilli- stone s Early, Alpha, or other first-crop peas, early in the month, and William I. and Advancer 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&quot; and Brown Dutch 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. AVash trees infested with insects, with a mixture of soap-suds, black sulphur, and tobacco water, or with Gishurst Compound. 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 ; celery to be pricked out for an early crop ; and Early Horn carrot and kidney-beans on slight hotbeds. Force asparagus&quot;, sea-kale, and rhubarb, in hotbeds, in pits, in the mushroom-house, or in the open garden by the use of covers sur rounded with warm litter. For pines keep up a bottom heat of 80, and water sparingly ; for cucumbers a top heat of 75 ; for vines in leaf and flower a temperature ranging from 65 to 75. 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, conserva tory, 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, &c. , should be kept up by forcing. Flower Garden. Plant out tubers and bulbs ot 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 L, Advancer, Criterion, and 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 Bound-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 for seed, if not done before, all the brassica tribe, including cabbage, cauliflower, turnip, &c. ; also carrots, onions, beet, celery, endive, leeks, and parsnips. 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 ; cauli flower 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. Pine-apple plants require little water ; plants in dung-frames especially should be kept free from damp ; shift the fruiting plants by the middle of the month, if not done in August. 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. Pot young plants of amaryllis, and start the established ones. 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. Floicer Garden. In dry open weather plant dried roots, includ ing 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 subse quent transplanting. MARCH. Kitchen Garden^ Sow main crops of wrinkled marrow peas ; Longpod and Windsor beans ; Nonpareil or St John s day cabbages ; onions, leeks, Early Horn carrots, parsnips, salsafy, scorzonera, Brussels sprouts, borecoles, lettuces, and spinach. In the begin ning 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, chervil, coriander, dill, fennel, finochio, hyssop, marigold, savory ; also sea-kale, radishes, celery, celeriac, and most of the culinary aromatics, as parsfcy. Small salads should be sown CALENDAR FOR THE UNITED STATES (chiefly for the Latitude of New York). 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. FEBRUARY. 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 &quot;green fly,&quot; must also be destroyed ; tobacco may be used. At this season roses, grape vines, and other plants are often atf ected 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. 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 weather is such that the workmen can stand out. No plant is injured by being pruned in cold weather. Grapery. Graperies used for the forcing of foreign grapes may be started, beginning at a temperature of 50 at night, with 10 or 15 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 Btart 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 indica- 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, rasp berries, blackberries, pear and apple trees, while grape vines will do, though they will also do well quite a month later. Grapery. The graperies started last month at 5(T at night may now be increased to 60, 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 &quot; sweetened &quot; 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&quot; 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 &quot; ball &quot; of earth they tiuu that hotbeds may be started for the sowing of such tender vegetables as | must be shifted into a larger-sized pot. Plants from cuttings struck last