the trees. The application of oily or resinous substances to the stems or branches of fruit trees ought to be at all times carefully avoided.

Keep up a succession of Roseberry Strawberries in the forcing-house; and, towards the end of the month, Keens' Seedling will be a proper sort to be made use of for a succession from this time till the end of the forcing season.

Look over the fruit room, and pick out all decayed fruit.

March.

Finish planting of all sorts of fruit trees and bushes, and mulch newly planted trees with rotten or halfrotten dung.

Plant out Strawberries, as directed under that head. The pruning of fruit trees must be completed as early in this month as possible, if it has not been done already, except the Fig, which must be deferred till the next month.

Grafting of all sorts of Apples, Pears, Plums, and Cherries, must be performed this month.

Thin out early Grapes in the stove and forcing-house; and continue to force Keen's Seedling Strawberries for succession crops to those of the last month.

Look over the fruit in the fruit room, picking out all which are unsound; and should the house be damp, give air in a dry day for a few hours, but shut up again close towards night. If straw has been used for a covering to the fruit, and has become damp, or contracted any unpleasant smell, it must be removed, and sweet dry straw supplied in its room.

April.

Prune and train Figs, as directed under that head. In very bleak situations, the blossoms of Peaches and

Nectarines should be protected, in the manner directed for the Apricot in February; in sheltered situations, where the trees have ripened perfectly their last year's wood, they do not require protection, unless the weather should prove very severe. Should insects appear on the young leaves, let them be dusted over with flour of sulphur; but do not attempt to wash them with the engine till the blossoming season is over and the fruit

set.

Plant out Strawberries, if the plantations have not been completed previously. If Alpine Strawberries have been raised from seed in the hot-bed, the young plants may be pricked out on a warm border, under hand-glasses, or in pans or boxes under a frame, till they are fit to plant out finally where they are to remain.

Thin out Grapes in the stove or forcing-house, and suspend by strings the shoulders of those bunches which require it.

May.

Thin out the young fruit of Apricots, leaving double the quantity intended for the crop.

Disbud all sorts of fruit trees against walls, except Figs, from fore-right and side shoots which are not required, and, where long enough, train the rest to the wall.

Espalier trees must be looked over in the same

manner.

All curled and blistered leaves of Peaches and Nectarines should be picked off and burnt, without suffering them to fall on the ground, and the trees washed over with the engine after the middle of the day, but not so late as to prevent the trees getting dry before sun-set. If the trees are much infested with insects, and mildew

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appear, dust the young shoots and leaves with flour of sulphur.

Strawberry beds should now be covered between the plants with short grass or straw, in order to keep the surface moist, and the fruit from being soiled by heavy rains.

Thin Grapes in the stove, forcing-house, or vinery.

June.

The young trees which have been grafted should be looked over from time to time, to see that they are not cut by the mat with which the scion was tied; should there be any appearance of this, the bandage must be removed, and the plant tied again at the shoulder. These operations will be found in detail under the different heads of fruit, where their propagation is treated of.

Look over the different sorts of wall-trees and espaliers, removing the superfluous shoots, and training the others, as directed under the different heads of Pruning and Training.

Thin wall-fruit as directed under their different heads also. Apricots may be thinned for the last time, as most of the sorts will have hardened their stones by this time.

Vines must be looked over, their tendrils cut off as they make their appearance, and the lateral shoots shortened to two joints; which see, under the head of Pruning and Training of VINES.

July.

In the beginning of this month, thin finally the laterripening Apricots, and early Peaches and Nectarines, following up with those which ripen in succession.

Wall trees and espaliers must be looked over, and

divested of their superfluous wood, and the rest trained regularly and neatly at length.

Vines must be looked over, their tendrils taken off, the laterals shortened to one joint, if the upper bud has pushed since the last month long enough to require this to be done. The shoots which have produced fruit must be shortened to two joints above the uppermost bunch, keeping those closely trained to the wall.

Runners of all the sorts of Strawberries should now be taken off, and the young plants bedded out, in order to have them strong and well-rooted previously to their being finally planted out in the autumn. Should the weather prove dry, they must be well watered till they have taken root.

August.

At the commencement of this month, such Apple trees as were washed over in the month of February, in order to destroy the white mealy insect, should be carefully examined now; and where the insect again makes its appearance, those parts must be washed over with the composition as before. After this dressing, the trees will, in all probability, continue without experiencing any further injury. It will still be necessary to look them over again in February or March, in case they should be assailed again by a flight of these depredators from some neighbouring tree.

Continue to keep all sorts of wall trees nailed close to the wall, in order to the better ripening of their wood, and a due admission of light to their fruit. Large and perfectly ripened fruit can never be obtained where the trees are kept in a loose and slovenly state.

Thin out Grapes, and such sorts of Pears as are intended to be grown to the very largest size.

Keep all the lateral shoots of Vines to one joint; and

where these have grown again, they must be shortened back as before.

Runners of all the sorts of Strawberries must now be taken off and bedded out, if this has not been done already; and where grass or straw has been made use of to cover the old beds and to protect the fruit, these should be removed, and the ground cleaned by the hoe.

Cut down all the last year's canes of such Raspberries as have ripened their fruit. This will cause the young canes to grow stronger, ripen better, and be productive of finer and much better fruit than if left, according to the usual custom, till the plants are pruned in the winter or spring. See Cultivation of RASPBERRIES.

Budding must be performed this month, beginning with Cherries, Apricots, or Plums, and continuing with Peaches, Nectarines, Pears, and Apples; but the rotation of these must be determined by an examination of the state of the young wood of the sorts to be budded, as it is necessary the young shoots should be sufficiently ripened to ensure success in the operation.

September.

Continue to nail up all fruit trees close to the wall, in order that the young wood may be properly ripened.

Towards the middle of this month, cut off close to the principal shoot all such lateral side-shoots of the Vine as were before shortened back to one joint, as the principal eyes now will not push out any new shoots : this will give the plants air and light, and materially assist in ripening both their wood and fruit.

Protect the Grapes from wasps and the large blue flies, by putting the bunches in thin gauze bags. In some seasons, particularly in hot and dry summers, wasps and flies are so numerous that they attack every description of fruit as it becomes ripe. They may be destroyed very readily by hanging up bottles on differ