GLASS MANUFACTURED IN ENGLAND A.D. 1457. 77 235. JUNE. FLOWERS OF THE Plant out seedling pinks. Sow onions MONTH.-Water-lily and Honeysuckle. for spring plantation, carrots, spinach, 236. GARDENING OPERATIONS. and Spanish radishes in warm spots. Sow giant stocks to flower next spring. Slip myrtles to strike, and lay pinks, carnations, roses, and evergreens. Plant annuals in borders, and auriculas in shady places. Sow kidney beans, pumpkins, cucumbers for pickling, and (late in the month) endive and lettuces. Plant out cucumbers, marrows, leeks, celery, brocoli, cauliflowers, savoys, and seedlings, and plants propagated by slips. Earth up potatoes, &c. Cut herbs for drying when in flower. 237. JULY. FLOWERS OF THE MONTH.-Rose and Carnation. Earth up celery. House potatoes and edible bulbs. Gather pickling cucumbers. Make tulip and mushroom beds. 243. OCTOBER.-FLOWERS OF THE MONTH.-China-aster, Holly, and Ivy. 244. GARDENING OPERATIONS. Sow rose-tree seeds and fruit stones, also larkspurs and the hardier annuals to stand the winter, also hyacinths and smooth bulbs in pots and glasses. Plant young trees, cuttings of jasmine, honeysuckle, and evergreens. Sow mignonette for pots in winter. Plant cabbages, &c., for spring. Cut down asparagus, separate roots of daisies, irises, &c. Trench, drain, and manure. 238. GARDENING OPERATIONS. Part auricula and polyanthus roots. Take up summer bulbs as they go out 245. NOVEMBER.-FLOWERS OF THE of flower, and plant saffron crocus and MONTH.-Laurestine and Wych Hazel. autumn bulbs. Gather seeds. Clip 246. GARDENING OPERATIONS. evergreen borders and hedges, strike Sow sweet peas for an early crop. Take myrtle slips under glasses. Net fruit up dahlia roots. Complete beds for trees. Finish budding by the end of asparagus and artichokes. Plant dried the month. Head down espaliers. Sow roots of border flowers, daisies, &c. early dwarf cabbages to plant out in Take potted mignonette indoors. Set October for spring; also endive, onions, strawberries. kidney beans for late crop, and turnips. and radishes. Plant celery, endive, lettuces, cabbages, Prune hardy leeks, strawberries, and cauliflowers. Stick peas. Tie up salads. Earth celery. Take up onions, &c., for drying. 239. AUGUST.-FLOWERS OF THE MONTH.-Harebell and Mallow. 240. GARDENING OPERATIONS. Sow flowers to bloom indoors in winter, and pot all young stocks raised in the greenhouse. Sow early red cabbages, cauliflowers for spring and summer use, cos and cabbage lettuce for winter crop. Plant out winter crops. Dry herbs and mushroom spawn. Plant out strawberry roots, and net currant trees, to preserve the fruit through the winter. 241. SEPTEMBER.-FLOWERS OF THE MONTH.-Clematis, or Traveller's Joy, Arbutus, and Meadow Saffron. 242. GARDENING OPERATIONS. Plant crocuses, scaly bulbs, and evergreen shrubs. Propagate by layers and cuttings of all herbaceous plants, currant, gooseberry, and other fruit trees. Sow peas, leeks, beans, Plant rhubarb in rows. trees, and plant stocks of fruit trees. Store carrots, &c. Shelter from frost where it may be required. Plant shrubs for forcing. Continue to trench and manure vacant ground. 247. DECEMBER.-FLOWERS OF THE MONTH.-Cyclamen and Winter Aconite. (Holly berries are now available for floral decoration.) 248. GARDENING OPERATIONS. Continue in open weather to prepare vacant ground for spring, and to protect plants from frost. Cover bulbous roots with matting. Dress flower borders. Prepare forcing ground for cucumbers, and force asparagus and seakale. Plant gooseberry, currant, apple, and pear trees. Roll grass-plats if the season be mild and not too wet. Prepare poles, stakes, pea-sticks, &c., for spring. 78 PRINTING BROUGHT TO ENGLAND BY CAXTON A.D. 1471. to avail themselves of its assistance in 250. Artificial Mushroom aid of butcher's bills. It is, indeed, Beds.-Mushrooms may be grown in much to be regretted that small plots of pots, boxes, or hampers. Each box may ground, in the immediate vicinity of the be three feet long, one and a half metropolis more especially, are too often broad, and seven inches in depth. Let frittered away into shrubberies and baby each box be half filled with horse-dung gardens, when they might more use- from the stables (the fresher the better, fully be employed in raising vegetables and if wet, to be dried for three or four for the family, during the week-day days before it is put into the boxes); residence in town, than wasting their the dung is to be well beat down in the sweetness on the smoky air in all the box. After the second or third day, if pride of lilac, hollyhock, and bachelor's any heat has arisen amongst the dung, buttons, to be merely smelled to by the break each spawn brick into three parts whole immigrating household on the day as equally as possible, then lay the of rest. With a little care and attention, pieces about four inches apart upon the a kitchen garden, though small, might surface of the dung in the box; here be rendered not only useful, but, in they are to lie for six days, when it fact, as ornamental as a modern grass will probably be found that the side of carpet; and the same expense incurred the spawn next to the dung has begun to make the ground a labyrinth of to run in the dung below; then add sweets, might suffice to render it agree- one and a half inch more of fresh dung able to the palate as well as to the olfac- on the top of the spawn in the box, and tory nerves, and that even without beat it down as formerly. In the offending the most delicate optics. It course of a fortnight, when you find is only in accordance with our plan to that the spawn has run through the give the hint, and to record such novel dung, the box will be ready to receive points as may facilitate the proposed the mould on the top; this mould must arrangement. It is one objection to the be two and a half inches deep, well adoption of a kitchen garden in front of beat down, and the surface made quite the dwelling, or in sight of the family even. In the space of five or six weeks apartments, that its very nature makes the mushrooms will begin to come up; it rather an eyesore than otherwise at if then the mould seems dry, give a all seasons. This, however, is an objec- gentle watering with lukewarm water. tion that may be readily got over by a The box will continue to produce from little attention to neatness and good six weeks to two months, if duly order, whilst the plants themselves, if attended to by giving a little water judiciously attended to, and the bor- when dry, for they need neither light ders sown or planted with ranunculus, nor free air. If cut as button mushpolyanthus, mignonette, &c., in suc- rooms each box will yield from twentycession, will really be ornamental; but four to forty-eight pints, according to then, in cutting the plants for use, the the season and other circumstances. business must be done neatly-all use- They may be kept in dry dark cellars, or less leaves cleared from the ground, the any other places where the frost will roots no longer wanted taken up, and not reach them. And by preparing in the ravages of insects must be guarded succession of boxes, mushrooms may against by sedulous extirpation. It be had all the year through.-They will also be found a great improvement, may be grown without the dung, and where space will admit of it, to surround be of a finer flavour. Take a little the beds with neat espaliers, with fruit straw, and lay it carefully in the trees, or even gooseberry and currant bottom of the mushroom-box, about bushes, trained along them, instead of an inch thick, or rather more. Then these being suffered to grow in a state take some of the spawn bricks and of ragged wildness. break them down-each brick into about TOBACCO BROUGHT TO ENGLAND FROM VIRGINIA A.D. 1583. ten pieces, and lay the fragments on the straw, as close to each other as they will lie. Cover them up with mould three and a half inches deep, and well pressed down. When the surface appears dry, give a little tepid water, as directed for the last way of raising them; but this method needs about double the quantity of water that the former does, owing to having no moisture in the bottom, while the other has the dung. The mushrooms will begin to start in a month or five weeks, sometimes sooner, sometimes later, according to the heat of the place where the boxes are situated. The spawn bricks may be obtained from seedsmen, or be collected from meadows. 251. Dwarf Plants. - Take a cutting of the plant you wish to dwarf —say a myrtle, for instance and having set it in a pot, wait until you are satisfied that it has taken root; then take a cutting from it, and place it in a miniature flower pot, taking care to fill it more than three parts with fine sand, the remainder with mould. Put it under a glass on the chimney-piece, or in any warm place, and give it very small quantities of water. 252. To clear Rose Trees from Blight. Take sulphur and tobacco dust in equal quantities, and strew it over the trees of a morning when the dew is on them. The insects will disappear in a few days. The trees should then be syringed with a decoction of elder leaves. 79 which they may retire from the burning heat of the sun. If you have none in your garden, it will be quite worth your while to search for them in your walks, and bring them home, taking care to handle them tenderly, for although they have neither the will nor the power to injure you, a very little rough treatment will injure them; no cucumber or melon frame should be without one or two.-Glenny's Gardening for Children. 255. Slugs and Snails are great enemies to every kind of garden plant, whether flower or vegetable; they wander in the night to feed, and return at daylight to their haunts: the shortest and surest direction is, "Rise early, catch them, and kill them." If you are an early riser, you may cut them off from their day retreats, or you may lay cabbage leaves about the ground, especially on the beds which they frequent. Every morning examine these leaves, and you will find a great many taking refuge beneath: if they plague you very much, search for their retreat, which you can find by their slimy track, and hunt there for them day by day; lime and salt are very annoying to snails and slugs; a pinch of salt kills them, and they will not touch fresh lime; it is a common practice to sprinkle lime over young crops, and along the edges of beds, about rows of peas and beans, lettuces and other vegetables; but when it has been on the ground some days, or has been moistened by rain, it loses its strength. 253. To prevent Mildew on all sorts of Trees.-The best preventive 256. Trap for Snails.-Snails are against mildew is to keep the plant sub-particularly fond of bran; if a little is ject to it occasionally syringed with a decoction of elder leaves, which will prevent the fungus growing on them. 254. Toads are among the best friends the gardener has; for they live almost exclusively on the most destructive kinds of vermin. Unsightly, therefore, though they may be, they should on all accounts be encouraged; they should never be touched nor molested in any way; on the contrary, places of shelter should be made for them, to spread on the ground, and covered over with a few cabbage-leaves or tiles, they will congregate under them in great numbers, and by examining them every morning, and destroying them, their numbers will be materially decreased. 257. Grubs on orchard trees, and gooseberry and currant bushes, will sometimes be sufficiently numerous to spoil a crop; but if a bonfire be made with dry sticks and weeds on the windward side of the orchard, so that 80 TELESCOPES INVENTED IN GERMANY A.D. 1590. the smoke may blow among the trees, you will destroy thousands; for the grubs have such an objection to smoke, that very little of it makes them roll themselves up and fall off: they must be swept up afterwards. 258. Caterpillars and Aphides. -A garden syringe or engine, with a cap on the pipe full of very minute holes, will wash away these disagreeable visitors very quickly. You must bring the pipe close to the plant, and pump hard, so as to have considerable force on, and the plant, however badly infested, will soon be cleared, without receiving any injury. Every time that you use the syringe or garden engine, you must immediately rake the earth under the trees, and kill the insects you have dislodged, or many will recover and climb up the stems of the plants. 259. Butterflies and Moths, however pretty, are the worst enemies one can have in a garden; a single insect of this kind may deposit eggs enough to overrun a tree with caterpillars, therefore they should be destroyed at any cost of trouble. The only moth that you must spare is the common black and red one; the grubs of this feed exclusively on groundsel, and are therefore a valuable ally of the gardener. 260. Wasps destroy a good deal of fruit, but every pair of wasps killed in spring saves the trouble and annoyance of a swarm in autumn; it is necessary, however, to be very careful in any attempt upon a wasp, for its sting is painful and lasting. In case of being stung, get the blue-bag from the laundry, and rub it well into the wound as soon as possible. Later in the season, it is customary to hang vessels of beer, or water and sugar, in the fruit-trees, to entice them to drown themselves. 261. To protect Dahlias from Earwigs.-Dip a piece of wool or cotton in oil, and slightly tie it round the stalk, about a foot from the earth. The stakes which you will put into the ground to support your plants must also be surrounded by the oiled cotton or wool, or the insects will climb up them to the blossoms and tender tops of the stems. 262. To free Plants from LeafLice.-M. Braun, of Vienna, gives the following as a cheap and easy mode of effecting it :-Mix one ounce of flowers of sulphur with one bushel of sawdust; scatter this over the plants infected with these insects, and they will soon be freed, though a second application may possibly be necessary. 263. A Moral. I HAD a little spot of ground, I mourned to see a spot so bare Of leaves of healthful green, Some seeds of various kinds lay by- But, rudely turning o'er the soil, I strewed them thickly there; From out the fertile earth, Of beauty and of worth. But as I marked their leaves unfold The thorns and nettles grew- But worthless weeds did bring. And thus I mused: the things we do, With little heed or ken, With thorns the paths of men; For little deeds, like little seeds, May flowers prove, or noxious weeds! 264. Taking a House.-Before taking a house, be careful to calculate that the rent is not too high in proportion to your means; for remember that the rent is a claim that must be paid with but little delay, and that the landlord has greater power over your property than any other creditor. EGGS BADLY BOILED ARE GOOD THINGS SPOILED. 265. HAVING DETERMINED THE AMOUNT OF RENT which you can afford to pay, be careful to select the best house which can be obtained for that sum. And in making that selection let the following matters be carefully considered: 266. FIRST-CAREFULLY REGARD THE HEALTHFULNESS OF THE SITUATION. Avoid the neighbourhood of graveyards, and of factories giving forth unhealthy vapours; avoid low and damp districts, the course of canals, and localities of reservoirs of water, gas works, &c.; make inquiries as to the drainage of the neighbourhood, and inspect the drainage and water supply of the premises. A house standing on an incline is likely to be better drained than one standing upon the summit of a hill, or on a level below a hill. Endeavour to obtain a position where the direct sunlight falls upon the house, for this is absolutely essential to health; and give preference to a house the openings of which are sheltered from 81 269. If you are about to Furnish a House, do not spend all your money, be it much or little. Do not let the beauty of this thing, and the cheapness of that, tempt you to buy unnecessary articles. Dr. Franklin's maxim was a wise one-"Nothing is cheap that we do not want." Buy merely enough to get along with at first. It is only by experience that you can tell what will be the wants of your family. If you spend all your money, you will find you have purchased many things you do not want, and have no means left to get many things which you do want. If you have enough, and more than enough, to get everything suitable to your situation, do not think you must spend it all, merely because you happen to have it. Begin humbly. As riches increase, it is easy and pleasant to increase in comforts; but it is always painful and inconvenient to decrease. After all, these things are viewed in their proper light by the truly judicious and respectable. Neatness, tasteful the north and east winds. 267. SECOND-CONSIDER THE DIS-ness, and good sense may be shown in TANCE OF THE HOUSE from your place of occupation and also its relation to provision markets, and shops in the neighbourhood. 268. HAVING CONSIDERED THESE MATERIAL AND LEADING FEATURES, examine the house in detail, carefully looking into its state of repair; notice the windows that are broken; whether the chimneys smoke; whether they have been recently swept; whether the paper on the walls is damaged, especially in the lower parts, and the corners, by the skirtings; whether the locks, bolts, handles of doors, and windowfastenings are in proper condition; make a list of the fixtures; ascertain whether all rent and taxes have been paid by the previous tenant, and whether the person from whom you take the house is the original landlord, or his agent or tenant. And do not commit yourself by the signing of any agreement until you are satisfied upon all these points, and see that all has been done which the landlord had undertaken. the management of a small household, and the arrangement of a little furniture, as well as upon a larger scale; and these qualities are always praised, and always treated with respect and attention. The consideration which many purchase by living beyond their income, and, of course, living upon others, is not worth the trouble it costs. glare there is about this false and wicked parade is deceptive; it does not, in fact, procure a man valuable friends, or extensive influence. The 270. Carpets.-In buying carpets, as in everything else, those of the best quality are cheapest in the end. As it is extremely desirable that they should look as clean as possible, avoid buying carpet that has any white in it. Even a very small portion of white interspersed through the pattern will in a short time give a dirty appearance to the whole; and certainly no carpet can be worse for use than one with a white ground. 271. A CARPET IN WHICH ALL THE |