As fresh air is indispensable for the health of plants, and as fogs
occur about this time, it is essential to apply a little fire-heat
during the day, to expel damps, and to cause a desirable activity in the
circulation of the air. Attend to cleanliness, picking off dead leaves,
and the destruction of insects.
Bulbs.--Pot Hyacinths, Narcissi, Tulips, &c., to flower late in the
spring; also the Ixiae and Gladioli, and various other Irideae; and
also Oxalis, Lachenalia, &c. They delight in light open soil composed
of peat, loam, and sand, and rotten leaf mould as an addition to, or
substitute for, the peat.
Cinerarias.--Give the final shift to the plants intended to flower as
specimens in early spring.
Chrysanthemums to be treated with manure water occasionally. All suckers
and spindly shoots to be removed, and the flowers to be thinned.
Pelargoniums.--A little fire-heat by day, with plenty of air, will be
of service to drive off the damp and stagnant atmosphere caused by heavy
rains. Watering, if necessary, to be given in the morning; the principal
shoots to be tied into a regular form, and the weakly and useless
ones removed; to be placed near the glass, to encourage a sturdy,
short-jointed growth. Two ounces of the Gishurst compound, dissolved in
one gallon of soft water, will speedily banish the green fly.