Dammara

Dammar pine tree. Two species. Cuttings. Sandy loam.

Dampiera

Two species. Greenhouse herbaceous. Cuttings. Peat and loam.

Damping Off

Damping Off is a name applied by gardeners to an ulceration of the stems of seedlings, and other tender plants. This ulceration arises from the soil and air in which they are vegetating being kept too moist or damp. Flower seedlings are especially liable to be thus affected; and, to prevent this, one-third of the depth of the pot should be filled with small pebbles, and the soil employed, instead of being sifted, allowed to retain all moderately sized stones. The seeds should be sown very thinly, pressed down, and a little earth scattered over them. Mr. Ayres has well suggested that a little white sand be sprinkled over the sur-face, because this is not easily disturbed by watering, and is not a medium that retains moisture to the neck of the seedlings, where dampness most affects them. He adds, that a pot of sand should be kept hot upon a flue, and whenever symptoms of the disease appear, a little, whilst hot, sprinkled on the soil.

Danaea

Danaea alata. Stove fern. Division. Peat and loam.

Dancing-Girls

Mantisia sanatoria.

Daphne

Twenty-four species. Chiefly hardy or green-house evergreen shrubs, except D. tinifolia, which is a 6tove evergreen. Grafts on the Spurge Laurel. (D. laureola.) Peat.

Darlingtonia

Two species. Half-hardy herbaceous. Division or cuttings. Peat and sand.

Date-Palm

Phaenix.

Date-Plum

Diospyros.

Datisca

Two species. Hardy herbaceous. Division. Common soil.

Datura

Nine species. Hardy annuals. Seeds. Common soil.

Daubentonia

Two species. Stove evergreen shrubs. Cuttings. Sandy loam.

Daubenya

Twospecies. Greenhouse bulbs. Offsets. Sandy loam and peat.

Daucus

See Carrot.

Davallia

Seven species. Greenhouse ferns. Division or seed. Peat and loam.

Da Viesia

Eighteen species. Green-house evergreen shrubs. Cuttings. Loam, peat, and sand.

Day Lily'

Hemerocallis.

December

DECEMBER is a month in which the gardener is preparing chieflv for future 13 events - storing his edible roots - protecting his tender plants, and wheeling on stable manure to vacant ground.

The following work requires attending to:

Kitchen Garden

Artichokes, dress. - Asparagus beds, dress, b.; plant to force; attend that in forcing. - Carrots, dig up and store, b. - Cauliflowers, in frame, etc, attend to. - Composts, prepare and turn over. - Dung, prepare for hot-beds. - Earth-ing-up, attend to. - Hot-beds, attend to. - Kidney Beans, force, e. - Leaves, fallen, remove. - Lettuces, plant in hotbeds; attend to those advancing. - Mint, force. - Mushroom-beds, make; attend those in production. - Parsnips, dig up and store, b. - Radishes, sow, b. - Small Salading, sow in frames, etc. - Spinach, clear of weeds. - Tansy, force. - Tarragon, force. - Trench, drain, etc., vacant ground.

Orchard

Apples, prune; plant. - Apricots, prune; plant. - Cherries, prune; plant. - Composts and fresh earth apply to poor or old borders. - Currants, prune; plant. - Figs, plant; protect from frost. - Fork over and dress the compartments generally. - Gooseberries, prune; plant. - Mulch round the roots and stems of trees newly planted, to exclude frost. - Nectarines, prune; plant. - Pears, prune; plant.' - Peaches, prune; plant. - Plant all kinds of trees in mild weather. - Plums, prune; plant. - Pruning may be continued generally. (See November.) - Raspberries, prune; plant. - Trench and manure ground for planting. - Stake firmly trees newly planted. - Standards, prune generally. - Suckers, clear away; plant for stocks. - Vines, prune; but last month is to be preferred for this operation, if the foliage had completely decayed.