covering is needful in all cases.

==Spinach== may be sown in open quarters. If the frost destroys the plant,
sow again. Some risk must be encountered for an early dish of this
highly-prized vegetable. Keep the autumn-sown Spinach clear of weeds,
and in gathering (if it happens to be fit to supply a gathering), pick
off the leaves separately with a little care.

==Strawberries==.--Seed of the Alpine varieties sown in pans this month,
for transfer later to the open ground, usually produce fine fruits in
September.

==Tomato.==--Of the immense value of the Tomato as an article of diet we
need say nothing, but we may confidently affirm that its merits for
decorative purposes have not as yet been fully recognised. Long racemes
of brilliant glossy fruit are sometimes employed with striking effect in
epergnes, and there is a natural fitness in using them for decorating
the dinner table. All the Tomatoes can be grown and ripened under glass
in almost any fashion which may suit the cultivator's convenience. Pits,
frames, vineries, and Peach-houses will bring the fruit to perfection,
either in pots or planted out. Magnificent crops are also grown in the
manner usual with Cucumbers, but in a lower temperature; and those who
have an early Cucumber house at liberty during the summer may turn it to
good account for Tomatoes. The soil should be prepared and laid up in
the autumn. It must not be too rich, or there will be much foliage and
little fruit, and the flowering will also be late. A compost of
leaf-mould and loam with an addition of sand suits Tomatoes admirably;
but raw manure should be regarded as poison. Sow thinly in well-drained
pots firmly filled with soil, and place in a temperature of 60 deg. or 65 deg..
When large enough to handle, transfer the seedlings to small pots, and,
if necessary, shade them for a few days. Keep them near the glass until
the roots are established, and allow them to suffer no check from first
to last.

==FEBRUARY==

The work of this month is to be carried on as weather permits, but with
greater activity and more confidence, for the sun is fast gaining power.
Earnest digging, liberal manuring, and scrupulous cleansing are the
tasks that stand forward as of pre-eminent importance. Many weeds,
groundsel especially, will now be coming into flower, and if allowed to
seed will make enormous work later on. It is well, however, to
remember--what few people do remember, because the fact ha