==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 has not been pressed upon their attention—­that weeds of all kinds, so long as they are not in flower, are really useful as manure when dug into the soil.  Therefore a weedy patch is not of necessity going to ruin; but if the weeds are not stopped in time, they spread by their seeds and mar the order of the garden.  Dig them in, and their decay will nourish the next crop.  If early sowing is practised, and the earliest possible produce of everything is aimed at, there must be always at hand the means of protection, such as litter, spruce branches, mats, or other material, as circumstances require.  The vigilant gardener is not surprised by the weather, but is always armed for an emergency.  Read the notes for January before proceeding further; and in respect of what remains undone, spare the necessity of reminders here.

==Frame Ground== should be kept scrupulously clean and orderly.  Many things will require watering now, but water must not be carelessly given, because damp is hurtful during frosty weather.  Take care that the plants are not crowding and starving, or they will come to no good.