This February may be snowy and full of sleet and cold rain, but before long these will give place to the breath of spring - Lonieera fragrantissima. In the meantime the variable climate makes it difficult for many to know what to do in the garden until the day itself arrives.

Spraying which has not been done earlier should be finished at once. Dead leaves under shrub borders should be removed; they harbor many pests which will bring trouble later. Watch for cedar apples on junipers and look out for bag. Worms; both of these must be hand-. picked and burned as soon as they appear. The former can cause much damage to pyracanthas and flowering crabapples.

Prune dead wood from shrubs and trees of all kinds. Cut back the early spring-blooming ones as soon as the flowering - season is. over, except in the case of the flowering quinces, Which . bloom on the old wood and need little pruning. Tip-shear conifers. When pruning, consider carailly the symmetry and nett-teal- growth or the plant you are trimming. Remove the weak canes at the ground; never cut the whole plant straight across at the top, as so many amateurs to do. Allow your shrubs to grow into beauty of form as well as of foliage.

Seeds of verbenas, rust-resistant snapdragons and petunias should he sown now in flats or pots for transplanting later into the borders. Thin out fall-planted seedlings of centaurea and larkspur, and plant them where you have space elsewhere.

Roses may be planted in mid-February if carefully protected until leaf buds appear. Choose the best varieties you can afford and give them -a place in the sun. Remove dead wood from roses of all kinds. Never prune the rare old types except for this-purpose.

The old-fashioned roses are needed along the borders to lend variety. Don’t forget China Old Blush, Duchesse de Brabant and Louis Philippe. which offers rich red rosettes fully nine months of the year. Madame Lombard, Malmaison, the Cochets and the fragrant damask rose, all of which bloom only once a year, are also beautiful and worth-while. The old roses do not show their full beauty as soon as the hybrid teas, but they have a splendid range of color and their strength and hardiness makes them valuable for years to come.

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