IRISH GARDENING. 



light and air. The progress of the young seed- 

 lings has been marvellous, and ere these notes 

 appear thousands of them ^\ill have begun the 

 great struggle for existence, jostling each other 

 for the best place as it were. It is the grower's 

 business to see that this struggle is soon over, 

 or, if possible, to anticipate it and thin out 

 before overcrowding takes place. Thinning 

 should not be completed at one operation, but 

 should take place gradually at two or three 

 different times at intervals of a week or so. In 

 this way it will be seen which plants are growing 

 best and appear likely to make the best plants ; 



Weeds* 



The mild, showery weather which came so 

 Avelcome early in ]\Iay gave an impetus to growth, 

 and, as usual, the first plants to respond were in 

 many cases those commonly referred to as weeds. 

 It is not unusual to refer to the vast majority 

 of our native plants as weeds, but this method 

 of expression is not always correct. Any plant 

 is a weed when growing where it is not wanted. 

 A great many of our wild flowers are beautiful 

 when growing in wild uncultivated places, and 

 may be not less fieautiful when invadine; a 



Pyuethrum .VXD Poppy. 



there is also less disturbance of the soil about the 

 roots — a condition which often favours attacks 

 by grubs and maggots. On no account should 

 seedlings be allowed to progress too far before 

 commencing to thin out, otherwise the roots 

 become matted, and unnecessary disturbance of 

 the plants to remain takes place, thereby 

 hindering their j)roper development 



The main vegetable crops which are sown 

 where they are to develop are Onions, Parsnips, 

 Carrots. Beetroot, Parsley and Turnips. 



The final distances apart will be found in the 



columns devoted to the " Month's Work," the 



object of this note being to emphasise the 



necessity of strictly carrying out the operation 



of thinning. 



Practice. 



cultivated field or garden, but there they are 

 intruders robbing the legitimate crop of light and 

 air and moisture necessary for its proper develop- 

 ment. Hence the gardener wages continual war 

 against weeds no matter how beautiful they may 



be. 



Different soils and climates favour the growth 

 of different weeds, and a plant which may be a 

 pest in one county may hardly be known in 

 another ; also they vary greatly in the ease, or 

 otherwise, with which they may be destroj^ed 

 or kept in check. Some are of annual duration 

 only— that is, the parent plant sheds its seeds 

 and dies, while the seeds grow and give rise to 

 another generation. Others are perennial and 

 live for years— growing, flowering and seeding 

 practically every year. Some increase enor- 



