IRISH GARDENING. 



31 



The pleasure ground work is proceeding' in the 

 way of repairing and gravelling walks and 

 avenues : if they require widening or narrowing, 

 that should be done this month to give the turves 

 a chance to settle before the harsh w inds of March 

 dry them up. With an edging knife put a nice 

 .sharp edge on the grass, slanted a bit, as a straight 

 up and down edge is ea.sily destroyed. 



Climbers on walls should be pruned and tied up 

 securely, also clip Ivy and cut it well away froni 

 the gutters if it is on a house. In wet weather 

 overiiaul all flower stakes, repaint them and tie in 

 bundles in their different sizes. Oil and overhaul 

 mowing machines. Examine Begonia tubers, 

 laying them in a fruit house, but do not cover them 

 till you ascertain whether you have the right side 

 up or not : the growing buds will soon appear, then 

 cover them lightly with a sandy compost. 



Southern and Western Counties. 



By Ernest Beckett, Gardener to Lord 

 Parrymore, Fota. 



The Kitchen Garden. 



With the advent of this nionth, the lengthening 

 days and favourable weather, much activity will 

 be evidenced in the kitchen garden, and during 

 the month some important crops may be so^vn in 

 addition to other routine work which, as I have 

 previously mentioned, should be speeded up, to 

 try and keep abreast of the ever-increasing and 

 manifold duties which will need attention. 

 During spells of inclement weather there is much 

 work that may be done, such as the grading and 

 sharpening of pea sticks and rods for runner beans, 

 cleaning and whitewashing of sheds and over- 

 hauling and cleaning tools and machines, examin- 

 ing root stores and Potatoes, fruit and Onions, 

 washing pots and glass structures, making and 

 repairing boxes for seeds and cuttings, and trellis 

 work for borders, birch broom, &c. 



Potatoes. — The planting of early maturing 

 varieties on south borders and other sheltered 

 sites may be proceeded with this month. To 

 follow those in frames I strongly advocate 

 planting between the fruit trees at the foot of a 

 south wall where a few tubers can be found room 

 for without approaching too near to the roots 

 of the trees. Break up the ground with a fork, 

 incorporating a dressing of well-decayed manure 

 or leaf niould, or any thing which will tend to 

 enrich and lighten the soil if naturally retentive. 

 For planting and sowing, choose a day. and take 

 full advantage of it, when the giound is dry, 

 and even then use, if possible, lioards to walk 

 or stand upon. A dressing of soot or lime and a 

 liberal sprinkling of wood ashes over the ground 

 before raking down will prove of immense benefit. 

 If planting with a dibber this should be as blunt 

 as possible, so that the tuber rests on tlie bottom 

 of the hole. Plant in rows eighteen inches to two 

 feet apart, and allow twelve inches between the 

 tubers, and plant diagonally. 



Sprixc; Cabbage. — Exanune the beds of these 

 plants and make good any gaps or blind plants, 

 from the seed beds, and aerate the surface soil 

 between the plants with the hoe or cultivator. 

 The operation of drawing soil to the base of the 

 plants, as practised so extensively in the south of 

 Ireland during the next month or so, is optional, 

 I think, although it certaiidy protects the plants 



in wind-swept localities. If the ground is pre- 

 pared and the positions marked for row^s of 

 Runner Beans and main crop Peas, a few lines of 

 Cabbage may, with advantage, be planted between 

 them. 



Parsnips. — The ground that w-as occupied by 

 the celery crop cannot be beaten for this important 

 vegetable, which enjoys a long season of growth 

 and a deeply worked soil. Thoroughly rake 

 down the bed with a wooden rake and leave the 

 surface soil as smooth as possible, and draw drills 

 fifteen to eighteen inches apart, and sow the seed 

 thinly. Avoid overcrowding, as the plants make 

 a lot of growth and are much niore easily cleaned 

 and hoed. 



Oxioxs. — Every effort should be made to 

 further increase the home supplies of this vege- 

 table. From a commercial point of view, the 

 growing and marketing oijen up great possi- 

 bilities, although it must not be forgotten that.to 

 grow and perfect the crop a good deal of labour is 

 entailed. Apart from the culture of growing 

 exhibition bulbs there are two main ways out- 

 lined for growing the maincrop of spring sown 

 Onions — viz., sowing in the open ground during 

 the present or next month, and by sowing in 

 boxes of prepai^ed soil and raising under glass, 

 and when hardened off planting out of doors, 

 usually during the month of April. Both ways 

 produce excellent results, but the latter is to be 

 recommended where the cultivation is hindered 

 by the attacks of the Onion Fly, as transplanted 

 ones are rarely affected, and also on shallow 

 worked ground larger bulbs will be obtained by 

 transplanting. For sowing choose dry weather, 

 breaking down the surface of the bed With the 

 fork, tread evenly and firmly, and rake off as 

 level and as finely as possible, and draw shallow 

 drills a foot apart, and sow thinly, in fact I sow 

 so thinly that no thinning is necessary, and there 

 are two strong reasons supporting this. First, 

 there is no disturbance of the plants and unavoid- 

 able briiising. which attracts the fly, and secondly 

 the crop through pressing each other out produces 

 harder and Ijetter ripened bulbs, which keep 

 infinitely better though not individually quite so 

 large. Cover the drills, tread again firmly, and 

 neatly rake off the surface again with an iron rake. 

 If the second method is adopted, sow rather 

 thickly this month in boxes of sifted soil, and raise 

 in a gentle heat, gradually harden off and 

 thoroughly expose to the weather before planting 

 out. 



Shallots. — Plant these any time on well 

 enriched ground, press firmly into the ground in 

 rows a foot apart and eight or nine inches be- 

 tween each bulb. Some people throw up small 

 ridges and press the bulb into the crest, and as the 

 plants grow the soil falls away and leaves the new- 

 bulbs exposed. It is a good practice and well 

 worth the little extra trouble. 



Celery. -Make a snaall sowing for earliest 

 supplies of a good white variety in a well drained 

 pot filled with finely sifted soil, and raise in a 

 gentle heat, and when the seedlings are through 

 elevate as near the light as possible. Celery 

 reciuires abundance of water throughout its 

 growth, and a check, especially that caused by 

 drought, is fatal to the well-being of the crop. 



Tomatoes. — Pot off seedlings as becomes 

 necessary, doing so in the house in which they are 

 growing to avoid a check. Pot lightly in a gritty 

 compost and keep the seedlings well down in the 



