32 



IRISH GARDENING. 



pots, and grow as sturdily as possible. INIake 

 another sowing the end of the month or early in 

 next, which will also provide good strong plants 

 for planting outside. 



Spinach. — The first favourable opportunity a 

 small sowing may be made, on a south border, of 

 the ^'ictoria type. As the plants usually soon run 

 to seed frequent sowings at intervals should be 

 m.ade to keep up a succession. 



Turnips. — Early crops are often greatly in- 

 fluenced by the weather. Make several small 

 sowings of early varieties, such as the white and 

 red Milan and Early Forcing. 



Carrots. — Sow these on a warm border, raking 

 the surface down to a fine tilth after a dressing of 

 soot and wood ashes. Choose one of the stump 

 rooted variety. 



French Beans. — Sow successional batches in 

 pots and grow on in a forcing house or pit. Leave 

 room for topdressing, wliich will help to support 

 the plants if of no other use. Keep the iilants in 

 a light position and syringe freely. Plants that 

 have set their lilooins may be assisted with 

 diluted manure water twice weekly. 



Jerusalem Artichokes. — ^Although these will 

 grow practically anywhere they, nevertheless, 

 well repay good cultivation, and the grovmd 

 should be well broken up and liberally treated 

 with manure, as the plant is a gross feeder. The 

 tubers keep best in the soil, but planting of the 

 smaller ones for next season's crop may be carried 

 out at any time, and if only a limited supply is 

 needed a row may be planted across the kitchen 

 garden and the growths pi'otected from the wind 

 by driving in a few stakes at intervals and tying 

 on cross pieces of bean rods. 



Peas. — Make successional sowings on a 

 sheltered site of first early varieties, taking every 

 precaution against slugs, mice, &c. For slugs, 

 nothing is more effective, I think, than finely 

 sifted coal ashes. 



Broad Beans. — For sowing out of doors Beck's 

 Dwarf Green, though small- podded, is very early 

 maturing. 



Sow towards the end of the month Brussels 

 Sprouts, ^lichaelnias Broccoli and Cauliflower in a 

 shallow frame, and prick out when large enough 

 into skeleton frames : also make small sowings 

 from now onwards of Lettuce, and transplant 

 when large enough. 



The Flower Garden. 



Autumn sown Sweet Peas that have been 

 wintered under cold frame treatment may be 

 planted out in their permanent quarters as soon 

 as the site is prepared for them. Avoid over- 

 crowding of the plants by planting each one 

 singly and spreading out the roots after shaking 

 clear of all soil. 



Attend to the pruning of Roses and other shrubs 

 growing on walls, removing all dead, weak and 

 other useless wood, laying in sufficient main 

 shoots to cover the allotted space and avoiding 

 overcrowding. Newly planted Roses of the 



Rambler type should be pruned almost to the 

 ground level. This to some may seem a great 

 sacrifice, but it causes strong growths to come 

 away the coming season and a good foundation to 

 the plant is laid at once. Apply miilchings of 

 manure to these and other shrulis, which may be 

 lightly forked in or covered with soil if unsightly 

 or disturbed by birds. Apply a good dressing of 

 rotted nianure and leaves to permanent beds of 

 Lily of the Valley and other permanent subjects, 

 such as Verbena venosa. Sow seeds in a gentle 

 heat of Antirrhinums, fibrous Begonias, &c., also 

 Sweet Peas, which should be grown as coolly as 

 possible. Clear all old growths away from her- 

 baceous borders ; attend to any planting or 

 alterations, aftei'wards forking over the borders 

 and applying a good dressing of manure. Any 

 plants liable to injury by slugs when starting 

 into growth, such as Delphiniums, should have 

 the crowns protected with cinder ashes. 



Hardy Fruit Garden. 



At the time of writing (January 17th) we are 

 experiencing another spell of sharp weather, and 

 work in this department is more or less at a stand- 

 still. However, it affords an excellent opportunity 

 for the cutting down and grubbing out of any 

 wortliless or overcrowded tree. There is much 

 good work that may be done towards the im- 

 provement of orchard trees in general during 

 the present month, and to deal with an orchard 

 that has become overcrowded needs a good deal 

 of forethought, and provides a good many 

 problems. Each tree should, if possible, stand 

 perfectly clear of its neighbours, and, after careful 

 consideration, those of minor importance should 

 be marked and taken right out. The reniainder 

 should then be pruned, removing all dead wood 

 and bi'anches that are badly placed, opening up 

 the centre of the tree as much as possible. Avoid 

 also and remove branches that cross each other 

 and cause abrasion of the bark, which often gives 

 rise to canker and American blight. The operator 

 must be guided mainly by the character of the 

 tree, and for prefei'ence the work should be 

 carried out piecemeal over two or three seasons. 

 Use a sharp saw, and for the smaller wood a 

 pruning saw will be found much the handiest, and 

 is an instrument I venture to think is not always 

 used freely enough. Nothing is gained by over- 

 crowding, and the treatment may seem somewhat 

 drastic, but will result in a few seasons in crops of 

 larger and better quality fruit. The stems and 

 main branches of apples particularly may then 

 be scraped clear of all moss and rough scaly bark, 

 and small scrapers may be made by fastening 

 sniall pieces of sheet-iron into short handles. All 

 cuts should be dressed over with tar. Winter 

 spraying should be carried out as soon as the 

 weather admits, choosing a calm mild day, and 

 with any of the caustic washes, not later than the 

 end of February, as it is imperative that the buds 

 be thoroughly dormant. Whatever wash is used, 

 mix it carefully according to the makers' direc- 

 tions and apply it evenly over the trees in a fine 

 spray. Gooseberries are now being attacked by 

 bullfinches, and for that reason I prefer to leave 

 the pruning of these bushes to as late a date as 

 possible, 



