1 68 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Notes. 



Intercropping. 



In an article dealing with intercropping in 

 Belgium The Joimud of the Board of Agriculture 



Rhododendron ButiiATUM 

 Photograph ed in China by Mr. George Forrest. 



for September gives the following notes relating 

 to gardens : — 



In the market-garden districts of Malines and 

 Lou vain intercropping is extensively practised, 

 especially where the soils are light enough not 

 r.o pack hard with treading. Typical associations 

 are given below : — 



1. Early cabbage or cauliflower intersown 



with spinach or cabbage lettuce, or 

 with radishes and lettuce. 



2. Carrots interplanted with cabbage, 



lettuce, or scorzonera. 



3. Early potatoes interso^wTi with radishes, 



which are cropped before the potatoes 

 are earthed up. 



4. Late cabbage interplanted with an early 



variety which is marketed before the 

 main crop attains full size. 



' In a general way it may be said that all 

 vegetables which occupy the soil for some time 

 are intercropped with spinach, early carrots, 

 radishes, chervil or lettuce. 



Where early peas are grown in beds carrots 

 are sown among the peas, and occupy the 

 ground after the latter crop has been harvested. 

 Peas arg often planted in every third or fourth 

 row of a potato crop ; a single pea of a dwarf 

 variety is pressed down in the cent-e of each 

 pota*^© plant ; the pea grows up with the potato, 

 and when tb'^ pods are ripe it is pulled up bodily. 

 The practice, however, cannot be recommended 

 with green peas, as too much treading of the 

 soil then takes place in picking the crop. 

 Cabbages or Brussels spronts are sometimes 

 planted between all but the very late varieties 

 o^' potatoes. They are planted in the furrows 

 after the potatoes have been earthed iip and do 

 not in any way interfere with the growth of 

 the potatoes. 



Random Notes, 



I THINK I wrote you last year about the attrac- 

 tion Eupatorium Weinmannianum has for 

 butterflies. I have again been struck by this. 

 Last Saturday, though it was not a very bright 

 day, on one small shrub I counted at least 18 

 Red Admirals. The Peacocks were plentiful a 

 little earlier, and Buddleia variabilis seemed to 

 he their special fancy. 



Montbretia Prometheus has been very fine 

 this year, the flowers being well formed and of 

 good coloiir. A mass of it — some 10 or 12 by 

 4 ft. — in a sunny position has been and is a feast 

 for the eyes. Another plant that has done 

 exceptionally well this year is Primula capitata. 



I am afraid I n<iver appreciated Potentilla 

 Friedrichseni properly till this year, partly 

 because it was wrongly placed before. Last 

 autumn a plant of it was moved into an open 

 sunny position in sandy soil, and this year we 

 were rewarded with profuse flowers for about 

 three months. The soft yellow flowers are very 

 pleasing, and though not so large or such a 

 good colour as those of Potentilla rigidus, I am 

 inclined to think that it is the best of the 

 shrubbery Potentillas on account of its freedom 

 and length of flowering. 



Euonymus latitolius is resplendent with a 

 large crop of its brilliant red seed vessels. The 

 foliage also colours well. Altogether I think it 

 is a very desirable shrub and one that should 

 be more widely grown. Words of mine cannot 

 do justice to Rosa Moyesii. In either flower or 

 fruit it is magnificent, biit I should like to put 

 in a word for Rosa setipoda for autumn effect. 



