IRISH GARDENING 



17s 



six feet apart, and the stools two feet apart iu tlie 

 rows. Apples and Pears, Pyramids and Bushes, 

 12 feet apart. Horizontal and fan-trained trees 

 on walls or trellis are allowed fifteen to twenty 

 feet apart. Where only single trees are being 

 planted to replace the old ones the most of the old 

 soil should be removed and plenty of good loam 

 should take its place. 



When trees arrive from the nursery see that the 

 roots are not too dry. Soak them in water and 

 lay them in a trench until you are ready to plant 

 them into their permanent quarters. 



Trees requiring root prmiiug should l)e attended 

 to if the weather is dry and favourable, and the 

 wood fairly well manured, for if this operation is 

 done early they should give little or no trouble 

 next season. The pruning and training of wall 

 trees should be proceeded with and pushed on at 

 every favourable opportunity — after the leaves 

 are off the trees. The pruning and training of 

 wall trees depend on the kind, and the space 

 allotted to it; also, some kinds bear on tlie wood 

 of the previous year, while others bear on spurs 

 attached to the old wood. Examine all. the old 

 ties and see if they will stand for another year 

 or not. 



Flowkr G.arden. 



The lawns and walks will require a good deal 

 of attention to keep them clean. All leaves 

 collected should be t-arefidly stored, for they are 

 a valuable crop both for mixing with Hot Beds 

 and for keeping for leaf mould. 



Granted that spring bedding is finished, Her- 

 baceous Borders will now require attention. If 

 replanting is necessary the plants should be all 

 lifted and the border thoroughly trenched, and 

 all perennial weeds carefully picked out, then re- 

 plant, using only the outside pieces of the clump 

 for the new border. A few clumps of May flower- 

 ing Tulips always look well planted at intervals 

 along a herbaceous border. 



Roses. — Where new beds are to be made and 

 planted the sooner it is done the better. Remove 

 all the old soil to the depth of two feet and fill 

 in with good fibrous loam from an old pasture, 

 to which may be added some half-inch bones. 

 When planting avoid planting too deep, spread a 

 few inches of manure litter over the bed after 

 the Roses are planted ; this keeps the soil moist 

 and warm and encourages root action early. 



Bedding Plants. — Examine boxes and pick all 

 dead leaves and flowers of Zonal cuttings ; keep 

 them on the dry side. Cuttings in frames should 

 have plenty of air on fine days. Violets in frames 

 should have the lights removed on bright warm 

 days. Keep the runners pinched off. Chrys- 

 anthenuuns which have not flowered in the border 

 can l)e lifted and boxed; the flowers will be wel- 

 come if there is room inside to house them. 



Hardy shrubs may now be pruned into shape 

 and any thinning out done in the shrubberies. 

 It is also a good month to transplant large 

 specimens. On a sheltered border facing east or 

 west cuttings of many trees and shrul:)S may l)e 

 inserted. Some kinds prox)agate more readily 

 from mature wood inserted outside than from 

 half ripe wood in a propagating frame. The best 

 examples are W^illows, Poplar and Tamarisk. 

 There are also many coumion shrubs for which 

 room cannot be spared in frames. These remarks 

 apply to Privets, Ivy, Laurels, Climbing Roses 

 and Ribes. 



Southern and Western Counties. 



By Ernest Beckett, Gardener to Lord 



Larrymore, Fota. 



When 1 made luy ilrhat with the January Calen- 

 dar I confessed my intention of dealing as far 

 as I possihly could in the remarks for the Month's 

 Work with the Kitchen Garden section. Never 

 was such interest shown by all persons in all 

 ranks of life as witnessed during the past year; 

 and now that the season has arrived when the 

 constructional work connnences on which will be 

 leased the efforts for 1918, and that more than 

 ever depends upon our home production, no stone 

 should be left unturned to try and produce better 

 results by a thorough cleansing and cultivation 

 of the ground, and the furtherance of all work 

 which can be done during these coming short 

 days whenever the weather permits. Deep cul- 

 tivation is undoubtedly the only way to bring 

 about the desired result, and an attenujt should 

 be made to treat a portion of the garden each 

 year. As I mentioned in the first nund)er, I am 

 in favour of bringing the sub-soil to the surface, 

 but I know there are a great many who differ 

 and so nnicli depends upon the circumstances and 

 the ways and means at hand, so that it is im- 

 possible to write and advise, but to tlie uniniti- 

 ated I would suggest that they treat a small 

 portion and lay it up on the surface in as rougli 

 a condition as possible and leave it exposed to 

 the elements, and with the majority of cases it 

 will be found possible to grow something on it 

 the first season, if not actually possible to make 

 a seedbed. 



I think it was in the Gardeners' ( 'h nni'nli' that 

 Mr. G. H. Jenkins gave an excellent hint on the 

 trenching question, and for those who did not 

 see it tuid to whom it may prove useful I merely 

 repeat it.* Instead of taking out a trench and 

 wheeling to the other end of the plot, which is 

 a serious iten), halve the piece of ground l)y 

 putting down a line, chop out a good mark witli 

 the spade, then taj<;e- out a trench at one end 

 half-way across to the line and throw the soil 

 on to the path, or as near as possil)le, trench the 

 one half first and on arriving at the end of the 

 first half connnence on the return by filling the 

 la.st trench with soil from the second half, and 

 finish close beside where the start was made 

 without harrowing a spadeful of soil. 



Take every advantage of wheeling manure 

 and other refuse for the bottom trench where 

 the groiuid is being worked to a depth, keeping 

 the richer material closer to the surface, where 

 it will be more readily assimilated, and the 

 coarser material (such as all refuse excei:)ting 

 all obnoxious weeds and seeds of same that will 

 surely grow if brought to the surface again) at the 

 bottom for drainage. Economise time, labour and 

 manure by marking out imaginary or otherwise 

 the positions the crops next vear will occupy. 

 South borders and other sites intended for early 

 crops, if vacant, may be dug and left rough. 

 This ground will usually be required to be as 

 rich, and at the same time, as light and friable 

 as Dossible. and to secure that leave for the 

 time being as rough as possible on the surface. 



• A very old practice. — Ed. 



