176 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Asparagus. — Clear the beds of all stalk.s and re- 

 fuse as soon as growth lias thoroughly ripened 

 off. This can be quickly done by the scythe. 

 Afterwards clean tlie surface from weeds as 

 thoroughly as possible, and if nettles and couch 

 grass are present carefully loosen the surface 

 with a fork and remove as many of the roots as 

 possible, and give a dressing of manure or sea- 

 weed. 



Rhubarb. — Make the beds as tidy as possible. 

 In the majority of cases this vegetable has not 

 been undvuy taxed this season so that the usual 

 nndcliing of manure might, I think, be more 

 profitably used elsewhere. 



Globe Artichokes. — Clean these and fork up 

 the ground amongst them to admit of a free 

 passage of rain, and then nuilch with long strawy 

 litter, which will serve as a protection to the 

 crowns. 



Tomatoes. — Hang up any late fruits from the 

 outside plants in a light, airy house to ripen 

 artificially, as these will be very useful for culin- 

 ary purposes. Winter fruiting plants in pots will 

 need careful watering from this onwards. Witn 

 a free circulation of air without draughts and a 

 little artificial warmth at night. 



Plants in frames such as Lettuce, Cauliflowers, 

 Endive, &c., should have abundance of air, re- 

 moving the lights entirely during fine days, but 

 protect from heavy rains and Keep them free 

 from weeds and loosen the surface soil frequently, 

 at the same time removing any decaying leaves 

 to prevent damping. 



The Haruy Fruit Garden. 



Before the trees are denuded of their foliage 

 mark any superfluous branches for removal later 

 on as mentioned in the Calendar for the month 

 of February. Whilst the leaf is on the trees it 

 is much easier to see to what extent thinning 

 can be carried out. The pruning of Morello 

 Cherries on north walls and retying should be , 

 carried out as soon as possible. The less the 

 knife is used the better, but at the same time 

 overcrowding is an evil, as a thickly set tree 

 is difficult to clean and keep clean in the spring 

 of the year from black aphis and other pests. 

 Shoots that are stubborn and will not tie in may 

 be spurred back, but lay in as straightly as pos- 

 sil)le plenty of young growths and remove older 

 growths. Remove as many old ties as possible, 

 which only harbour insects, and especially those 

 that are tight on the growths. When completed 

 the alleys may be forked over and a dusting of 

 basic slag will prove helpful, or lime. Push on 

 with other pruning and thinning as soon as the 

 leaves have fallen, so that the ground roinid and 

 about them can be dug up and made tidy. I 

 prefer to leave Currants and Gooseberries till 

 later, as when the latter are left unpruned the 

 birds have greater difficidty in taking the basal 

 buds. Apples, and in fact all kinds of fruit that 

 fail to give good returns, or are otherwise un- 

 suitable to the locality and requirements, should 

 be grubbed up and their places filled with more 

 profitable sorts, or in the case of standard and 

 orchard trees be regrafted. 



The Flower Garden. 



The replanting of practically all herbaceous 

 plants may now be undertaken whenever the 



ground is in suitable order, and not only will it 

 relieve the pressure of work later on, but also 

 whilst the growth is still on the majority of them 

 the rearranging according to height is much more 

 easily done. With Michaelmas Daisies and such 

 a number of varieties it is difficult unless one has 

 been particularly careful to label them exhaust- 

 ively to. place them correctly and remember their 

 behaviour when once they have been cut down. 

 If the whole of the border is to be replanted 

 carry out the work as well as possible, because 

 a good deal of trouble has to be taken, and when 

 completed with an annual overhaul and top- 

 dressing these should last for years. When 

 splitting up stools of herbaceous plants do so by 

 inserting two strong forks back to back and 

 levering the handles in an outward direction. 

 This is far preferable to chopping with a spade. 

 Select the outer portion of old established clumps, 

 wliich are usually the most vigorous, and rather 

 plant three smaller pieces triangularly than one 

 large clump. There is a great art in laying out 

 borders to provide a feast of colour at various 

 seasons of the year, and for the plants to har- 

 monise, which recalls to my memory the excel- 

 lent photograph of the Herbaceous Borders at 

 Glasnevin depicted in Irish Gardening last 

 April, and which reflects the greatest credit on 

 all concerned. 



Christmas Roses should he tidied up and the 

 ground forked around them, and a little stimul- 

 ant added and hand lights or cloches placed over 

 them when the flowers commence to open. 

 Plant Violets in frames without delay and keep 

 as near the glass as possil)le, and give abundance 

 of air. 



Revi 



view. 



One Thousand Gardening Hints, 



This is one ot' the large number of books published 

 during the war, and primarily designed to afford 

 help to amateurs. The idea of the present volume 

 is excellent. Many amateurs have scant leisure 

 for reading advanced works on gardening, and 

 indeed have not the practical expeiience to gain 

 much benefit from such. What they want is a 

 handy book of reference to which they can turn in 

 an emergency and find brief directions on the 

 different crops grown in gardens and allotments, 

 and pointed in formation regarding the cultivation 

 of the soil. The inexperienced often long for some 

 advice as to how to make the most of a small 

 area, and " 1000 Hints " makes a feature of 

 advising as to the best way of utilising a small 

 garden. 



All sorts of crops in garden and greenhouse are 

 briefly alluded to as well as manures, garden 

 pests, garden I'ecipes, &c., and an excellent 

 Vegetable Time Table is included. Amateurs 

 and Allotment Holders might do worse than 

 invest in this little volume, w^hich makes a useful 

 companion to " The Complete Guide to Garden- 

 ing," by the same author. Both are published 

 at Is. 3d. net, obtainable from Cassel & Co., Ltd., 

 La Belle Sauvage, London, E.G. 4, and presum- 

 ably through booksellers. 



