IRISH GARDENING 



VOLUME XII 

 No. 142 



Editor-J- W. Besant. 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE 



ADVANCEMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



DECEMBER 

 1917 



Lectures for Plotholders. 



Fertilisers and Manures. 



This admirable course of lectures was con- 

 tinued in the Dublin Municipal Technical 

 Schools on Friday, the 23rd of November, the 

 lecturer being ]Mr. J. P. Drew, Manager of the 

 Model Farm, Glasnevin. 



The lecturer alluded to the need for analyses 

 of the plant and the soil in arriving at a know- 

 ledge of manures or fertilisers required in 

 different instances. Describing the two main 

 divisions into which manures are separated, he 

 pointed out that organic manures are derived 

 from the remains of plants and animals, while 

 inorganic manures are obtained from mineral 

 sources. The chief organic manure is un- 

 doubtedly ordinary farmyard manure, which is 

 commonly called " complete," because it con- 

 tains all the more essential elements of plant 

 food — viz., nitrogen, phosphate, and potash, 

 while its mechanical action on the soil is not 

 the least of its virtues. Given a sufficient 

 supply of farmyard manure, the need for 

 ai-tificial or inorganic manures is reduced to a 

 minimum, though on some soils and for certain 

 crops a combination of organic and inorganic 

 is found profitable. 



Proceeding, the lecturer dwelt on the time 

 to apply the various " artificials " according to 

 their degree of solubility. Nitrates, such as 

 the popular nitrate of soda, are best applied as 

 a top-dressing to the growing crop, as, if applied 

 earlier, much of it is washed out of the soil 

 before the crop can use it. Superphosphate 

 and basic slag are examples of phosphatic 

 manures, and being less readily soluble, may 

 be dug into the soil some time before cropping 

 takes place. Superphosphate is more quickly 

 soluble than basic slag, and may be forked or 

 dug into the soil in early spring, and will be 



available during the summer. Slag is slower, 

 and may be applied now^ to any ground being 

 dug over, as there is no fear of it being washed 

 out. It may, however, be applied nearly any- 

 time, as it will certainly become available for 

 a subsequent crop. 



Potash manures, whic'h are all imported, are 

 valuable, but at present unobtainable. For 

 allotments, however, where but small quan- 

 tities are required, some amount of potash may 

 be obtained through burning all rubbish of plant 

 remains which can be got together — weeds, 

 decayed leaves, any woody material, such as 

 useless pea sticks, hedge trimmings, &c. The 

 resulting ashes may be spread over the ground 

 and dug in in the ordinary way. 



Lime was referred to as being of great value 

 ^\•hen applied to soils deficient in it, and which 

 had been heavily manured previously. Heavy, 

 retentive soils, which have had repeated ap- 

 plications of farmyard manure, are apt to 

 become sour, and nothing tends to correct this 

 acidity so much as an application of lime at 

 from 8 to 10 cwts. per acre. If the lime is 

 obtained in the lump form it may be laid down 

 in small 'heaps and covered with a few inches 

 of soil. When pulverised it ma^' be s])read and 

 dug into the soil. 



That dread disease, known variously as Club 

 Root, Finger and Toe, &c., and called by 

 botanists Plasmadiophora brassicae, is fre- 

 quently troublesome to Cabbages, Cauliflowers, 

 Turnips, and indeed most members of the 

 Cabbage family, and is best eradicated by using 

 lime in the soil. 



Had time permitted, we would have liked 

 to have heard the lecturer say something on the 

 value of two great " manures " which cost 

 nothing — viz., light and air. 



Deep working of the soil, too, is of in- 



