54 



IRISH GARDENING. 



ing them into the soil till the top of the Inilb is 

 about level with the surface of the soil. 



To furtlier explain the meaning of " Onion 

 Sets " we reproduce lierewith an article which 

 appeared in Irish Gardexixg of ^Nlay last year : — 



" A method of improving the size of onions by 

 transplanting them was recommended by Wor- 

 lidge so early as the beginning of the seventeenth 

 century in his ' Systema IIorticidturjB,' and this 

 l^ractice has lately been revived with great success 

 by some eminent horticulturists. 



" The theory on whicli it is founded is extremely 

 ingenious. Every plant which lives longer than 

 one year generates the sap or vegetable blood, 

 which will elaborate the leaves and roots of the 

 succeeding spring. 



" In bulbous roots this reserved sap is deposited, 

 in the bulb, which in a great measure composes it. 

 Now, the store which is thus formed varies con- 

 siderably in the same species of plant, according 

 to the particular circumstances under which it is 

 raised. Thus the onion in the south of Europe 

 accumulates a much greater quantity in a single 

 season ixnder a greater degree and longer duration 

 of heat than is afforded by our colder climates, 

 and, therefore, it acquires in a given time a much 

 larger size. 



" Mc Knight was iiiduced by those observations 

 to suppose that two short and variable summ.ers 

 here might perhaps Ije ec|ual in effect to one 

 long and bright season in Portugal, and, 

 accordingly, he attempted a method of culture 

 which has proved his inference to be correct. 



" In pursuance of this plan, seeds of the 

 Portugal onion were sown in late spring very 

 thickly on a poor soil and in a shady situation. 

 Under these circumstances the bulb in the 

 autumn had attained scarcely beyond the size of 

 a large pea. The bulbs were then taken from the 

 ground and preserved dry during the winter, and 

 in the ensuing spring they were again planted at 

 equal distances. 



" From this treatment the bulblets (or sets) 

 produced bulbs very superior to those raised 

 im.mediately from seed, some exceeding 5 inches 

 in dianieter, and being more matured, remained 

 sound throughout thewinterwith greater certainty 

 than those raised from seed in a sngle season. 

 . . ." — Rhind's VegetahJe Kingdom. 



" Sets " suitable for i)lanting are now being 

 offered by uaany seedsmen, and intending growers 

 should obtain a supply and plant without delay. 



Gardener. 



Vegetable Food. 



Salads. 



Salads in this country do not hold the same 

 Ijosition in the housekeeping that they do abroad, 

 where the mid- day meal would certainly not be 

 considered complete unless some salad was served 

 up. But it is c^uite possible that, with the 

 duration of the war and the growing shortage of 

 sonie food stuffs, that it will become a necessity 

 to make use of all vegetables, cooked or in the 

 raw state. 



By the word salad far more is implied than 

 merely chopped lettuce and a dressing. It in- 

 cludes many cold cooked vegetables, such as 

 green peas, young broad beans, cauliflower, 



French beans, potatoes, beetroot, salsify, as well 

 as lettuce, luustard and cress, onion, chives, 

 cucumber, tomato, radish, celery, watercress and 

 parsley. Eggs, hard boiled, make an excellent 

 addition, either in the dressing or chopped 

 through the mixture. 



Any broad beans used in salads should if 

 possible be in a young state, as the outer coats 

 get hard as they age. If they cannot be obtained 

 young, the outer coats can be removed and the 

 beans cut up. 



Cauliflowers — it is best only to use the 

 "flower" portion, and to break it into small 

 pieces rather than chop it. 



An excellent salad can be made with lettuce, 

 mustard and cress or watercress, or all three 

 mixed, and added to this any potatoes chopped 

 small, cauliflower, peas and beans, chopped 

 radishes, tomato, cucumber, and the usual 

 seasonings of salt, pepper, parsley and onion. 

 Chives being far stronger than onion should be 

 served with the salad, but not mixed tlirough it, 

 and they look quite nice laid on the dish in small 

 bunches. Other " trimmings " can also be added 

 with sliced tomato, hard boiled egg, cucumber 

 and parsley; potatoes, caidiflower and peas and 

 beans are often over from a meal, and in this way 

 may be utilised. 



A winter salad can be made up of cold chopped 

 potatoes, beet, celei*y, parsley, hard boiled egg, 

 and cold cooked salsify, all chopped fine. 



As for dressings, many people ijrefer to mix 

 their own at table, and usually those who prefer 

 to do so also prefer vinegar, oil with salt and 

 pepper. Others prefer oil alone mixed with the 

 salad. 



Condensed milk makes a good foundation for a 

 salad dressing. It contains sxifficient sweetening 

 not to require any addition of sugar. With it 

 can be mixed a little mustard, pepper, salt, and 

 if available the yolk of an egg. Where cream is 

 procurable it is, of course, far nicer than the 

 condensed milk in the dressing. 



E. 31. P. 



Ammonium Sulphide Wash for 

 American Gooseberry Mildew. 



The following note has been conxmunicated to 

 the Board by Dr. J. Vargas Eyre and 3Ir. E. S. 

 Salmon, of the Research Department, South- 

 p]astern Agricultural College, Wye, Kent : — An 

 extensive series of experiments which was carried 

 out during 191G, partly in the glasshouse and 

 partly in the open, has again demonstrated the 

 value of ammonium sulphide as a fungicide 

 against " powdery-mildews " (ei'ysiijhaceae) in 

 general and particularly the American Goose- 

 berry ^lildew. The details of these experiments 

 show how completely the results of last year's 

 spraying trials corroborate the resvilts published 

 by us in this Journal for February, 1916. 



Necessity for Using Soap. — It is desired, 

 however, to eurphasise once again the importance 

 of using soap in this spray fluid. In order to 

 ensure a satisfactory wetting of the mildew — 

 without which it can be only partially effective — 

 it is absolutely necessary to use the wash con- 

 taining 0.5 jier cent, of soft-soap even when soft 



