IRISH GARDENING. 



59 



allowed to grow the first summer for the purpose 

 of fully maintaining root action in the stock till 

 autumn, when it may be all cleared off, and the 

 grafts being well established will utilise all the 

 sap the following season. 



Grafting wax is now becoming very popular 



I ' 



.J 'i- 



Whip and Toxgue GEAFTixr;. 



]jetters 6, c, d, show method of inserting scion on stock. " — Method 



of putting on clay, 



with amateurs, as it can be procured from seeds- 

 men in tins at 6d. and Is each, postage extra. 

 It is now very rare to meet with anyone using 

 the old-fashioned clay mixture, witli which I 

 have seen some very nice grafting done. 



Suburban and Allotment 

 Gardens* 



General Eemarks. — As in many instances 

 cultivation commenced very late, it is probable 

 that much of the work recommended for last 

 month has stOl to be done ; this should be pro- 

 ceeded with first of all. There are few seeds 

 amongst allotmsnt holders" crops which cannot 

 be sown in April with a fair amount of success, 

 while potatoes planted during this month often 

 bear better crops than those planted earlier. 

 Would-be allotment holders need not be deterred 

 from stai'ting on new allotments even now, while 

 those having useless grass patches in suburban 

 gardens may still be in time with many crops ; 

 after all it is the vegetables in season from January 

 to April which are of most value, because most 

 expensive to buy. Amongst such might be 

 mentioned ; — Broccoli, late Brussels sprouts. 

 Savoy cabbages, curly greens, leeks, July-sown 

 turnips, and such stored vegetables as garden 

 swede turnips, parsnips, beet, carrots, Jerusalem 

 artichokes and onions. 



Seed Sowing. — :\rake a sowing of cauliflower, 



Savoy cabbage, broccoli, early greens and leeks 

 on a well-prepared seed bed (made as suggested 

 last month). These crops will rec^uire transplant- 

 ing later from .May onwards. They should 

 provide a valuable lot of winter vegetables, 

 {.'arrots should be sown early in the month. 

 This crop should, where possible, be sown on 

 ground which was well-manured last season. On 

 new ground some manure will be necessary ; this 

 should be placed at least S inches deep in the soil, 

 othemvise branched or forked roots will be the 

 result, due to the growth of the rootlets in this 

 moisture-holding material. The rows should be 

 12 inches apart, and the seeds should be sown 

 thinly in drills (V-shaped tracks) at a depth of 

 one inch, and then covered with soil which should 

 be pressed gently uiDon the seeds. On shallow 

 soils the drills might be raised above the ground 

 level by drawing the soil so as to form parallel 

 ridges about 12-15 inches apart. While on extra 

 heavy soils it will pay to make special holes 2 feet 

 deep and about 12 inches apart each way with a 

 crowbar, then filling each hole with a prepared 

 nxixture finely sifted, using such materials as 

 turfy soil, sand, wood ashes, and just a sprinkling 

 of an artificial manure, such as Clay's fertiliser, 

 using about a half pound to a cwt. of the mixture. 

 (This crop is often attacked by maggots. This 

 matter will be dealt with in the next issue.) A 

 second sowing of peas should be made, using a 

 variety such as Pilot or Gradus ; then towards 

 the end of the month make a first sowing of beet- 

 root, using a globe-rooted kind, also of French 

 and runner beans, but in the northern districts 

 it will pay to wait until ]May for these crops. 

 Parsley, scallions (small onions used green) and 

 celery should be sown for pot-herbs. The former 

 requires a well-drained soil, while the two latter 

 will be benefited by the free use of well-rotted 

 manure in the soil. Salad crops will be useful 

 during the summer. To provide such, regular 

 sowings of lettuce, radish, cress and mustard 

 should be made. The soil should be well-manured 

 for these crops at about 6 inches from the surface. 



Planting. — Plant out at about 24 inches apart 

 in the rows, and at least 18 inches between the 

 plants, a further batch of cauliflower and cabbage 

 plants, also a few red or pickling cabbage. Savoy 

 cabbage, Brussels sprouts, &c. These crops revel 

 in a richly-manured soil which has been well 

 limed (keeping the manure about 6 inches deep. 

 Plant out the main crop of potatoes as soon as 

 possible. 



Thinninc;. — As the various seedlings come 

 above ground they should be thinned out to at 

 least an inch apart at first (except in the case of 

 mustard and cress, which are shorn off in the 

 baby stages), and then eventually thinned so as 

 to give each plant its required amount of space, 

 which varies with the different crops. For 

 carrots and early turnips the final distance will 

 be about 6 inches, while the radishes may be left 

 at 3 inches, being further thinned out as required 

 for use. 



Hoeing. — The Dutch or push hoe should be 

 constantly used as soon as the seedlings of various 

 kinds came above ground. The soil should be 

 loosened about an inch deep ; hoeing preve/its 

 the rapid evaporation of water from the soil, 

 allows the air to enter freely (air is necessary for 

 the proper development of the roots of plants), 



