ililSH GAKJJEiNING 



II 



Ui(j croijping powers; ospr- ally is tlii= true of 

 southern districts. Early v- leties of Potatoes de- 

 teriorate rapidly, and an iiiti'duction from a cooler 

 district is necessary to' seime the best residts. 

 New seed also gives a uiou- vigorous crop, which 

 resists disease oetter. A rlmnge from peaty soil 

 in a late district to a loam m an early district is 

 often markedly beneficial. 1; should also be stated 

 that seed Potatoes should '"■ obtained as early in 

 spring as possible, before sprouting has com- 

 menced, so that the daiimgc which sprouted 

 Potatoes suffer in course .'l bagging and transit 

 may be avoided. When tlir I'otatoes are received 

 they should be placed in sli ,;iow boxes to sprout. 

 Single layers w'lth the buii.~ uppermost do well. 

 Large Potatoes should not i ^ cut when placed to 

 sijrout. Any tubers which :ire large and can be 

 cut, this operation should lie done iunnediately 

 before planting. It is an advantage then if the 

 :-ut Potatoes are dressed with slaked lime. By 

 delaying the cutting, there is the additional ad- 

 vantage that the grower can be quite certain that 

 on eacli piece a bud capabl. of growth is present. 

 The quantity of Potatoes i<(|uired to plant a plot 

 of 3U0 square yards depends upon the distairce 

 apart of the rows, and also :i.5 regards the weiglit, 

 which is dependent upon liie individual size of 

 the sets. At any rate, imt less than 1 cwt. of 

 seed is required, generally more, to plant tlie 

 whole of the plot. 



Veget.ible Seeds. — As oniy the best seeds arc 

 worth sowing, it is wise to 'leal only with reliable 

 seedsmen. The elaborately illustrated packets of 

 cheap seeds, which will veiy soon be adorning the 

 shops of many but the genuine seedsmen, are not 

 reconnnended unless they l:ear the name of a firm 

 of repute. The soil requir. s just the same amount 

 of preparation for poor s.rds as it does for good 

 ones. Often if poor .seeds .ne sown and the germ- 

 ination is unsatisfactory, .~o much time is lost 

 during the interval of sowing again, that the crop 

 may not reach full maturity. Most catalogues 

 now state the quantity of .■^eed required to sow a 

 given row, so that the cahailation of tlie quantity 

 required is an easy matter. Generally speaking, 

 quarter ounce pack.ets of Cabbages ' and other 

 greens contain sufficient quantity where a variety 

 IS sown. P"or Parsnips and Carrots half one ounce 

 may be required. Peas differ. so much in height 

 and season of ripening tha! these should be care- 

 fully selected. For Peas above 2 feet in height 

 stakes of some description :ire necessary. 



The beginning of the ye.ir is a convenient time 

 to commence an account look to note therein the 

 expenditure and income oi the plot. It may be 

 said now that the area of a plot is far too sinall 

 TO show a profit over expenditure if an account 

 is kept of tlie number of hours of labour. But 

 the majority of men who have allotments do not 

 take them of course from the strictly utilitarian 

 point of view, although the production of good 

 vegetaljles and flowers is the primary function of 

 a plot. We do, however, wish to draw the atten- 

 tion of allot 'nent holders and small gardeners 

 generally to the pleasure lliat can he derived from 

 growing a few- things well which will give both 

 satisfaction and profit WJiat is the financial 

 value of Sweet Peas when grown well ? The grow- 

 ing of a few flowers on the plot is sure to give 

 satisfaction. 



Celery disease is very prevalent in this district 

 at the present time on the planf.^ grown in 

 trenches. Small plants sown in drills and used 

 chiefly for flavouring soups, seem to be compara- 

 tively free. The disease is reported to have been- 



first observed in Ireland in IDUG. it appears now 

 to_ have become prevalent throughout the country. 

 Where Celery U grown in trc'iiches, the spraying 

 01 the crop will practically become essenlial to 

 cultivation. At tin- moment it is strongly advised 

 to burn all disea.srd. leaves and not leave, them on 

 the ground. Where disease is present on a plot 

 it will be advisable next season to make the 

 trenches as far away from the present ones as 

 possible. 



Few allotment holders attempt the cultivation 

 of Potatoes witiioul manure, hut it is rare to find 

 men supplementing the dung with artificial 

 manures, yet, it is well known to be profitable. 

 The following is often referred to as the Depart- 

 ment's standard mixture :— 7 ll)s. sulphate of 

 ammonia, 28 lbs. .'superphosphate, 7 lbs. muriate of 

 potash per plot of .'juo square yards. Mixing is 

 best carried out ju.st before the manure is re- 

 quired for use. It can then he applied over the 

 dung when planting. Artificial manures are often 

 in a lumpy condition when received. .Just before 

 mixing the lumps should be beaten out to powder. 



G. H. Oliver. 



JOOOOCocoo^A 



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ziiii^m 



The Month's Work 



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 SJ^oooooooOOOool 



By Mr. W. H. Kke, Gardener to Viscount Powers- 

 court. K.P.. Enniskerry. Co. Wicklow. 



Work Under Glass. 



Complete the tying and washing of Peach trees 

 and Vines in late liouses. One of the great secrets 

 of success here is the cleanliness of the trees and 

 houses. Peaches will only stand gentle forcing, 

 and until the flower buds show colour the tem- 

 perature should range between 40° to 50°, and 

 on sunny days about 10° higher. 



When the flower l)uds are .swelling it is some- 

 times found that alter a fine sunny day they a;e 

 falling off, the cause is usually through the border.^ 

 having become dry- during the autumn or winter. 

 A thorough soaking should he given, taking care 

 to loosen the top soil lightly before doing so. The 

 most critical time for Peaches and Nectarines is 

 when in flower, and' on all fine days when the air 

 is light and buoyant, and the pollen ripe and dry, 

 they should be fertilised. A rabbit's tail pas.sed 

 lightly from bloom to bloom answers the purpose 

 and will Ije most conducive towards producing a 

 free and regular set. In the event of the pruning 

 of Vines having l)een delayed no time should be 

 lost in completing the work, as the sap will soon 

 be in rapid motinn. After pruning give the rods 

 a good washing with Gisliurst's Compound, first 

 cleaning off all loose bark. .January is usually 

 early enough to start forcing, .see that the borders 

 are in proper I'ondition; they usually require a 

 thorough soaking, then commence by closing the 

 house early in the afternoons and damp down to 

 create a humid atmosphere. To soften the bark 

 and aid the rods to break freely syringing should 

 not be neglected but followed up both morning 

 and afternoon on fine days, always using clean 

 lepid water so that there may be no check or 

 chill. 



