i6 



IRISH GARDENING 



stage on the trees. Trees that have been 

 neglected for some years should be si)rayed with 

 2 lbs. caustic soda to 10 gallons water. Ai)ply 

 it on a calm, dry day, damping every part of the 

 tree right over the smallest twigs. It is seldom 

 we get the weather so calm as to be able to si)ray 

 trees thorouglily all round ; it is, therefore, 

 advisable to watch for an oi^portunity when the 

 wind changes to thoroughly complete the work 

 on the side where there may be tiaces of parts of 

 branches being ruined. The lime sulphur has 

 given great satisfaction as a winter cleanser of 

 the bark, and for plums and gooseberries it is 

 asserted to be a protection against sparrows and 

 bulllinches attacking the buds of plums and goose- 

 berries as they begin to swell about the end of 

 .January. Ajjplied at a strength of one gallon 

 commercial lime sulphur to 20 gallons water ; it is 

 a self marker, and shows where any part of the 

 tree has not been svifficiently si)rayed, it sticks 

 to the bark for months, leaving it bright and 

 clean the following summer. Trees affected with 

 scab should get a second spraying towards the 

 end of February or early in March. In the 

 treatment of scab on apples and pears I have 

 seen good resvilts from spraying during winter 

 with 1 lb. copper sulphate (bluestone) to 10 

 gallons water. I have also known of cases where 

 this has failed to show any benefit, but I have 

 no doubt the failure was due to imperfect spray- 

 ing. When any kind of spray fluid is applied 

 with a certain object in view, unless the spray 

 reaches every part of the tree, to the smallest 

 twig and crevice, spraying is sure to end in dis- 

 appointment, especially when dealing with such 

 small objects as spores. 



The Kubbish Corner — Every fruit garden 

 should have a corner set apart for all kinds of 

 burnable refuse, such as prunings of fruit trees 

 and bushes, trimming of hedges, &c. When 

 sufficient free-burning material is available for 

 starting a good fire it should be set agoing, and 

 when sufficient foundation is obtained slow 

 bvirning material should be heaped on so as to 

 check the progress of the burning and reduce it 

 to a slow smouldering lire which, with a little 

 care in management, can be kept burning veget- 

 able refuse for several days. The ashes accumu- 

 lated at the completion of the burning will afford 

 an excellent topdressing for some choice fruit 

 trees, or it may be protected from rain by storing 

 in some dry place, and kept for topdressing seecl 

 beds in spring. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



By Arthur Hortox, (liardener to Colonel Claude 

 Cane, 8t. Wolstan's, ('elbridge. 



The Seed Order. — To the vegetable grower one 

 of the most important items at the present time 

 is the making out of the seed order, and should 

 be taken in hand at once. It is often put off as 

 long as i)ossible and then made up in a hurry, 

 consequently some important seeds are omitted, 

 and ])robably the mistake will not be found out 

 until they are wanted, which is very annoying 

 and means a loss of valuable time. A good |>lan 

 and one that can be recommended is, before mak- 

 ing out the list to go over the (catalogue and 

 carefully mark each variety and quantity re- 

 quired. It is advisable to keep the i)revious 

 year's marked catalogue for reference, and any 

 variety that has not come up to expectations 



score it off and make up th(> quantity with 

 anotlier ])roved to be good. 



Another important point is. do not place too 

 much reliance on old seed : although they may 

 germinate well enough, the plants seldom have the 

 same vigour as plants grown from new seed. 

 Melons, cucumbers, and runner beans are ex- 

 ceptions, and some ])eople prefer old seed to 

 new. 



Digging and Tkenching. — Where there is 

 much digging and trenching to be done get it 

 forward as weather and time permit. Oa very 

 heavy and wet soils it is often advised to leave it 

 until late in the spring, but where labcnir is scarce 

 it is impossible to do everything in its proper season, 

 and most gardeners know to their cost if work is 

 behind in the spring, when everything requires to 

 be done at once, the season will be well advanced 

 before the lost time can be made good. Trench- 

 ing, if carried out in the pro])er manner, is slow 

 and laborious work, but it well repays the extra 

 time and labour expended on it, and if possible 

 a portion of the garden should be done every year, 

 as undoubtedly deep cultivation is one of the 

 chief factors in successful vegetable growing 

 either for kitchen or exhibition. What people 

 call good luck is frequently only the result of the 

 ai)plication of shrewdness, ])luck. determination 

 and hard work. 



Hotbeds and Forcing. — In most gardens the 

 forcing of vegetables is carried out to a gi-eater 

 or less extent, and as no two gardens are alike in 

 their conveniences or lack of them, as the case may 

 be, no hard and fast lines can be followed, but 

 each one has to make the most of what he has at 

 command. Generally speaking, where leaves and 

 long stable litter are plentiful, frames will be 

 found as good if not preferable to pits or other 

 striu-tures heated by hotwater pipes. Pits or 

 frames may be got ready for an early supply of 

 potatoes, leaves and half-spent horse manure 

 well turned several times is best for this purpose. 

 After the fermenting materials are in position 

 and the heat on the decline, place about a foot of 

 light soil on top, leaving i)lenty of room between 

 soil and glass for tops to develo]). For most 

 early varieties, such as Ashleaf. Sharp's Victor, 

 Harbinger, and May Queen, which are all good 

 for forcing, 15 inches between the lines and 

 1 foot between the sets is about the right distance 

 to plant. 



►Seakale, when it is well grown, is always 

 acceptable, and probably more of this vegetable 

 is forced than any other. Until the permanent 

 beds are ready for use, a succession can be kept 

 up by crowns lifted in November for that ])urpose. 

 Large pots, boxes or barrels are all suitable 

 if placed in any warm structure : light and cold 

 air must be excluded. 



Asparagus. — There are many methods of 

 forcing this useful vegetable, but one of the best 

 is in frames, the same as recommended for 

 l)otatoes, with the exception that about 1 inclies 

 of soil will be found sufficient; plant the stools 

 thickly : afterwards give a good watering ; 

 always kee]) on a little air night and day ; a nice 

 tenq)erature is between sixty and seventy. As 

 the season advances less heat will be required, 

 therefore successional bat dies may be grown 

 iix the same frame. 



General Remauks. — Look over seed ijotatoes 

 and idace them in a light position for sprouting. 

 Seeds of onions, leeks, tomatoes and cucumbers 

 for early supplies may be sown in boxes and pots 

 during this month. 



