30 



IRISH GARDENING 



A Few Good Peas. 



In writing these few notes on this most important 

 vegetable I will only deal with the varieties I 

 have given a fair trial, either in the demonstrjition 

 plots in (V). Kildare or the school garden at Naas. 

 In order to be successful in the growing of this 

 vegetable a thorough cultivation of the soil is 

 necessary, and the easiest way to secure for jilants 

 the soil* conditions that best suit them is to 

 cultivate deeply either by digging or trenchin;^,-. 

 but as the writer of the Month's Work in the Veget- 

 able Garden column will deal with methods of cul 

 ti vat ion. I will only say a few words on varieties. 



If very early peas are required and autumn 

 sowing in October or early November is practised. 

 I would sow William I., as I find it very hardy. 

 and it turns in early. For early spring sowing 

 select Multiple and Pilot: the last-named is a 

 grand pea, but in heavy soils should not be sown 

 too early or many of the peas will decay. 

 Gradus is a grand early marrowfat pea. but in 

 heavy soils should not be sown before the end of 

 February. Another good pea is Early Bountiful. 

 a grand cropper, but not so early as the others 

 mentioned, so that for early pulling I would 

 grow William I. autumn sown. Pilot and Gradus 

 to follow in order named. All grow about 3i feet 

 high, or with very good culture 4 feet. As a 

 second early variety I would grow Senator, 

 3 feet high." which l' find the best and heaviest 

 cropping pea in cultivation for private use or 

 growing for market : the pods are only medium 

 size and a light colour, so it is not much use for 

 exhibition. Alderman and Quite Content being 

 best for this purpose for early shows, and Glad- 

 stone for late shows. To follow Senator, sow 

 Eureka, one of the most useful peas raised by 

 Sutton & Sons, and now a long time in commerce : 

 it is an immense cropper, but again the pods are 

 only medium size and a light colour. When 

 cooked the flavour is delicious : many experts 

 consider it the best flavoured pea. 



For late use Gladstone and Rereguard aie 

 about the best, but care must be taken that the 

 seed is sown in good time, as late sowing is often 

 the cause of failure. I have tried many othei 

 good peas, such as Webb's King George V., 

 Webb's Champion and Webb's Stourbridge 

 Marrow, three varieties hard to beat for size of 

 pod and cropping qualities. The three best 

 dwarf peas are Webb's Little Marvel, New 

 Surprise for early use, and Carter's Daisy for mid- 

 season. " Wm. TYxnAi-i.. 



e^* 5^^ ^^ 



Spraying Fruit Trees with Lime-Sulphur 

 Wash 



From the results of a second year's experiment 

 as to the efficacy of lime-sulphur wash against the 

 diseases of fruit trees (peach, a]>ple. i>ear), the 

 writer recommends this wash as a successful means 

 of controlling leaf-curl of peaches (Exoascus 

 deformans) and ap])le scab (Venturia inaequalis). 

 In order to obtain good results, the mixture 

 must be apjilied three times — (a) just before 

 flowering : (6) when the blooms are falling : 

 (c) three weeks later. — From the Monthly 

 Bulletin of Agr'icxiltural Intelligetice and Plant 

 Diseases, 



The Month^s Work. 



The Flo'wer Garden. 



Hv W.M. G. 



O'Xeill. 



\\ ADGE, Gardener to Lady 

 Shane's Castle, Antrim. 



Lkn(;thenino days bring additionul 

 duties in the flower garden. It is 

 very im] tort ant that the work be kept 

 well in hand, every week bringing 

 f^ -^f^mMT' \^'ifli '^ fresh work. Mudi may be 

 S|VjlS^ done by a good method of organising 

 f|m^i4*^ the work and the labour at com- 

 11 ^vujiJ laand by the man in charge, but 

 with bad weather and other advers- 

 <ircumstances it is sometimes im- 

 |iossible to do all thr- work just at tin- 

 time we would wish. Push on al! 

 outside work when the weather is 

 favourable, let any inside j<»K>s stand 

 over, even if it is a favourite date for 

 doing them. There will be plenty of 

 bad days during the month when 

 these things can be done. Arrange 

 that any necessary wheeling on walks 

 l)e done when they are dry or when 

 liard through frost. If done when 

 they are soft it entails further labour 

 getting them back into good con- 

 dition again. Dig the ground in 

 shrubberies, leaving the .surface 

 i(^ugh. it may be raked down later 

 when wind and frost have acted on 

 the soil : of course discretion must 

 be exercised in digging, not to dig 

 deeply near to the shrubs, especially 

 such as are surface-rooting. Strong- 

 growing shrubs that have been 

 planted as screens, either to hide some unsightly 

 object or to break the force of the wind, and 

 are not subject to an annual pruning, may have 

 got out of bounds. Attend to any such now. 

 Cut the branches back to the desired height, and 

 tie in a few suitable pieces with tar cord to hide 

 anv bare stems. This work and the cutting of ivy 

 on walls may be done when weather and soil are 

 not suitable for ground work. Get a heap of soil 

 readv under cover, consisting of loam, leaf-nuvald 

 and sand. This will be found suitable for potting 

 most of the bedding plants, also for seed sowing 

 and for cuttings, with a more liberal addition of 

 sand. See that sufficient boxes are at hand for 

 seeds and cuttings, and that flower jiots are clean, 

 readv for use. Lawn mowers should be overhauled 

 and 'anv necessarv repairs attended to. 



Beds and Borders. — Complete any necessary 

 work in the herbaceous borders. Where these 

 have been trenched and re]»lanted in recent years, 

 deep digging between the plants and working in 

 some rotten manure will suffice now. Mont- 

 bretias that have been wintered in a cold frainr 

 can now be planted. Pick out the strongest 

 corms. and idant them in small bunches of 3 or 4 

 at inches apart, and cover with a few inches of 

 soil. Where these are left in the open ground 

 through the winter they shoidd be lifted and 

 divided annuallv. or there will be nui.h leafage 

 and little flower resulting. Tliis is the month to 

 plant Ranun<ulus. .Mlow S inches between tli.- 

 tubers and plant 2 inches deep. The claw-likr 

 tubers are very easily broken, being very brittle, 



