IRISH GARDENING 



133 



Food 



How to Conserve our 

 Supply 



By A. F. Pearsox, F.R.H.S. 



War in Europe, with all its attendant horrors 

 brought home to our very doors, has made the 

 most casual amongst us think. With some of 

 our trade routes closed, many disorganised, and 

 nearly all of our enenxies' sea-routes blockaded, 

 our food supi)lies must suffer, we are dependent 

 on many of the 

 nations now at war 

 for so m u c h. 

 Ireland is, perhaps, 

 the most fortunate 

 of countries by 

 reason of its agri. 

 cultui'al i»ursuits. 

 Cereal crops are 

 promising, cattle, 

 on account of the 

 " Rinderpest," are 

 m ore numerous 

 than usual here, so 

 we are better pre- 

 |)ared than many 

 for shortage in 

 food. It behoves 

 us, however, to con- 

 serve all we have 

 and economise by 

 methods hitherto 

 unheeded. Extra- 

 vagance at such a 

 time is criminal. 



The owner of land 

 has a res])onsibility 

 in proportion to his 

 holding and means, 

 and although the 

 present season of 

 the year is not the 

 ioost favourable to 

 intensive cultiva- 

 tion, still much can 

 be done by way of 

 a d d i n g t o our 

 winter and spring 

 supi»lies of vege- 

 taliles. 



P^very vacant 

 space in the garden 

 can be filled by seeds or plants ; rotation for once 

 must go; deep cultivation may be .set aside if time 

 and labour forbid, (iround vacated by potatoes 

 mav be ]»lanted with August sown cabbages, and 

 cabbage seed may still be sown. Ellam's Early 

 April and Flower of S])ring are good varieties for 

 present sowing, and will make excellent plants 

 for spring platiting. Cabbage plants put in now 

 to cut in .spring may be ])lanted as dose as one 

 foot apart. They support each other, require 

 uo earthin'^, and are much earlier than those 

 occupying more s])ace. (!olewort. can be ]tlaiited 

 still, and will make useful .stuff for drawing in 

 early spring. 



liand cleared of ])eas can be tilled and .sown 

 with turnips. Orange .Telly and Chirk Castle, 

 both of which will, with favourable weather, get 



through the winter, and provide a spring sui)i)ly. 

 although I prefer July or August sowing. Winter 

 s])inach and si>inach beet may .still be sown. 



New ])lantations of .strawberries can be utilised 

 by sowing onions of the Tri])oli class between the 

 lines for spring drawing, or if neces.sary they may 

 be thinned and allowed to mature a cro]). This, 

 of course, is not desirable for the welfare of the 

 strawberries, but the present is an abnormal case, 

 and need not be made controversial. 



If land cleared of eld strawberry plants is not 

 yet used, cabbage, coleworts, spinach, &c., may 

 be put in, and if there are leeks in the seed beds, 

 thev may still be ]ilanted. 



The shortage of 

 vegetables in spring 

 will b e V e r y 

 marked as our (Con- 

 tinental c at erers 

 have laid aside the 

 l)loughshaiT^forthe 

 sword and the 

 pruning hook for 

 the .spear, and al- 

 though our first 

 thought mu.st be a 

 wholesome v e g e - 

 table, we nxust also 

 think of delicacies 

 for the wounded 

 and disease- 

 stricken .sailors and 

 soldiers who may. 

 ere this is pul)- 

 lished. be amongst 

 us. To those who 

 ])os.sess forcing 

 liouses, French 

 beans may behad in 

 ])lenty. He who 

 lias a large breadth 

 of seakale will latei' 

 on utilise it by 

 gentle forcing. 



Asparagus c a n 

 be sacrificed in odd 

 cases by forcing, 

 and a useful sub- 

 stitute for .seakale 

 is Swede t u r n i ]i 

 to])s. gii>wn by 

 ]>lacing the turniji 

 in a darkened forc- 

 ing pit. W h e n 

 n i c e 1 y s e r v e d , 

 these blanclied tops 

 are equal to seakale. Frames niay still l)e used for 

 sowings of kidney beans, and with luck a cro]» may 

 mature before frost sets in. 



Lettuce of the haidy winter sorts should be 

 l»ricked out mi sheltered south borders, as also 

 should parsley sown last month. Feas and bioad 

 beans iiuiy be sown next numth for early summer 

 su])plies. 



Apart troiu the inijiortance of sowing and 

 planting now, it is equally im])ortant that we 

 should liarvest every seed and root in view of 

 likely shortage next year. Peas now ri]>ening 

 their seeds can he saved and \ised foi' soups. \-c. 

 Hroad beans and kidney beans generally thrown 

 out as waste should be retained for emergencies. 

 Vegetable marrows can b«' ])reserved as a jam. 

 It is ])erha]is luinecessary to mention roots such 



COTTAGK TCLII', SUMMKK HkAITV. 



Much reduced. 



