IRISH GARDENING 



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Allotments. 



Planning the Plot. — Very few allotment holders 

 have any settled ideas how the plot is to be 

 cropped, what space is to be allowed for each 

 vegetable, and how many lows can be allowed. 

 Personally, we always woik from a plan, and 

 have a rotation on the plot so far as is possible. 

 At the same time, we have to admit that a 

 plot that is highly manured and cultivated 

 deeply, rotation of cropping is often ignored. 

 For one thing, the area of a plot is too small 

 to do very nuich in the way of rotation in 

 cropping, and many good growers on allotments 

 sow and' plant just where there happens to be 

 space. With mo.st people Potatoes are the impor- 

 tant crop, and it is usual where the grovnid is occu- 

 pied with Potatoes to transfer this crop each year. 

 There are a few points, however, that it is profit- 

 able to bear in mind. Peas usually grow well on 

 old Celery trenches. They are able to root deeply 

 in the well-cultivated ground, and will fill the pods 

 in dry weather. Parsnips and Carrots also succeed 

 on the same ground, and if the land was well 

 manured for the Celery, no further manuring is 

 necessary, except, perhaps, artificial manure. 

 Cabbages and other greens should not be planted 

 on ground previously occupied with Turnips, 

 especially if that crop has been infected with club- 

 root. It would also, of course, be sowing for 

 failure to sow Onions in the same bed if the pre- 

 vious crop was destroyed with insects. The same 

 with Carrots. In fact, it is often impossible to 

 obtain a satisfactory crop except on fresh broken 

 land. 



Purchasing Seeds. — In common with other com- 

 modities, the price of seeds advanced, and as only 

 the best seeds are worth sowing, it was an advan- 

 tage to be appreciated that reliable firms only 

 stocked seeds of a high standard of purity. Only 

 seeds of the very best quality should be purchased. 

 The same amount of labour' is required to prepare 

 the land for both ^ood and pooi- seeds. In fact, the 

 poorer the land tlie l)etter tlie seeds should l>o if 

 possible; otherwise, valualjh^ time may be lost 

 owing to bad germination. It is important also to 

 know that the seeds obtained are exactly the 

 variety they are represented to be. As an in.stance 

 if a late variety of Potato is substituted for an 

 early kind, the fraud would mean a serious loss 

 to a farmer growing on a large scale for a particu- 

 lar market. Perhaps in the case of Potatoes an 

 expert is not so easily deceived; the opposite is so 

 with very small seeds, and the purchaser is en- 



tirely at the mercy of the vendor in this respect. 

 Therefore, allotment holders are particularly ad- 

 vised to deal pnly with firms which have a repu- 

 tation to lose, such as those that advertise in this 

 journal, and thus ensure that only reliable seeds 

 are sown. Where only a small quantity of each 

 kind of seed is required, small growers are apt to 

 be attracted by the cheap packets of seeds which 

 will shortly be seen in shops everywhere, with an 

 illustration on the cover showing vegetables of 

 extraordinary magnificence. Seeds for sowing 

 should be from the previous year's harvest. At the 

 same time, good seeds will keep for more than one 

 season. In selecting kinds of seeds to grow, the 

 varieties which are known to succeed in the dis- 

 trict should be selected. Varieties which have 

 proved reliable with the plotholder, and suit indi- 

 vidual requirements, are to be preferred to un- 

 known kinds. 



The quantities of seeds required depend, of 

 course, on what space will be allotted to each vege- 

 table. Usually a quarter ounce packet contains 

 sufficient seeds of Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Sprouts, 

 Savoys, and similar crops of greens. One pint of 

 Peas should sow a row about 60 feet long. Care is 

 necessary when purchasing Peas. The varieties 

 differ greatly in height, earliness, &c. Most 

 catalogues state this information. In the case of 

 small seeds, such as Carrots and Parsnips, half an 

 ounce gives sufficient variety. 



Potatoes. — In the case of Potatoes the quantity 

 of " seed " required to plant the whole of the plot 

 depends on the distance apart IjetWv^^n the lows 

 and the distance between the sets in the rows. 

 Early varieties are usually planted closer together 

 than late kinds. The distance mid-season and late 

 varieties of Potatoes are planted is 2 feet 6 inches 

 between the rows and 1 foot 3 inches in the row. A 

 fair weight for an individual set for planting is 

 2 ounces. At this rate the weight of Potatoes re- 

 quired would be 7 st. 12 lbs., or, approximately, 16 

 cwt., to plant a statute acre. There are now scores 

 of kinds of Potatoes, and the number of varieties 

 is increasing rapidly. Many differ but little in 

 habit and growth from each other. A Potato 

 which can be lifted very early is May Queen. 

 Sharpe's Express is another early kind. Probably 

 the most popular sort is British Queen. It is not 

 quite so early as the two former varieties. For late 

 use Arran Chief, The Factor, or Irish Queen may 

 be planted. The Potato Great Scot is the heaviest 

 cropper we plant. It is a good plan to purchase 

 at least part of the seed each year. Where the plot- 

 holder saves his own seed, a change is advisable 

 al)out every two years. A good change is from the 

 North of Ireland to tlie South or from a colder to a 

 warmer climate. Sprouting the tubers is especially 

 valuable for producing early Potatoes. When the 

 seed is purchased of early varieties they should 

 always be sprouted in boxes. It is very probable 

 such Potatoes have already sprouted in the store, 

 and the sprouts have been unavoidably knocked 

 off. 



General Remarks. — Very little, or nothing, need 

 yet be attempted in the way of sowing seeds on 

 allotments. The chief question at the moment is 

 to obtain a supply of manure, if it has not already 

 been procured. Whenever the soil is in a good 

 condition it may l)e worked, but more harm than 

 good may result from workino; on heavy soils when 

 they are very wet. Plots of this description should 

 l)e trenched up in the early part of winter. If the 

 water lodges on the plot, trenches should be cut 

 along the sides and across the plot to provide 

 drainage. G. H. O. 



