12 



IRISH GARDENING 



other expenses. Anaii'.'e as far as ]>ossil>le tliat 

 plants of the same families do not siicii-ed one 

 another without at least one year intervening'. 

 Ground on whieh Celery. Carrots, Beet. Tarsnips. 

 and Potatoes iiave i>een fzrown should receive a 

 tliorontih nuunirinf: when ditr-riiit.'. or. Letter still, 

 trenehinu' in prejiaration for eropjiinti with Teas, 

 Beans. Onions, and 'I'urnips. Cahhage, Cauli- 

 flower, Bru.ssels Sprouts, and Broeeoli mny follow 

 the ahove. tiiviuf.' a thr.'e-eourse rotation. 



CAri.iKi.(nvKH.— If yonn-; ])lants were not raised 

 in the autunm, a small .-^owiuj' may he made this 

 month in hoxes. Early Snowhall. Early London, 

 and Veitch's Autumn Ciiant are jiood varieties. 

 Careful attention is reipiired with these from the 

 tinu' seedling's are up till planted out. The former 

 variety is useful for <.'rowinti in frames or i)its. and 

 also can he recommended for pots. 



Erknch Bk.^ns. — Where sufficient heat is at com- 

 mand, make a sowing' in 7-ineli pots thre(^ j)arts 

 filled with fairly rich soil. Eill nj) the remainiu!.; 

 ."space when the plants are erowintr well. A tem- 

 perature of GO degrees to 05 degrees at least will he 

 required to hring them on. 



ToM.\TOKS. — A sowing may be made this month 

 for an early crop. Pans or pots are host, filled 

 with light, sandy soil. When the seedlings are up, 

 keep near the glass, and pot off singly into small 

 pots as soon as the first pair of leaves are show- 

 ing. Grow on as sturdy as possible, and water with 

 care. 



Onions. — These require a long season's growth 

 to obtain large bulbs; therefore, seed should be 

 .sown this month in boxes of fairly rich soil. That 

 in which Melons have been grown, with the ad- 

 dition of some leaf mould, wood ashes, and old 

 lime rnl)blo to lighten it, forms a good compost. 

 passing the whole through a half-inch riddle. 

 Drain the boxes well, and fill to within half an inch 

 of the top, pressed moderately firm. Sow the seeds 

 thin, covering lightly with the mixture. Place the 

 boxes in a temperature of about 55 degrees to start, 

 then shift to cooler quarters in plenty light. 



Pe.^s. — Eor the earliest picking, sow in pots or 

 boxes and grow on slowly, planting out in warm 

 positions when weathei- conclitions are favourable, 

 giving .some protection with spruce branches 

 placed on each side of the drills. Chelsea Gem and 

 f.ittle Marvel are two good dwarf varieties. The 

 Pilot, Drunmiond's Muitij)le, and Gradus can be 

 recommended as tall varieties, and will give a 

 succession to the former. 



PoT.\TOKs. — Those growing in pots for early 

 dishes shoidd be kept near the light. Apply a top- 

 dress when the growth has reac^ied a few inches 

 above the top of the pots. Select seed tubers for 

 forcing in frames, and place in a light, w-arm 

 house to sp)out. Tubers in the store house should 

 ])e turned over occasionally, removing any spiDuts 

 and picking out bad tubers, which soon affect the 

 others. 



Mustard and Cress should be sown at intervals 

 to keep up a continual supply. Further batches 

 of Rhubarb and Seakai.k may he brought into the 

 forcing house to meet lequirements. Give careful 

 attention to all .stock wintering in cold frames; 

 ventilate freely when weather permits. Manure 

 and turn up to the weather all gromid as it becomes 

 vacant, leaving the surface rough to let the frost 

 penetrate as deep as possil)le. 



The Fruit Garden. 



Work in this department had to be suspended 



owing to the spell of sharp fi'ost in mid-December. 



consequently operations will likely be in arrears. 



The hard state of the ground afforded a good 



opportunity to get manure carted on to the 

 different plots in readiness for mulching when 

 l)runing is finished. 



As soon as a thaw sets in. push on tiic |)runing 

 and spraying on every favouralile occasion, and 

 endeavour to get all comi)l('ted this month. 



Insert cuttings of Currants and Gooseberries, 

 prejiared as advised in previous notes. If not 

 already seen to, tie up Kas])herries to the wires; 

 afterwards hoe very lightly to remove weeds, then 

 nndching with well-rotted iii.iiiure. It is not too 

 late to make new i)lantations. hut the sooner this 

 is done the hctlcr. 



The hard frost raised (luite a number of the 

 young Strawberry plants, and these shoidd he 

 |)ressed back into position again when the .soil is 

 fairly dry. 



Peach trees under glass should receive attention 

 before the buds begin to move; thorougldy cleanse 

 them before tying up to the wires. Remove an 

 iiu'h or two of tlu^ surface soil, adding a top-dressing 

 of new soil mixed with lime rubble, wood ashes, 

 and bone meal. Borders should not be neglected. 

 "If water is req\iired apply it at a temperature of a 

 few degrees above that of the house. 



Prune and cleanse Vines, rubbing off all loose 

 bark which is the hiding-place of insect pests. In 

 the case of inside borders, treat as advised for 

 Peaches. (3utside l)orders should be cleaned and 

 mulched with stable litter. 



The Pleasure Grounds. 



Alterations in progress in the flower garden and 

 pleasure grounds should be pushed on to a conclu- 

 sion this month. J.ittle time can be spared to carry 

 out extra work after this month is out. 



If the planting of shrubs is not now completed, 

 it is advisable to defer the work till March and 

 April. Meantime, the gi'ound coidd be prepared 

 for their reception. 



Heibaceous borders may be forked over, working 

 in some well-rotted manure, or, failing a supply of 

 this, a dressing of leaf-mould with a dusting of 

 l)one meal will form a good sub.stitute. 



Vacant flower l)eds should be trenched and left 

 rough to let the frost act on them. These would 

 be ready for the reception of such plants that re- 

 quire putting out before the general bedding time. 

 If not already done, thin out the growths of the 

 Wichuriana Roses on pillars, tying in the young 

 shoots for next year's crop of bloom. Other varie- 

 ties may stand for a time. 



Planting .should be completed as soon as pos- 

 sible, providing the soil conditions are suitable. 



Take advantage of hard weather to cart decayed 

 leaves on to shrub borders, which can be spread 

 over the roots when the frost is out of the ground. 



Sweet Peas that were raised in small pots last 

 autumn will require a shift. Keep them near the 

 light in a cool, airy place, but free from frost. 



Violets in frames will benefit with a little atten- 

 tion too when the lights can be removed. A light 

 dressing of Thomson's manure, worked into 

 the soil with a handfork, will do wonders. Very 

 little water will be required at this time. 



Sow seeds of East Lothian Stocks during the 

 month, and when a pair of leaves are made prick 

 off into boxes or frames. 



Examine Dahlia tubers in the store, and if frost 

 is likely to reach them shake some dry litter over 

 the boxes. Gladioli corms may be cleaned on wet 

 days, and do all the little jobs possible that will 

 help to save time later on. 



Sweep and roll lawns and tennis courts, and if 

 labour can be spared this is a good time to remove 

 weeds such as plantains, &c. 



