IRISH GARDENING 



f^ 



dens and allotments, which in most cases will he 

 found superior to Champion as a niaincrop. The 

 tubers are pink in colour and round in shape. 

 The total yield in the trials was 12| tons per 

 statute acre — lU tons large; 1 ton seed; 9 ewt. 

 small and diseased. 



Kf'ir's Fink. — The tubers of this variety are 

 pink in colour, round in shape, and are very 

 similar to those of Irish Queen. The cooking 

 quality is satisfactory. In the trials the total yiekl 

 was 15i tons per statute acre — 12^ tons large; 2^ tons 

 seed ; 16 cwt. small and diseased. 



Malcstir. — An early maincrop. Tubers, white 

 in colour, oval to long in shape. They grow very 

 large but are not very numerous. As frhe variety 

 is very liable to " miss," the seed should be care- 

 fully sprouted in boxes, and only whole sets 

 planted. Total yield per statute acre 15i tons 

 — l:j| tons large; 18 cwt. seed; 11 cwt. small and 

 diseased. 



Tivtrald I'erfecf'ion. — The tubers of this variety 

 are very similar to those of Up-to-date. Total 

 yield in the trials 16| tons per statute acre — 13J 

 tons large; 2^ tons seed; 10 cwt. small and diseased. 



When the unfavourable character of the season 

 is taken into account, the exceptionally heavy 

 yields obtained in these trials are remarkaole, 

 and furnish evidence that the cropping capa.Mty 

 of some of the immune varieties now available 

 leaves nothing to be desired. The tests were 

 carried out on soil of a light, sandy nature 

 dressed with farmyard manure, and the Depart- 

 ment's standard mixture of Artificials for potatoes. 

 The plots were spraved three times. — Drpartmenf 

 of A<irlrt,1fure (iiid Tprhni,<il Insfniriiori for 

 IrehnnJ. 



Allotments. 



Now that the days are l)eginning to lengthen, 

 allotment holders will have an ojjportunity to 

 get the plot in order for seed sowing and planting 

 which will have to commence in real earnest in 

 March. The majority of men have had practically 

 no opportunity to get work done diiring January, 

 so bad has the weather been. It should be the 

 endeavour of each to wipe out these arrears of 

 work as soon as possible, otherwise there will be 

 a rush, and forced labour later on. When the 

 allotment becomes a labour and source of worry 

 to those of limited time, the pleasure of labour is 

 lost and often results in the work being scamped 

 over. Whereas it is in the preparation of the 

 ground and the treatment of the soil to get good 

 seed beds which means so much to the crops. 

 Deep digging and thorough tillage mean a great 

 deal, but it is apparent that the fact is not nearly 

 realised as it should be. 



Seed Sowing. — At the date of writing these 

 notes, the soil will have to improve very much to 

 make seed sowing a possil)ility on allotments 

 (luring February. The exception will be very 

 light and sandy soils. Parsnips are the most 

 important crop sown early. Any soil which has 

 been deeply worked, such as that occupied 1)y 

 tlie celery crop, is excellent for sowing seeds of 

 Parsnips. Deep land well cultivated should pro- 

 duce clean even-shaped roots. Rake the surface 

 soil down to get a good frial)le surface and draw 

 th(> drills eighteen inches apart. The seeds may 

 either be sown thinly along the drills or a few 

 seeds dropped every nine inches or so. If it is 

 impossible to get the soil into a suital)le condition 

 for sowine, Parsnins should be sown as earlv in 



March as possible. The Onion crop is very often 

 destroyed by the Onion Fly on allotments, 

 therefore the best way to grow this crop under 

 the circumstances is either to sow in the open 

 ground in the autunm, or sowing under glass in 

 the spring. The seeds may be sown in boxes of 

 prepared soil, and raised with a little 

 heat. The plants should be gradually hard- 

 ened, and finallv, thoroughly exposed to 

 the weather, before planting out, which is 

 generally done during the month of April. 

 Where there is a small greenhouse on the plot. 

 Tomatoes can be sown this month. It is, how- 

 ever, a much better plan for an allotment holder 

 who grows Tomatoes without heat in the early 

 stages of growth to visit a local nursery and pur- 

 chase the plants when they are required. 



Sh.\llots. — This crop should be planted at &ny 

 time now. The ground should be fairly good and 

 enriched with manure, to get good results. Press 

 the bu4bs firmly but not too deeply in the ground, 

 in rows about one foot apart and about nine 

 inches in the row. In the suburbs of towns, 

 crows often pull the l)ulbs out of the ground. We- 

 usually have to tie paper shaped like the tail of a 

 kite, and string the bed over. 



JERtrs.iLEM Artichokes. — These are often left in 

 the ground year by year, until the tubers de- 

 generate so as t© be hardly worth lifting for 

 consumption. Now is a good time to lift the whole 

 of the crop. Select the largest for eating pur- 

 poses, and the tubers of medium size may be 

 planted again. The ground should then be well 

 manured, and the tubers planted about six inches 

 deep. A row at the end of the plot, or any place- 

 where a screen or hedge is required will be a 

 suitable pla(»e to plant. The tubers grow almOvSt 

 anywhere, but at the same time, they repay for 

 good cultivation. 



Bro.\d Beans. — May be sown during February or 

 March. The seeds are usually sown eight inches- 

 apart in a double row. Allotment holders often 

 sow this crop in beds, but better results are 

 obtained from double rows. Quite good crops 

 can be obtained by dropping seeds among potatoes 

 when these are being planted. Potatoes such as 

 Great Scot and Skerries make a lot of haulm and 

 are hardly suitable. 



Cabb.^ges. — The Cabbage planted in the autunin 

 should be looked over, and the gaps filled up in 

 the rows; also remove any blind ones. About a 

 teaspoonfal of nitrate of soda around each plant 

 will act as a stimulant. It is important also to- 

 use a hoe or cultivator between the rows to en- 

 courage the plants to grow. 



Potato Onion.— In the north the cultivation 

 of this crop has declined, owing to disease, and 

 the heavy cost of bulbs for planting. The ground 

 requires "to be well manured near the surface to 

 enable the plants to withstand the drought. The 

 bed should then be made firm. Press the bulbs in 

 the soil just covering them in rows about twelve- 

 or fifteen inches apart and from six to ten inches 

 l^et-^veen the bulbs according to their size. 



Ehubarb.— If the spare roots are lifted and 

 placed in a dark corner, young shoots will soon 

 appear. The roots should be covered to conserve 

 the moisture; or. old tubs or boxes can be 

 placed over the roots in the ground. If the boxes 

 are covered with litter, the shoots will come much 

 sooner owing to the higher temperature inside the 

 l)ox. When kept in the dark they are more tender 

 and juicv. 



G. H. O 



