IRISH GARDENING 



23 



in good order. Watch very carefully that the 

 wire does not cut into the branches, or it will soon 

 cause great damage. Any trees that are being 

 moved by the winds must be securely staked and 

 fastened as it is impossible for a tree to root, that 

 is constantly being moved at the roots. 



Flower G.\rden anu Pleasure Grounus. 



Spring Bedding — All beds containing Spring 

 fiowering plants must be constantly stirred with 

 a small fork and all vacancies filled up from the 

 reserve garden, give an occasional dusting of soot 

 and keep a sharp look out for damage by birds, 

 rabbits, and rats, etc. Put a small stick to 

 Hyacinths before the spike is at all long, and a 

 neat sliding tie, that is do not twist the material 

 round the stick, otherwise it may break the truss 

 right off. W'allfiowers have been flowering more 

 or less all the winter. Snowdrops, Aconites, 

 Crocus, Helleborus, and the earliest Narcissi 

 are making a bright display at the time of writ- 

 ing and the bulbs are coming through the ground 

 very fast; even May flowering Tulips on north 

 borders are well up. 



Summer Bedding — All cuttings rooted in boxes 

 last autumn will require potting off singly as 

 soon as possible. When one has the convenience it 

 is advisable to pot them as soon as rooted and 

 give them a shift into 5 or G inch pots, the sum- 

 mer seasons are so very short that unless one has 

 good specimens to plant out in June, the display 

 is delayed until September when the frosts are ex- 

 pected. Keep all the flower buds picked off for 

 the next 3 months, and the tips pinched out to 

 make good bushy stuff. When stopping plants, 

 only just take out the point, and leave every leaf 

 possible. The reason for this is that all pinch- 

 ing and stopping are checks to plant life. I 

 fully believe that gardeners would obtain far 

 better results by following nature and allowing .the 

 plants to feed through the lungs or leaves, than 

 by feeding the roots and souring the soil in which 

 the plants are growing. This latter is not a 

 healthy practice, although adopted by nearly every 

 plant grower. 



Cuttings — Where the stot'ks of various plants 

 are not sufficient, no time should be lost in mak- 

 ing good all deficiencies. Soft cuttings such as 

 Heliotropes, Ageratum, Salvia,, Marguerites, etc., 

 will root readily now in boxes of sandy composts 

 and covered with glass, in a warm house. Zonals 

 are better rooted on a shelf near the glass, shade 

 from strong sun, and water thoroughly with tepid 

 water. 



Seed Eaising— Prepare sufficient soil at one 

 time for seed sowing, using 2 parts loam 1 part 

 leaf soil and 1 part river sand. I always use 

 sterilised soil for this purpose, by this means all 

 insects are killed, thus saving one the annoyance 

 of seeing small worms or slugs on the surface 

 after the seed is sown. Crock the requisite num- 

 lier of boxes and pots, the latter, half full if for very 

 small seeds, such as Begonias, or Gloxinias, etc.", 

 place some coarse flaked leaf soil over the crocks 

 and fill the pot to within half an inch of the top, 

 make firm with a planed piece of board for the 

 boxes and a smooth pot for the pots, sow the seed 

 evenly and thinly over the surface and just cover 

 with very fine soil, place in a warm lioiise, cover 

 with pieces of glass and sliade from sun. Do 

 iK.t water for at least 24 hours, the reason for this 

 IS that the seed having been in a drv paper nncket 

 for some time should not be suddenly plunged 

 on to the wet soil. Inif the iiiisk of the seed "erm 

 gradually given lime to -^nften. Many readers 



may wonder why I have written these " details " 

 it is owing to many enquiries as to failures to 

 raise certain seeds, and as all seeds are tested 

 before they leave the seedsmen, it is in nearly 

 every case the sowers fault, in one way or another. 

 Begonias, Verbenas, Petunia, Nicotiana Dian- 

 thus, Salpiglossis, Dahlia, Lobelia, Salvia, Ice- 

 land Poppies, Penstemon, Nigella, Perilla, Mimu- 

 lus. Delphiniums, Hollyhock, Gaillardia, Cosmea, 

 and Campanula may be sown now, for the sum- 

 mer display. 



Sweet Peas— If the trenching of the Sweet Pea 

 quarters has not been carried out last autumn, 

 no time should be lost in getting this important 

 work finished using plenty of good manure and 

 wood ashes from the smother fire. Where peas 

 were sown and raised in pots last autumn, they 

 will be greatly benefited by a size larger pot to 

 hold them over till the end of next month if the 

 weather is favourable. Another sowing shoidd be 

 made for supplying cut flower in August. Where 

 they are to be employed in the bedding schemes 

 grow quantities of one colour to tone with the 

 other plants used. See that slugs are not 

 troubling the young plants, looking over with the 

 duty lamp at night and sprinkling soot between 

 the pots. Give air on all possible occasions, and 

 the lights right off in mild weather. 



Southern and Western Counties. 



By Mr. J. Matthews, Gardener to Sir Eichaid 

 Musgrave, Bart., Tourin, Cappoquin, Wateiford. 



The Kitchen Garden 

 Broad Beans. — A sowing may be made in lirxes 

 for planting out later, when the ground is fit to 

 work on, make a sowing outside for iucc'.ssion. 



Cabbage. — As soon as soil conditions are faAour- 

 able put out more plants from the autumn ^ov\'ing 

 to carry on an unbroken supply. Make good any 

 failures in the drills of earlier batches, and keep 

 the soil loose amongst the. plants. 



Celery. — For an early supply, make a small 

 sowing in pots of light soil, and start in gentle 

 heat; when the seelings are up keep as near the 

 glass as possible. When fit to handle prick off 

 into boxes filled with fairly rich soil, a layer of 

 old mushroom manure placed in the bottom of 

 .the boxes will be of great advantage when plant- 

 ing out, as the plants wdll lift with good balls of 

 roots, and receive very little check in the process, 

 give strict attention at all time with the water pot 

 or bolting will be certain. 



Carrots. — Towards the end of the month make 

 a sowing of a ■stump-noted variety on a warm 

 border in shallow drills a foot apart. 



French Beans.— A further batch may be sown 

 in pots to keep up the supply; with increasing 

 sun heat and longer days forcing will be an easy 

 matter now. Take precautions against the 

 attacks of Bed Spider by a free nse of the syringe 

 and tepid water: trive some support "to earlier 

 plants by placing light twigs round them, appli- 

 cations of weak liquid manure will assist greatly 

 to swell t»he pods. 



Jerusalem Artichokes.— These may be Dlnnled 

 on the first convenient chance, plant in diills .". 

 feet apart and 18 inches between the sets. Lift 

 last vear's crop if still in the ground selecting 

 planting tubers, the remainder may be stored in 

 sand and used as required. 



Lettuce.- Choose an early-maturing varietv for 



