>fi 



TRl^n GARDENING 



arc abseut in the towns, and tho artifioial fences 

 erected receive i« good deal of rouRh usn^e, chieHv 

 from outsiders. If wnter is not laid on the allot - 

 iiients, the question of supply is sure to arise. This 

 again is expensive. In any case water is usually 

 only vulualile to thosi' in the inunediatH' vicinity of 

 the supply, and while, of course, there iir<' occasions 

 v.hen a convenient supply of water is very luliifnl, 

 it is not really essential. 



Gi:XKlt.\L W'oiiK. — Seeds of Ix'ttucc mih_\ he sown 

 for succession; sown so that transplantiiiK may he 

 avoided in hot weather. The flower stalks should 

 be removed from lUiubarl). It is wise not to pull 

 leaves from crowns pliint<>(l this year. Hoe between 

 the rows of Carrots and dniw a little soil to the r<M)ts, 

 tteading it hard. This will help to koej) the Hy away. 

 Thinning of the crop should be done in showery 

 weather and gradually until it- is seen what daniM>,'e 

 lias been done by the Hy. The thinning out of most 

 other crops should bo attended to, especially seed- 

 lings which are not aftenvnrds transplanted. M'ith 

 all plants in fact insufficient thinning of the jilants 

 in the early stages of growth .should be avoi<led. as 

 it results in weak and poorly grown specimens. 



Beet. — The main crop is usually sown the end 

 of April or early in May. The Globe Beet may be 

 twelve inches apart in the rows, but the larger grow- 

 ing kinds may be fifteen inches. The seeds some- 

 times require soaking for a few hoius before sow- 

 ing. This crop is very easily grown on good loamy 

 soils. Fresh manure dug in the land before sowing 

 has a tendency to make the roots large and coarse. 



Vegetable !\Iari!Ow. — At the end of the month it 

 should be safe to plant out Marrows. A bed could 

 be made up of turf edgings and manure. A good 

 sunny position suits these ])lants, where they are 

 protected from \^inds. 



G.VRDEN Swedes are miiversally grown on plots. 

 and in small gardens. On sandy soils a lair amount 

 of manure should l)e dug in to nourish the ])lants 

 and give them a good start in the seedling stage. 

 Shallow drills should be drawn about fifteen inches 

 apart and the seeds sown thiulj'. The young plants 

 often suffer from insect attacks, and thinning out 

 may be delayed until the plants grow away from it. 

 If the attack is serious du.sting with powdered lime 

 is helpful, but a heavy shower of rain usually gives 

 the remedy. 



Kidney ]-)|;ans may b(^ s<n\n from the I'lul of 

 April until tlie middle of June. The distance between 

 tho rows should be from one and a half to two feet. 

 If the seeds are sown a few inches apart they may 

 be afterwards tliinned out to about aiine inbhes 

 apart. Dwarf Beans pay for a fair amount of 

 manure. On heavy soils two inch<'s is deep enough 

 to sow the seeds, for if the ground should be cold and 

 •wet the seeds are almost certain to decay. 



ScAKLET PiCXNEi! Beaxs sliould be .sown about tho 

 middle of the month in well manured ground. They 

 are also quite useful for sowing in a flower garden 

 to cover wooden fences or trellis work. The seeds 

 may be sown closer together, but the plants should 

 ultimately stand about eight or ten inches apart. 

 Sow the seeds about three inches deep. Those 

 Beans ma.y be grown also without stakes by keeping 

 the tips of the shoots picked out. We have adopted 

 a permanent method of staking, which is very 

 satisfactory, and once fixed requires no further 

 attention. Four disused gas pipes, eight feet long, 



are driven into the ground across the plot. Galva- 

 nized wire is then stretched across tho plot and 

 attached to the gas pipes at the top and about one 

 fiK)t from the surface of tho ground. Bamboo 

 canes eight feet long are pushed into the ground 

 about one foot apart and fastened with tar-cord to 

 the wire. The lii'ans twine aroun<l the canes, and 

 uu ordinary g.tle l.reaks them duun. (J. H. O. 



The Month^s Work. 



Midland and Northern Counties. 



By Mii. V. Stkkktik. Gardener 1<. H. 15. Barton, 



E.sq., D.L.. Straffan House, Straffan, 



Co. Kildare. 



The Kitchen Gakden. 

 Asi'AiiAoi s. — Kiep the Asparagus beds thoroughly 

 clean, and cut for use as it becomes fit. Take cai"e 

 not to damage the crowns when using the knife. 

 Give a small dressing of a quick-acting manure 

 every 14 days during the bearing period, and in 

 light soils during dry spells. See that the plants 

 do not suffer from drought. Young seedlings will 

 lequirc thinning. 



AiiTiCTioKEs. — DraM- the soil to tho stems of 

 Jerusalem Artichokes for support before they 

 become too tall. Should room be limited pinch out 

 the toi)s when they reach 3 foot 6 inches or 4 feet 

 high. 



Broad Beans. — Make a final sowing of Broad 

 I^eans, Green Windsor type, (jii a north border if 

 available; pinch the tops out of the earliest sowings 

 as soon as they have set four trusses of blooui. 

 Watch and destroy all attacks of black fly, 



BuNNER AND DwARF Beans. — Sowings may now bo 

 made in the open and on well trenched ground. 

 Allow plenty of space for runners, and towards tho 

 end of the month plant out those raised in pots 

 or boxes to forward the crop. Place the stalks in 

 position and afford protection from harsh weather. 



Peas. — Stake all Peas as they show through the 

 soil; use the triimnings of the longer stakes for the 

 first time. Contimie to make weekly sowings of 

 Main Crop Mai'row fats, allowing plenty of room. 

 Early varieties on south borders will soon be fit. It 

 is a good plan to mulch with long litter innriediately 

 the final stakes are in position. Sow Spinach 

 i)etweon the rows sufficient for the demand. 



Potatoes. — Watch the earliest Potatoes that arc; 

 w<'ll through the soil, and cover well if it looks at 

 all like frost. The varietj' A'ei« Success was 

 through the soil here on April 2nd, exactly four 

 ueeks from planting. This variety also turned out 

 well grown in the forcing houses. All planting 

 should be finished as quickly as possible in good 

 \\'eather. 



Carrots. — Keep the hoe busy through the 

 Carrots and dust well with soot. Where the fly 

 proves troublesome do not thin, and spray with 

 Quassia Extract. -Make another sowing of a stump- 

 rooted variety as a succession to the earlier sowing. 



Beet. — Sow the main crop Beet when the weather 

 is suitable. Keep the hoe busy between the rows of 

 Globe varieties that are up. 



Cabbage. — Plant out all Cabbage raised in boxes, 

 also Cauliflower, early Broccoli, &c. "WTien planting 



