IRISH GARDENING 



8i 



in beds, aud the plants will be ready to plant out in 

 September. If very early Cabbages are desired in 

 the spring the seeds may be sown in drills very 

 thinly and then thinned out and allowed to mature. 



Potatoes. — The early varieties will be ready for 

 digging this month. This season,, owing to the pro- 

 Jonged drought, the growth is not nearly so satis- 

 factory as it might be. Early Potatoes should he 

 lifted carefully, the skin being tender. Also, tlio 

 crop is too valuable to lift carelessly and thus stab 

 tlk' largest tubers with the fork. The main crop 

 and late varieties can be finally moulded up. When 

 soiling up Potatoes the top of the ridge should bo 

 more or less flat. If the ridge is shaped like the 

 roof of a house rain is thrown off between the rows. 

 Up to the present the season has been so very drv 

 that very little spraying of the crop has been done, 

 but it should not be postponed indefinitely on 

 account of dry weather. 



WiNTEii GreenSi. — This crop has been going 

 through a trying period, and newly transplanted 

 crops have required much water to enable them to 

 survive. It has also been necessary to constantly 

 examine the rows to fill up gaps, and all this has 

 meant a lot of labour. However, once the plants 

 obtain root into the land they form hard, sturdy 

 growth, and perhaps as a compensation slugs are 

 not troublesome and weeds are easily kept down. 



Shatxots are ripening early tliis year, and when 

 the leaves have turned completely yellow the crop 

 should be lifted and dried. The bulbs can be then 

 cleaned and stowed away. The same remarks apply 

 also to Potato Onions. Seeds of White Lisbon 

 Onions .should be sown, preferably in drills about 

 one foot' apart, to produce spring Onions or 

 ScaHions, as they are called in the north. Com- 

 plaints have been general that the Ailsa Craig 

 Onions sown last autuliin have in many cases all 

 gone to seed. No doubt the dry season has had 

 much to do with this, but the maincrop Onions 

 "should not be sown vmtil next month, as sowing too 

 early is a frequent cause of the] plants going to seed. 

 Those allotment holders who desire to grow very 

 large Onions should give the j^lants an occasional 

 watering with soot and manure water, or hoc in a 

 good fertiliser, and water afterwards. 



Ceilery. — This is an important crop, being either 

 used as a vegetable or a salad. To grow; good Celery 

 the land should be well manured and the plants 

 must have plenty of water after being planted out. 

 When gi'own in trenches there is nothing like good 

 well decayed cow manure dug into the bottom of 

 the trench, and' then the best of the soil dug out 

 sliould be placed on the manure and the plants put 

 out with a trowel. Two rows in the trench is most 

 convenient, although either one, two or three rows 

 may be grown according to the width of the trench. 

 ])uring the growing season spraying the plants in the 

 evening is helpful, and dusting with soot will do 

 much to prevent attacks of Celery fly. Remove the 

 side shoots as they appear and pick off those parts 

 of the leaves attacked by maggot. I prefer the red 

 varieties as beiiig more hardy than the white. 



Turnips. — A good sowing of Turnips should l)e 

 made in July to obtain roots for winter use. As 

 Ihe ground becomes vacant after cropping with early 

 Potatoes, no further preparation will be necessary, 

 except levelling the soil down and making it firm. 



Any of the Snowball kinds are useful for sowing, 

 also Veitch's Red Globe is a useful hardy kind. Sow 

 the seed in drills about fifteen inches apart. Thin 

 out the young plants early to make good hardy 

 plants for the winter. 



Scarlet Runner Beans. — These Beans arc now 

 growing rapidly, and after being guided on to the 

 supports usually look after themselves as regards 

 staking. Crowded growths may be cut off, and in 

 hot, dry weather to spray them over in the evening 

 with a watering can is helpful. Pick the pods off 

 Kidney Beans early, so that the plants may go on 

 producing crops. 



Tomatoes.— The side-shoots should be picked out 

 of these plants growing in frames or small green- 

 houses on the allotment. After the fruits have set 

 manure Mater should be given, and at all times the 

 plants should be watered carefully. Keep the main 

 shoot carefully tied into position. The flowers might 

 be dusted with a rabbit's tail to help fertilization. I 

 consider ruthless defoliation of the leaves an unwise 

 policy, yet it is often .seen. If desired, leaves 

 shading the fruit may be cut back, and where the 

 foliage is cro-nded. Examine the tip of the shoot to 

 see if green or white fly has obtained a hold, and if 

 so dust with tobacco powder or other insecticide. 



Flower Border.— When the seedling plants of 

 Wallflowers are large enough they may be trans- 

 planted in rows about one foot apart and' nine inches 

 between the plants. By this means good sturdy 

 plants are produced for planting out later in the 

 flower bed. The seed pods of Sweet Peas should be 

 cut off and the flowers regularly picked over. 

 Occasional watering with manure water helps the 

 plants growing and flowering. The White Pinks arc 

 much used for edging in small gardens, and when 

 the plants have finished flowering shoots may be 

 pulled off and inserted closely together in a shady 

 spot and kept watered as found necessarj-. Dahlias 

 require staking and kept tied. When earwigs are 

 troublesome the old-fashioned method of an inverted 

 flower pot stuffed Mith hay and placed on the top of 

 the stake will be found a good way of trapping them. 



G. H. 0. 



The Month^s Work. 

 Midland and Northern Counties. 



By Mr. F. Strekter, Gardener to H. B. Barton, 



Esq., D.L., Straffan House, Straffan, 



Co. Kildare. 



Kitchen Garden. 



SHi-:i)i.iN<i Asi'Ai;A<;rs.--'J'hin tlic ynung seedling 



Asparagus to 12 inches apart to encourage good 



stocky growth. Keep the beds free from weeds, and 



give an occasional soaking. 



Carrots. — ^fake another sowing of stump-rooted 

 Carrots to supply fresh roots during the winter 

 months. These are often preferred to Main Crop 

 varieties. Give a du.sting of soot as soon as the 

 seedlings appear above the ground, and keep the hoe 

 well plied between the rows. 



JJeet.— Where Globe Beet is esteemed, another 

 .sowing may be made to help the Main Crops. Keep 

 the latter clean from weeds. 



Eaiily Potatoes.— As soon as the Earlv Potatoes 



