i8 



IRISH GARDENING 



The Month's Work. 



Midland and Northern Counties. 



By Mu. !•". Stueetkk, (".ank'iuT to 11. H. 15aitnn. 



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



Co. Kililare. 



KlTrHKN (lAKDEN. 



.\si-AK.\(ii s. — Do not I'Ut tlif Aspara|,'u.>- ^.'idwtli 

 down iH'fort" it is tlioronghly riponctl. Ktrji tlif 

 lu'ds i-li-ar of all wfcd.^, and colU'i-l any sicd n- 

 quiivd for next .st-ason's sowing. 



Beet.— Lift and store all Bci't as it i.fi-onu-s tit; 

 twisting tlu- tops off. and lift witli the tajj root 

 intact. Store in fine sand in the root iiouse, and 

 keep free from frost. 



Celery.— Continue to I'artli up all growing Ccleiy 

 plants, finishing off the earliest rows. Take e.xtra 

 care that the soil does not fall into the heart of 

 the plants, and eontinue to dust over with soot 

 on a danij) afternoon. See that the latest rows are 

 not suffering from want of water. Should the leaf 

 miner put in an appearance hand pick the in- 

 fested parts. If the Celery fungus is prevalent 

 make a note to treat next season's seed with for- 

 maline hefore sowing. 



CELEnT.\c. — Lift the roots and store in damp 

 sand in the root house; trim off the foliage. 



Cabb.\ge. — Continue to plant out the latest sowings 

 of Spring Cahhage; make good any losses from 

 the earlier sowings. Keep the ground continually 

 .stirred with the Dutch hoe, and dust over witli 

 soot or lime if slugs are troublesome. Also watch 

 that fallen leaves are kept cleared from the lieds. 

 Watch for damage hy birds. 



Cauliflower. — Autumn Cauliflowers require con- 

 stant watching; as soon as t.he curds become fit 

 for use they should be placed in a shed for a few 

 days; anything to save and keep the supi)ly con- 

 tinuous. "With a little forethought it is an easy 

 matter to always have either Cauliflower or its 

 hardier form Broccoli. 



Carrots. — Store- all Carrots, with the exception 

 of the last sowings of Horn varieties on the south 

 borders. This vegetable has done much better 

 this season than at one time appeared likely. The 

 Intermediate and Favourite varieties have given us 

 some beautiful specimens this season. 



Onions. — Any bulbs of Onions still remaining out 

 of doors should be placed in a cool house or frames 

 to ripen at once. Continue to rope and suspend 

 them from the roof of the vegetable house, where 

 plenty of air can be allowed through them. 



French Beans. — Keep on the lights of the 

 skeleton frames every night, and have protection 

 leady in case of frost. It will be advisable to close 

 the lights at 2 o'clock to try and catch any sun 

 that may be possible. 



Late Pot.atoes. — All Potatoes should be dug up 

 and stored as soon as possible. They M'ill require 

 to remain for several hours to dry before being 

 carried to the store or clamped, whichever way 

 they are to be stored; use a little powdered lime 

 through the Avliole, and keep a sharp watch for 

 any green or diseased tubers; pick out the seed 

 and place thickly in trays. Send all small and un- 

 shapely tubers to the pigs. Collect and l)\nn all 

 haulm, and lime the ground as soon as llir croi) 

 is lifted. 



Leeks. — Continue to earth up fiCeks as they be- 



come fit; .see that tliey are iiol allow. 'd to suffer 

 from drought. 



TuuNii's.— Keej) the hoe well plied betwi cu the 

 rows of the latest sowings; in ease of frost lift a 

 trw to meet immediate re(|uireiuents. 



1'aksley. — I'lace a few frame.- ovei- the prepared 

 I'arsley for winter use, kee|)iiig the lights off on 

 all mild and dry liays. 



Lkttime.— I'l ick nut sutiieient Lettuce of All the 

 Year Round vaiiely in any spare frames. Watch for 



Knoive and oTUEit Salads. — Coutinue to blanch 

 sufficient Endive. Chicory, Dandelion and Christ- 

 mas Salad to meet all demands. Sow Mustard and 

 Cress weekly. 



Seakale.— Lift sufficient sui)i)lies for earliest 

 forc-ings. Clean off all decayed leaves and keep 

 plantation clean. 



MusiiROOMS. — Collect manure and make Mush- 

 room beds according to convenience and demands. 

 Do not use fire heat unless absolutely necessary, 

 as it drys the atmo.sphere. 



Spinach. — If the last sowings of Spinach germi- 

 nated unevenly, lift and transplant so that the 

 beds may be evt'ii, and of good appearance. 



Trenchincj. — On all favourable occasions push 

 forward all trenching; have a plan to work by, so 

 that each plot may be ready for next season's 

 crops. Keep the kitchen gaiden clean and smart; 

 remove all decaying leaves from grei-n vegetables; 

 keep walks clean and well rolled and swept. 



Hardy Fruit Garden. 



Apples. — Apples are 14 to 21 days earlier in 

 rij)ening this season, and a constant watch must 

 be kept to pick them from the trees and store in 

 the best possible condition. Nothing is gained by 

 leaving them on the trees too long; one rough night 

 and there will be untold damage. Do not store any 

 poor fruit this season, use it at once in some form 

 or another. One must be guided by the amount 

 of store room and the quantity of fruit when 

 placing in the fruit room. Peasgood's Nonsuch. 

 Charles Ro.ss, James Grieve, Warner's King, 

 September Beauty, Cox's Pomona and Cox's 

 Orange Pippin are all picked at the present date 

 liere, and to-day I find we mu.st begin to pick 

 practically all fruit in season till Christmas. Keep 

 the floors well damped and a current of air passing 

 through the fruit house; keep the temperature as 

 low as possible at present. 



Pears. — Great care is needed at all times to give 

 the Pears that extra fine finish that is required 

 to bring out the beautiful colouring and fine 

 flavour, the tendency at the present time is for 

 rather large fruit. I well remember a number of 

 years ago, during the time I was a journeyman 

 to the late T^ady Henry Somerset, of Eastnor 

 Castle, saving she preferred " Pitmaston Duchess" 

 to any other Pear for dessert. I have never met 

 anyone else with that taste, but that lady was a 

 fruit expert, and had a magnificent collection of 

 British hardy fruit, as many beautiful exhibits 

 from that garden testify. Keep all trees well 

 watered, and go over them practically every day. 

 gently lifting them in an upright position; if they 

 part easy from the stem they are ready. Store in 

 the warmest part of the roorn, and place in order 

 of ripening, so that each variety may be used in 

 its proper season. The later varieties are quite 

 all right if left on the trees yet. a few degrees of 

 frost not harming them. Handle most carefully 

 at all times, and stand them on the shelves as 



