30 



IRISH GARDENING 



moiitlis. Iiy forking' and raking, tin- land lan lio 

 gut inti) good condition for the sowing of scfds. 



On the otluT hand, a group of plots with vfry 

 sandy soil ])rovides no difficult it's and can he 

 worked at any time. Land of this eharaittr. how- 

 ever, suffered hadly during the past dry season. 

 Sueh soils will ahsorh all the heavy farmyard 

 manure that is applied, and gootl dressin;.'s of 

 manure in the sjjving are essential to ohtain good 

 erops. In faet, to get the host results manure has 

 to he applied hefore a erop ean l)e planted mil. 

 Oecasionally. i" very sandy soil, a lieavy soil may 

 he imderlying, and in such cases it may lie wortli 

 the trouhle to hring some of it higher and mix 

 with the surface soils. More often, however, 

 sandy soils are of a good depth, and it is this 

 depth which contrihutes to its ixH.ni.ss in char- 

 acter. 



A class of soil intermediate l)etween the two 

 extreme samjjles just quoted may l)e classed as 

 medium. Even these soils vary very much, and 

 generally the hest croi)s are ohtaincd from a good 

 depth of fairly retentive soil and whicii always 

 lends itself to improvement with good cultivation. 

 Plots of this character can always he flug in tlic 

 autumn. By digging is meant turning tiic soil 

 over to the extreme depth of the spade. Any 

 trenching that is done should he done in the 

 autumn to give the land an oppoit unity to con- 

 solidate hefore the spring. Allotment holders, 

 how^ever. generally have few opportunites for 

 trenching. This work must necessarily he done 

 in the autunui or winter, and with the short days 

 availahle opportunities for working the land are 

 limited to all except a few^ 



Manures. — Garden refuse, when ])roperly de- 

 cayed, can be dug back into tlie land. Potato 

 tops and diseased plants should be burnt, and this 

 burnt refuse is also valuable. For the pieserva- 

 tion of ordinary refuse, such as waste cabbage 

 leaves, weeds, &c., an excellent idea is to have a 

 square pit in one corner of the ])lot to dump 

 refuse, and this is a convenience and iiel!>s to 

 keep the plot in order. 



In towns, allotment holders are more or les.s 

 dependent on manure which can be obtained 

 locally irrespective of its suital)ility to the par- 

 ticular class of soil they have to deal with. How- 

 ever, this last year or "so the situation has eased 

 off considerably, and manure of value can be 

 obtained from cow-keepers in town ; also from 

 stables. 



The preservation of this manure once received 

 requires immediate attention, especially wliere the 

 general practice is to apply it in the spring. To 

 allow the loads to be dumped on the plot and left, 

 results in serious wastage. This loss will be much 

 less if the heap is properly made and beaten 

 dow^n to make it firm. The top is then covered 

 with a layer of soil six inches thick. Then once 

 the heap is broken into in the spring, it .should 

 be dug into the land without delay and not 

 allowed to lie aV)Out in small heaps. Manure is 

 also specially bad to keep during the summer, 

 as in this case heat causes loss. 



It is usually possible to obtain road sweepings 

 for a nominal price, and in the autumn, if the 

 sweepings largely consist of fallen leaves, they 

 are welb worth the little trouble to ol)tain. 



Soot.— In Belfast and other industrial towns a 

 certain amount of flue dust can often be obtained 

 for tlie asking. This substance is. however, 

 totally different to soot from a kitchen fire, as this 

 latter is a valuable manure and also a good in- 

 secticide. For sueh crops as Turnips and Onions 



it is specially useful. When liiu' dust has been 

 used tin- allotment holders infoinu'd me good re- 

 sults were obtained from it. It also seems to have 

 an important mechanical effect on heavy soil. 

 Ordinary Hue dust is distinct from that which is 

 obtained from iilast furnaces, which may contain 

 an appreciable amount of jxitash, making it valu- 

 able for Potatoes. 



G. II Olivkh. 



The Month^s Work. 



Midland and Northern Counties. 



By Mil. 1''. Stkkktkh, Gardener to B. II. Barton, 



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



Co. Kildare. 



Kitchen G.\iii)i;N. 



AsPAiiAGUs. — The Asparagus growth being now 

 fully ripe, cut down level with the ground. Save 

 any l)erries required for next season's sowing. 

 Carefully keep them away from damp. Give a 

 slight toi)-diessing of manure after clearing the 

 i)etls. then cut down the sides. i)lacing the fine 

 soil on the manure, giving the whole a clean, 

 smart appearance for the winter. 



Broau Beans. — Where one has the benefit of a 

 good, dry south border, a few rows of Broad Beans 

 may be sown to stand the winter; although ])er- 

 sonally I prefer to sow in boxes and raise in tin- 

 glass department during .spring. Keep a sharp 

 watch for pests, and sow Beck's Early Longi)od. 



Jerusalem Artichoke. — Cut down and burn the 

 stems of this Artichoke. Should the weather turn 

 frosty, dig sufficient tubers to last over the si)ell. 

 Store them in sand in the vegetable store. These 

 tubers make an excellent dish, as wc^ll as being 

 most extensively used in soups, &c. 



Cauliflower. — Examine all Broccoli and Cauli- 

 flower daily that are on the point of turning in. 

 It is best to be on the safe side, and lift them 

 with a good ball of soil and place in cold frames 

 if they are turning in too fast, and also on the 

 slightest sign of hard weather. Keep all dead and 

 decaying leaves cleaned away from later l>atches. 

 Caterj)illars must be killed during mild weather, 

 otherwise they soon disfigure and spoil the curds. 

 Keej) ])lenty of air on young plants growing in 

 fi-ames. 



Cahrots. — Where one has the convenience to 

 raise young Carrots make preparation for sowing 

 a forcing variety in heated pits. Make up a 

 sliglit hot bed and add about six inches of fine 

 soil, mixing a six-inch pot of soot to each barrow 

 of soil. Keej) a sharp look out for slugs, and only 

 turn the heat on during sharp, frosty weather. 



Spring Cabb.\ge.— The Spring Cabbage is grow- 

 ing rapidly. Ke(>p a sharp watch for slugs and 

 cateri)illars. Keep well dusted with soot, and 

 draw a little soil up to the stems to keep the 

 plants from rocking, and also as a slight protec- 

 tion from frost. Keep the ground well stirred 

 between the rows, and if pigeons are troublesome 

 place some old fish netting over the beds about 

 two feet high. Keep any leaves cleared away that 

 may ])low from neighbouring trees. 



Spinach.— W'hen picking the Spinach leaves, 

 take off the whole length of stalk, otherwise it 

 may cause considerable damage from damp, &c. 

 Do not allow the plants to be too thick in the 

 rows, and keep perfectly clean from weeds. &c. 



Celery.— Complete the final earthing-up of all 



