64 



IRISH GARDENING. 



eighteen or twonly idilus betwoiMi tlu- drills. I'siially. 

 the jferminalioii under these conditions ot "sowing is not 

 particularly hig^h ; therefore, for once in a way let the 

 seeds bo sown rather thickly ; eventually the plants 

 will rei|uite a foot apart, but it is a niucli nioro pleasant 

 undertakini;^ to thin out tli'" suiierlluous than to 

 endeavour, perhaps unsuccessfully, to till up llu- i;.ips- 



Broccoli. — One of the hardiest as well as one of ilic 

 best vej{-etables this undoubtedly is, but unfortunately 

 in.my do not think of it until the season for use is nij,'^h. 

 rhis, however, is the lime for seed sowing, and there 

 ■ ire sufticienl kinds ami to spare to give a constant 

 supply from .November to June. X'eitchs Self-protecting 

 will come to hand during the last two months of the 

 vear. and following close on its heels, or rather heads, 

 there is Snows Winter While ; Knight's Protecting is 

 in use just at present, and will be succeeded in due 

 season by Latest of .Ml. There are quite a number of 

 other good kinds that would serve to fill a dish at llu- 

 same periods perhaps, but these are named as four 

 well-tried varieties, that those inexperienced and very 

 wishful might try with much satisfaction and profit. 

 Seeds may be sown at once rather thinly in well-worked 

 but not too rich ground. 



AsP.\R.\GCS. — When once the plants become well 

 established the asparagus bed is perhaps the most pay- 

 ing plot in the garden. It is ready for cutting just 

 when other choice vegetables are rather scarce. 

 Seeing that it lives its useful life in that place to which 

 it has been finally transplanted, and is expected to pro- 

 duce a large amount of growth each year, extra good 

 culture is required. -Although well made farmyard 

 manure possesses much that agrees with the constitution 

 of this subject it would be well occasionally to vary the 

 form of the food. Once, at any rate, every three years 

 artificials might with great benefit be applied. A 

 capital mixture is the following: — 3 lbs. common salt, 

 I '2 lbs. superphosphate, i}4 lbs. nitrate of soda, and i lb. 

 kainit, given at the rate of 2 ozs. per yard in this month, 

 and repeating the dose in July. 



Onions — If plants were raised in heat early in the 

 season they should be sufficiently hardened before the 

 end of the month to allow of their being planted out for 

 good. Nine inches square will be quite enough to 

 allow between them when intended for domestic use ; 

 the exhibitors, of course, will double this, but on the 

 space mentioned there will be no wonderful difficult}' in 

 gro^^•ing half-pounders, and these surely will meet all 

 the cooks' and, let us hope, everybody else's require- 

 ments. 



The weather has been so favourable during mid- 

 .March for seed sowing that there is no excuse except 

 indeed a sudden and unexpected attack of v.'orkophobia, 

 a malady that few can afford to suffer from nowadays, 

 for those who have deferred the sowing of onion seeds 

 in the open until this date. Let it be done now anyhow. 

 James's Keeping and Blood Red are two smallish but 

 very reliable sorts. 



^* ^^ e^* 



Alas, that Spring should vanish with the Rose ! 

 That Youth's sweet-scented Manuscript should close ! 



The Nightingale that in the branches sang. 

 Ah, whence, and whither flown again, who knows ! 



Some V.:\v\\ I 



rises. 



K. M. 



AMOM'i some of the \i-r\ i-ailicst flowers to open 

 ^^ \vc li;i\i- si-\iM-.il hi-aiiMlul foi Mis of bulbous irisi-s 

 ihat are worthy I'l noli- .-iiul nioti- general 

 planting. 



Ii"is X'artani, coming from I'alastiiie, and belonging 

 to the s;ime section as the well-known Iris reticulata, 

 has been described more than once in the pages of 

 Irish Garhkning. However, as there .-ire always 

 novices, another reference to it may not be out of place. 

 At Glasnevin the plant seems perfectly hardy at the 

 foot of a south west wall, where it has remained uiulis- 

 turbed for several ye;irs, ami h;is now formed a strong 

 clump. It gels no special alU-iilion except from the 

 gi-cedy slug. 



The flowers are smaller than those of Iris reticulata, 

 lielicate lavender blue with yellow and dark lilac mark- 

 ings on the falls about six inches in height, and having 

 grey green four-angled leaves armed with a sharp point 

 which appear at the same time as the flowers, but taller 

 than the latter. 



Iris reticulata, ■Z'ar. sophenensis, although a distinct 

 variety as a garden plant, it is inferior to many of the 

 other varieties of Iris reticulata. The flowers are of a 

 purple blue, with yellow and dark purple markings. 

 Height from three to four inches. In this variety the 

 leaves are also angular, but are scarcel}- above the soil 

 at flowering time. It was introduced from Asia Minor 

 in 1885. 



Iris reticulata, var. histrioides. This is unquestion- 

 ably the beauty of the group. The plant is from four 

 to six inches high, strong and hardy, at Glasnevin ; the 

 flowers are a beautiful blue, with a yellow line on the 

 falls and lilac dots, the standards are a paler blue. Al- 

 together the flowers are larger and of more substance 

 than either reticulata, vartani, or sophenensis. It 

 seeins of a strong constitution, and flowers in January 

 or F'ebruary, usually later than vartani and sophen- 

 ensis, but before reticulata, and it also comes into 

 flower before the leaves are fully developed. 



Iris reticulata is probably better known and more 

 grown than any of the foregoing. Its free flowering 

 habit and the delicate appearance of the plant appeal 

 to all. The flowers are a beautiful deep purple, with a 

 yellow line on the fall which continues down into the 

 centre of the flower. The leaves are angled dark green 

 and appear at flowering time, but not attaining their 

 full height until the flowers have faded. It is not fasti- 

 dious as to position, but if planted in a warm spot it 

 will naturally flower earlier. It is a native of Asia 

 Minor, and gets its name from the netted coats of the 

 bulbs. 



Chicory. —This handsome perennial plant is too 

 seldom seen in herbaceous borders. It is robust and 

 hardy, and willthrive and flower on the poorest soil. 

 Its root is long and tapering, and will penetrate to a 

 depth of three or four feet, even in a dense clay. It 

 loves lime. The flowers are of the most beautiful blue. 

 It belongs to the Cornflower family. 



