SEPTEMBER 



IRISH GARDENING 



37 



every scholar obtains an elementary knowledge 

 of the g-arden and its produce ; how best grown 

 and the qualities such produce should possess, 

 and, as in this subject, it is essential that 

 instructions be practical, there is little reason 

 to doubt that a school-garden, arranged on the 

 proper lines, provides opportunity for this most 

 satisfactorily and economically. 



A school-garden could, without difficulty, be 

 established wherever there is a school with a 

 plot of vacant ground and sufficient scholars to 

 form a class. A commencement can be made 

 with just a few packets of seed, sufficient room 

 to grow them, and a teacher who is interested 

 in the subject ; the knowledge will come with 

 experience. From a small beginning in this 

 way the school-garden, with its plot and set of 

 tools for each boy, will be a natural result of 

 the teacher's interest, who, if his knowledge is 

 not at first equal to the increased responsibility, 

 will call in some expert assistance till he him- 

 self is equal to it. But though this would, 

 undoubtedly, be the result of small beginnings 

 it involves delay, and a's no time can be lost 

 with impunity where education is concerned, a 

 fuller scheme should be adopted where 

 competent instruction and sufficient ground can 

 be secured. 



To dwell long on the question of soil for a 

 school-garden and site would be both unneces- 

 sary and ill-advised, as too frequently a school 

 must either utilise the site available or leave 

 the work untouched ; at the same time it would 

 be impossible to lay any claim to completeness 

 if these considerations were allowed to go 

 unremarked. 



Where possible, a site should be carefully 

 selected, and the opinion of some competent 

 authority obtained as to the suitability of the 

 soil for the crops which it is proposed to grow ; 

 as a guide, however, it may be stated that a 

 site sheltered from cold, harsh winds, but 

 sufficiently open in its other aspects, would give 

 the best results. The proximity of large trees 

 or even hedges will have a prejudicial effect on 

 most crops, their effect being most noticeable 

 in a dry summer when the moisture in the soil 

 is rapidly exhausted by the strongly-growing 

 trees or hedge plants. The shade cast by such 

 trees is dependent on their position relative to 

 the garden, and should be borne in mind when 

 arranging the beds and borders of the garden. 



Most vegetables dislike shade, but where 



shade exists the space can always be utilised to 

 grow plants which thrive in such positions. 

 Such plants are more numerous than is, per- 

 haps, generally imagined, and the following 

 list can be added to without difficulty by con- 

 sulting a gardening dictionary or encyclo- 

 pjedia : — Columbine, foxglove, iris, daffodils, 

 ivy, primulus, Japanese anemone, &c. 



The soil for a school garden should preferably 

 be light and well drained, as a soil which is at 

 all inclined to be tenacious will be unworkable 

 on many days, and in the unavoidable intervals 

 of work in holidays will form a hard surface 

 which will not only be difficult to break but will 

 retard the growth of the plants by preventing 

 air and moisture penetrating to the roots. 

 Many soils can be much improved by repeated 

 working at the proper seasons. A soil that is 

 too light can be rendered more retentive of 

 moisture by digging in spring, and adding at 

 the same time good dressings of rotted farm- 

 yard manure. A soil that is too heavy can 

 generally be improved by a good dressing of 

 lime and abundant manure ; in this case 

 <^ig'g^i"g' i" the autumn, as the soil being heavy, 

 will retain the manurial substances during the 

 heavy rains of winter, in contrast to the light, 

 sandy soil from which a few heavy rains will 

 wash a considerable proportion of the plant 

 food obtained from the manure. 



In the case of these schools which have a 

 garden already in existence arrangements 

 should be made, if possible, to enable pupils to 

 perform the work of that garden even if any- 

 thing is not of the best possible description for 

 such work. Instruction is given rather to take 

 advantage of existing opportunities than to 

 have an ideal arrangement of plots and fruit 

 trees. In other instances, when new gardens 

 can be laid out, it is of the utmost importance to 

 devise a plan which allows of economical 

 working, and at the same time gives variety 

 and scope to the garden work, and which is not 

 entirely lacking in artistic possibilities. Per- 

 haps the simplest plan which can be adopted is 

 to roughly divide the available ground into two 

 portions, one of which is to form an orchard 

 plot, the other being devoted to the cultivation 

 of flowers and vegetables. The initial expense 

 of fruit trees is often a consideration, but an 

 effort should be made to get a thoroughly re- 

 presentative collection of the chief kinds of 

 fruit in as many varieties as possible, and space 



