IRISH GARDENING, 



47 



Graktinc;.— This work ni.ix' bo cominLMici.'d tow.irds 

 the end of Ihe moiitli. Peais .should be firsl lakoii in 

 hand, as growth in these is much earlier than apples, 

 wliich may be safely allowed to remain till April, for 

 which mOTilh more particular directions will be jjiven 

 for the successful carr\in.y- out of this very imporlaul 

 work. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



1\\ J\MKS Bk.\i.kkn, llorlicuUur.il Iiisii uclor, Co. Cork. 



SO much must be thous.;ht of and done during- this 

 month in the kitchen g-arden that "March many 

 weathers " mig-ht also be to the gardener " March 

 many jobs." Garden workers under a "head" will be 

 often enough reminded to "look alive," but those 

 working their own gardens may be generall>' re- 

 commended to gird up 

 their loins a bit— that is 

 lo sa}-, they may with 

 .ul\-antage dr*aw tiie belt 

 one hole tighter, and get 

 to work on every aviiilable 

 occasion as weather and 

 il condition suit. So 

 any things demand 

 present attention that it 

 wovild almost require an 

 alphabetical list to outline 

 the work. 



Sowing Seeds in thk 

 Open. — Beginning t h e 

 month, in an early border 

 a first sowing of horn 

 carrots may be made. 

 In the same situation sow also early Milan turnip 

 lettuce, leeks, round spinach and radish. These 

 sowings may be repeated in open quarters towards the 

 end of the month, putting in Early Snowball turnip at that 

 time. About the middle of the month, in a warm situation, 

 first sowings of autumn broccoli (Veitch's Self-protecting 

 or Grange's), early cabbage (Improved Nonpareil), 

 Brussels sprouts, Autumn Giant cauliflower and Drum- 

 head savoy may also be got in. The soil for these 

 should have been manured and rough-dug from late 

 autumn. Before sowing reduce it to a very fine state. 

 Sow the seeds thinly in beds four feet wide, and lightly 

 cover with shovel from alleys a foot wide, or in shallow 

 drills about six inches wide with about eighteen inches 

 between. This last method is handy for small sowings, 

 .'IS firsl sowings should be, and the plants are less likely 

 to become overcrowded. Where finches and sparrows 

 are troublesome a covering of herring netting securely 

 laid on, and supported in the centre with forked sticks, is 

 necessary, as otherwise time and labour and seed may 

 be wasted. A mixture of soot and lime must be used 

 from time to time to safeguard from slugs, and also be 

 in readiness to ward off " turnip fl)', ' to which early 

 sowings of the Brussica tribe are so subject. A .sowing 

 of parsley may also be made. 



Pe.vs. — Successional sowings of these should be put 

 in every fortnight ; Telephone, Duke of .Albany and 

 .\lderman are robust kinds suitable for the time. Sow- 

 about two and a half or three inches deep in drills 



about eiglit iuclics wide, in land thai has been for some 

 time manured and trenched. Earlier sowings, as they 

 advance, must be cultivated by forking the soil on either 

 side into a fine state. This must be done before roots 

 extend, and to permit of staking before tendrils are 

 formed. When possible it is best to sow the lines a 

 good distance apart, as peas growing close in Ihe lines 

 otTer difficulties to profitable intercropping. In anv 

 case the height of the variety ought to be the least 

 distance between lines. 



BrcWD Be.\ns.— Sowings of Improved Longpod and 

 Taylor's Broad Windsor should be continued every 

 fortnight or three weeks as there is likely to be a demand. 

 The beaii is most profitable grown in an open aspect in 

 strong clay soil that has been well manured and tilled 

 over winter. Sow zig-zag lines, each bean about four 

 or five inches apart, w-ith two and a half or three feet 

 between. Where space is limited they can be grown in 

 single lines two feet apart. Green Windsor is of 

 superior flavour to the light-coloured varieties, as are the 

 other green-seeded kinds, but they scarcely yield so 

 heavily. Beans would be more popular arid more grown 

 in this country if they were not usually left to become so 

 mature before being pulled for cooking. Quite young 

 beans are a delicate and sugary \'egetable. Beans and 

 peas may succeed most garden crops if the ground 

 permits of being- manured and tilled during winter. 



Pot.^toes. — So soon as the state of the soil allows 

 early kinds ought to be planted. Drills twenty-eight 

 inches wide accommodate these, and the sets may be 

 planted from a foot to fifteen inches apart according to 

 variety and size. For a small private supply in old 

 gardens a manuring of leaf-mould mixed with fresh 

 lotim or seasoned road-parings, spread liberally in the 

 drills under the sets, w-iil yield samples of good flavour. 

 An application of well-decomposed farmyard manure, 

 supplemented by a complete chemical mixture as the 

 following spread on the dung in the drills gives the 

 heaviest return : — 4 parts superphosphate, 1 part sul- 

 phate of ammonia, i part muriate of potash. About two 

 ounces of this mixture to a yard cif drill might be used 

 with safety. In using this combination caution is 

 necessary, as it is powerful and concentrated. Spread 

 it in a fine state regularly over the manure. The 

 character of varieties varies in different districts. 

 Ninety-fold is a heavy cropper, but sometimes of poor 

 quality. Puritan is generally of good or fair quality, 

 but its constitution is weak, and in some seasons it 

 crops poorly. Sutton's May Queen and Duke of York 

 are other good varieties. To succeed these Epicure and 

 British Queen. The most of the main crop varieties 

 will be planted before the month is past, but tin- want 

 of space in most gardens generally exclude these late 

 kinds. 



C.'MLIFLOWERS in frames, sown early in the year, 

 should be carefully aired and attended to, so that these 

 mav be strong and hardy for planting out next month. 

 .-\utumn sown plants can be planted out as soon as the 

 weather promises to be mild. These succeed best in a 

 warm, stmny border that has been very heavily maiuued 

 and deeply worked. With these conditions strong, 

 well-hardened plants, lifted carefully with a ball of soil 

 and planted with a trowel two feet apart every way, will 

 produce one of the most delicious and tender of vege- 



