8o 



IRISH GARDENING 



turn extra on thf Muscat vinerj', for tire Muscat of 

 Alexandria always requires 5 degrees or more higher 

 than any other grapes, especially when they are flower- 

 ing. Do not attempt tying down late Alicantes for a 

 time or they will slip oR', and a naked spur will be un- 

 sightly. Presuming that they are well underneath the 

 wires, then, of course, a loose tie will support them from 

 falling off. Retain on each vine as much foliage as can 

 be well exposed to light, and no more. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



By Wm. Tynoall, Horlicultural Instructor, Co. 

 Kildare. 



THERE is much work to be done in the vegetable 

 garden during the month of May. Many seeds 

 are yet to be sown, such as late Broccoli, ^Savoy, 

 and Borecole, while for succession I'eas, Beans, Turnip. 

 Lettuce, and Radish will require to be sown often in 

 small quantities, selecting cool, deep soil if there is a 

 selection ; otherwise dig deep and manure liberally if 

 you would have good crops in the warm weather of 

 July and .'\ugust. Many of the early-raised vegetables, 

 as Brussels Sprouts. Cauliflower. Onions, and Leeks, 

 should be planted out when fit if the weather is mild, 

 doing the transplanting in showery weather if possible, 

 so that the plants will receive little check. The weather 

 during the past two weeks has been good for getting in 

 crops, being di'y but harsh — a splendid time for hoeing 

 and killing weeds, which, if once let go to seed, will 

 •^■■ive trouble jind labour to get the ground clean, and the 

 crops will be much injured — therefore as soon as Onions, 

 Parsnips, Carrots. Turnips, &c.. can be seen in the rows 

 run the hoe through them, and even though there are 

 few weeds to kill, the crops will be much benefited. 



Beet. — The main crop of beet should be sown early 

 this month in lines or drills eighteen inches apart. 

 Make the soil fine and friable , and manure moderately, 

 else manj' of the roots will grow too large and coarse. 

 In deep sjils long varieties, as Sutton's Blood Red and 

 Pragnell's Exhibition are best, while in hot, shallow 

 soils one of the round or globe beet should be grown, 

 and fifteen inches between the rows is quite enough. 

 This crop, like many other vegetable crops, is often 

 much injured by not thinning early the long varieties to 

 nine inches and globe varieties to six inches ap.nrt in 

 the rows. 



Pf.AS. — Several sowings of peas will have to be made 

 during this month if a constant succession of peas is 

 required, and the ground should be specially prepared 

 by opening trenches for each line of peas the same as 

 for celerv, and filling firmly with well-decayed manure 

 and good soil. (jood latt^ peiis are Ciladstone and 

 Autocrat ; the latter pea gives pulling over a much 

 longer time than (iladstone, but is smaller in pod, 

 though the peas are equally well flavoured. Rearguard 

 1 grew for the first time last year, and I am giving it 

 another trial. 



The main crop of peas will now be growing fast, ami 

 should be carefully slaked as Ihoy get tall enough, 

 putting short stakes, as the lops of withered spruce or 

 beech, when the plants aie four to six inches high, after- 

 wards putting taller slakes as the peas require them, 

 m stakiu.g always slope the tops of the stakes in an 



outward direction, especially if the plants are crowded, 

 to give light and air to prevent the foliage getting 

 scalded ; also the peas are less liable to be attacked by 

 mildew. 



TojiATO. — Any time after the third week of this 

 month is a good time to plant in the open, the seed 

 being sown under glass in March, grown on cool, and 

 carefully hardened off should, by the time of planting, 

 have one or two trusses of fruit set and plenty of flowers 

 open if the plants have been kept to single cordons, as 

 these give the earliest and finest fruit. In planting in 

 plots in the open select plots sheltered from north and 

 east, and give the plants three feet in the rows and two 

 feet from plant to plant. 



Scarlet Runner Bean. — This vegetable is highly 

 prized by rich and poor, and few crops give a greater 

 return, from a small line, over a long season if the 

 ground has been well prepared and the plants given 

 plenty of room. For each line open trenches two feet 

 wide and deep, break up the bottom another spit deep 

 and place over it a good depth of long manure or 

 garden refuse, say eight or ten inches deep, then fill up 

 with decayed manure and good soil, and make firm ; 

 sow the beans in a single line five inches apart, and if 

 all the seeds grow, thin to one foot apart, and stake 

 with poles eight to twelve feet high. If early beans are 

 required, and room can be spared, sow in April or at 

 once under glass on a mild hotbed a few seeds in a 

 box filled with light, rich soil, giving three or four 

 inches between the beans in the bo.K. These, if planted 

 out at the end of this month, will give an earlier crop 

 than those sown in the open, as, like French Beans, 

 Scarlet Runners are tender, and the main crop should 

 not be sown in the open before the end of April or 

 beginning of May. Best of All is a good variety for 

 home use and exhibition, but the finest variety I have 

 seen was (last season in a garden near Dunlavin) 

 called Scarlet Emperor, sent out by Dicksons, of New- 

 townards, whose dwarf bean, "The Belfast," is much 

 better than Canadian Wonder. The seed is piebald, 

 coloured black and while. 



\'ei;etable M.\rruw. — Get this vegetable planted out 

 earh* in the month in a sunn}', sheltered place (marrows 

 will not fruit well if grown in shade), aTid cover at night 

 to protect from frost, so as to give a long season of 

 growth and gathering of marrows. Many plant on 

 spent hotbeds or on rubbish heaps with success, but I 

 prefer well-manured ground, as the growth is shorter 

 and much more fruitful. Moore's Cream and Custard 

 Marrows are handsomer than the long while or green, 

 while for small gardens the Bush Marrow gives good 

 results and takes up little room. 



Ce[.I'.uv. — IManls for the m.iin crop will now require 

 singling out, .'ind if a couple of inches of light, rich 

 soil is placed over the manure on a spent hotbed, and 

 the celciv dibbled out two or ihree inches apart every 

 wav and the frame kept close for a lew days, the plants 

 will start at once into growth, and be strong for 

 planting out next month. Early celery should be 

 planted out this month, early or lale as weather 

 permits, in trenches four feel apart and one and a half- 

 feet wide and deep. Break up the bollom o( Irencli, 

 and put ten or twelve inches of good manure over it ; 

 Ihen four inches of soil, and plant one foot apart. Give 

 walei- if the wc.tther- is dr\'. 



