112 



IRISH GARDENING 



much labour in watering-. For the past two weeks we 

 have had very heavy rain, and it has done crops in the 

 vegetable garden great good, also allowing the 

 transplanting of all the Brassica family to their final 

 quarters, and the thinning and transplanting of lettuce 

 and turnips, those transplanted coming in about two 

 weeks after those not done so. Make a final sowing of 

 P'rench beans the first week of this month on a w,arm. 

 sheltered border in double lines two feet apart, and 

 place the beans ten inches apart in the lines, and sow 

 zig-zag. Canadian Wonder is a good variety with 

 extra long tender beans. This year I am growing for 

 a general crop a variety called "The Belfast," sent out 

 by Dicksons, Dawson Street, Dublin, which I consider, 

 having seen it grow in several gardens last year, an 

 improvement even on Canadian Wonder ; the seeds are 

 piebald, being black and white. A small sowing of an 

 early variety of pea might be made at once, Boimtiful 

 or Pilot being useful. I notice that the pods of early 

 peas are not so well filled as usual, many peas in the 

 pods remaining small ; of several early sorts grown 

 Pilot is the worst, but all have many small peas. Get 

 finished with planting out cabbage, cauliflower, savoy, 

 and flowering broccoli, also celery if not already done, 

 as late planting is not to be recommended. 



hi the growing of celery and leeks for e.xhibition, 

 strong paper bands, if put round the stems of the plants, 

 assist blanching before earthing up with clay, thereby 

 allowing the plants to be fed with liquid manure and 

 a good artificial manure. From the middle to the end 

 of the month make a sowing of cabbage, selecting an 

 early variety not liable to run to seed. Excelsior 

 (Hawlmark), Ellam's Early, April, Early Offenham and 

 Flower of Spring are all good, the last two varieties 

 being much larger than the first three, though perhaps 

 fit for use a week or two later in spring. A sowing 

 should also be made of Tripoli onions. Giant Lemon 

 Rocca and Red Flat Italian, and at the end of the 

 month also make a sowing of Ailsa Craig onion if 

 required for early summer shows held in July and early 

 August, for though many of the plants may run to seed, 

 those remaining will form larger and better finished 

 bulbs than the Tripoli varieties. 



Tt'RNlI'S. — Make a good sowing of turnips during 

 the month, such varieties as Orange Jelly or Golden 

 Ball. Veltch's Red Globe and Black Stone stand the 

 winter well, and if the crops .are full grown before the 

 winter, they can be pulled and pitied like potatoes. 

 If not already done, spray at once maincrop potatoes, 

 thereby preventing the haulm being blighted, as 

 spraying is a preventive not a cure. .As crops are 

 gathered clear the ground, and make ready for another 

 crop, digging anet niruniring if neccssai'}'. 



8^* 5^* C^^ 



The Song oi- thu I'^.Miiiii iok. 



Oh, give me air, and syringe me wilh waters of 



Cologne ! 

 Dry as a Hortus siccus, run to seed and tiverhlown, 

 I try to keep my head up, but down it g*oes again. 

 Just like those drooping, stooping flowers, well 

 named the sickly men. 



I'm a poor, used up exhibitor. 

 Knocked out of presi'nl lime. 



Pond-wceci and Copper 

 Sulphate. 



A FREQUENT application for advice made to Kew 

 is from correspondents whose ponds or lakes 

 are infested during summer by the various 

 forms of Algae or "weed" found in British waters. 

 Every one knows the unpleasant nature of the scum-like 

 and other growths that are nearly always seen at that 

 season on still, or nearly still, water. They not only 

 frequenth" destroy the beauty o( ponds entirely for a 

 lime, but are offensive to the nostrils as well. A good 

 deal of this annoyance may be avoided by the use of 

 copper sulphate. Owing to the water of the Lake at 

 Kew being pumped for garden purposes (including the 

 Wiitering of ferns and other low types oi vegetation) it 

 is considered inadvisable to use copper sulphate there, 

 but it is employed with advantage in the smaller ponds. 

 The proportion used is one part copper sulphate to 

 anywhere from 750,000 to 1,000,000 parts of water. It 

 is first necessary to ascertain, approximately at least, 

 the cubic contents of the water to be treated. The 

 sulphate of copper should be obtained in a pulverised 

 slate, placed in a porous bag, and dragged through the 

 water until dissolved. It does not matter how the 

 sulphate is distributed so long as it is done thoroughly. 

 It maybe dissolved previously and sprayed evenly over 

 the surface, provided no water lilies or other aquatic 

 phanerogams are in growth. It may be mentioned that 

 a cubic foot of water weighs about 62^ lbs. 



During the last two summers a striking e.xample of 

 the effective use of copper sulphate has been provided 

 in St. James's Park. Previoush' it had been a costly 

 and troublesome matter to keep the water there pre- 

 sentable in hot weather by employing men in boats to 

 remove the weed with rakes, &c. The copper sulphate 

 Irealnient was adopted, with the result, we learn, that 

 at a much less expenditure in money and labour il can 

 now be kept practically free from weed. 



A fact of considerable interest has also been reported 

 by the Superintendent. The ponds are cleaned out 

 triennially and the surplus fish disposed oi. lii recent 

 years il has been found that many of the fish wervb.iclly 

 attacked by fungus, so much so ihat it became doubtful 

 whether it was advisable to transfer them to oilier 

 waters. We learn th.al at the last cleaning out the fish 

 were quite free from fungoid disease and remarkably 

 clean and silvery. This is of especial interest because 

 one of the doubtful matters about the use of copper 

 sulpli.ite in water was its effect on fish. It has been 

 found in .\merica that cerlain delicate species were 

 affected, but usu.'ilU' when ;i considi'r'ably sli'onger 

 application was used than Ih.'it mentioned above. — 

 \V. J. B. in A","i' /liillcliii. 



^^ i^^ ^* 



C.\RKX PENDl.'l..\. 

 Tilt Pendulous sedge is a handsome nali\e, well 

 suited for planting by the edge of a pond. From a 

 tuft of evergreen leaves, stems rise from four to five 

 feet high, bearing drooping, graceful spikelels, and 

 eventually bear seeds, which ilucks ;iiul waterfowl 

 seem to enjov. 



