i6 



IRISH GARDENING 



Midland and Northern Counties. 



liy V:. IUtiikhkord, Gardener to ('. W. Dunbar 

 r^uller. lOsq., D.T... Woburn, Dona<ihaclee. 



The Kitchen Garden. 



\Yv. are now at the mercy of the weather and must 

 shape our course accordingly. During heavy rain 

 keep olV tlie ground, but be prepared to go on it 

 as soon as fit. During hard frost wheel out 

 manure and lav it in heaps ready to spread. If 

 the weather is open and dry. get all spare ground 

 dug and thrown up as rough as possible, that the 

 action of the frost may take effect upcn it, and 

 if time permits trench a spare plot. In order to 

 do so, open a trench three feet wide across the 

 plot and take one spit deep and shovel off the 

 loose earth and wheel to end of plot. In bottom 

 of trench put in a layer of fainiyard manure, and 

 dig it in. then place more manure on the top, 

 and mark off another three feet and throw top 

 spit on the open trench and shovel on the loose 

 earth : prepare next trench in same way and 

 continue uniil finished. 



We must use discretion in sowing seeds during 

 this month, but on warm, dry sheltered borders 

 lirojul Beans may be sown. Most of the long- 

 pod section are nearly as early as the smaller 

 sorts and are far more profitable. Towards the 

 end of the month some of the earlier sorts of I'eas 

 mav be sown. The Pilot, Sangster's No. 1 and 

 Vsiiliam the First are suitable varieties. 



llot-beds may be made for forcing Carrots. 

 .Stable manure and leaves may be collected and 

 mixed together and allowed to ferment. The 

 Ijed may be made 4 feet deep and 3 feet wider 

 than the frame and trodden tightly together, then 

 place frame in position. A layer of soil shculd then 

 be placed on the bed to a depth of 8 inches. When 

 this has been done level with a rake and firm 

 moderatelv. 



Wait a" few days until the heat moderates 

 before sowing seed, which should be covered with 

 finely-sifted soil to a depth of half an inch. 

 Early Gem and French Horn Garrots are the best. 

 Lettuce seed might be sown for an early batch, 

 also liadishes and Cress. 



Onions nuist be sown in boxes or in frames on 

 hot-bed for planting out in April. Owing to the 

 shortage of labour, sowing thinly in hot-beds 

 would be more advisable, as they need not be 

 pricked off. l)ut can be left in the bed until 

 planted in their permanent quarters. If the soil 

 is in good order \ery little water will be necessary 

 until germination takes place, but the surface 

 may be lightly damped on fine sunny days, and 

 when seedlings appear give a little air on fine days. 



Where an early batch of Peas is desired sow in 

 pots, or troughs can be made out of waste wood 

 in convenient sizes : place in heat until the seeds 

 appear, then place them in a cool house or frame 

 close to the glass, and protect from frost, f^ivp 

 plenty of air on fine days and gradually harden off. 



Seakale may be forced. This may be done 

 under greenhouse stages or in warm cellars ; it 

 must be grown in perfect darkness. Wiien the 

 roots are lifted for forcing, young straight thongs 

 should be kept and be prepared for planting later 

 on. Cut them G inches long and tie in small 

 bundles and cover with sand or coal ashes about 

 G inches deep. 



TiiK Hardy Fruit Gardkx. 



Gooseberries may be pruned during this mouth; 

 a sufiicient numljer of last year's growth nuist be 

 retained at suitable distances and shortened to 

 about 9 inches and the remainder spurred back 

 to two or three eyes ; keep centre of bush open : 

 any branches close to the ground should be cut 

 away, as the fruit is liable to be daniaged. 



Black Currants produce their fruit on spurs and 

 the young wood of the past season. All young 

 growth should be encouraged, and remove as 

 much old wood as possible. 



Bed and White Currants may be pruned same 

 as Gooseberries. 



Get all Apple and Pear trees finished pruning 

 by end of month, if possible, and all trees on 

 walls should be made secure, so that there will 

 be no danger of the branches becoming loose 

 during the season. 



Any fruit trees that for some reason or other 

 have to be replanted should be done as soon as 

 weather ijermits. 



The Flower Garden. 



Cuttings of Calceolaria, Viola, and Pentstemon 

 should be ventilated in mild weather, and all 

 decaying foliage should be removed. 



Wallflowers and other bedding plants should be 

 firmed after hard frost and the soil stirred up. 



Planting Bi i.hs. — Narcissuses. .Jonquils and 

 Crocuses may still be planted in light dry soils. 



Protect tender shrubs and plants if not sulfi- 

 ciently hardy to stand severe frost. Shrubs 

 planted in autumn should be iirotected at their 

 roots by spreading bracken or litter over the 

 surface to prevent frost injuring the rootsi. 



A Land of Peaches. 



Fruit Growing in Ontario. 

 Peac II growing is largely associated with Ontario, 

 and the industry goes far back in the history of 

 the province. The first record of Peach growing 

 in Ontario is from the diary of a resident in 

 Niagara, July 2nd, 1793, v/ho stated that they 

 were very small and highly flavoured. The 

 next record appear^ in the journal of Captain 

 Langslow, who visited Niagara in 1S17, and 

 spoke of Peaches as being " very plentiful." 

 In 1S5G Mr. C. E. Woolverton, of Cirimsby, 

 planted five acres of conmiercial orchard of such 

 varieties as Barnard, Crawford, Old Mixon and 

 Alountain Rose, and was the first to ship by 

 express to distant Ontario markets. When tlie 

 late King Edward, then Prince of Wales, visited 

 Toronto in ISGO, on the menu card of the Queen's 

 Hotel occurred the words '" Brown's Peaches," 

 showing that the trees must have been planted 

 years before that date. It was not, however, 

 until about the year 1890 that Peaches were 

 planted generally.' In the years following t!us 

 date they were planted very heavily. By 1905 

 the industry had grown to such proportions that 

 the supply was scarcely equal to the demand. In 

 1904 the first car was sent west as far as Winni- 

 peg. The following years saw heavier sliipments 

 and the extension of markets elsewhere. G enerally 

 speaking, the growth of the industry has been 

 .steady, and prices have been such that the 

 greatest quantities ever produced in Ontario are 

 being Marketed at the present time.^Canadtan 

 News Items. 



