42 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Ooral-red, carmine-pink, deep crimson, pale 

 yellow, and pure white, are only a very few of 

 the outstanding good colours. 



Stocks (the ten- week) can also be treated in 

 the same way as the foregoing, and here again 

 you have endless shades of colovir, but there is a 

 softness in these shades which is very different 

 from the brilliant effect of the Snapdragons. 



Larkspurs, Annual Delphiniums. — These are 

 always better sown under some cover, princi- 

 pally because they get a better start, but also 

 because they are such a tremendous attraction 

 in their young state, for slugs. Slugs seem to 

 prefer them even to Lettuce, and that is saying 

 a lot. The accompanying photograph will illus- 

 trate to what perfection these can attain, reaching 

 four or more feet in height when the soil is well 

 prepared, rich and good. The deep blue (which 

 is a really handsome l^lue), white and rosy-scarlet 

 are three colours which should be included in all 

 gardens. The flowers are produced on long 

 graceful branches, and as cut-flowers for indoor 

 decoration they are excellent. 



Godetias, with their shiny petals like satin, 

 may be sown in the oi^en without any hesitation 

 so long as it is not done too soon in the year. 

 Early April is quite time enough. The cold harsli 

 winds of March prevent any real growth dviring 

 that month. Lady Albermarle (crimson), 

 Duchess of Albany (white), and Satin Rose are 

 svxre doers sown direct in the borders. 



Clarkia, ]VIignonette, Lavatera (Mallows), 

 Linum rvibrum (red flax). Sunflowers and Sweet 

 Pea can all be sown out of doors, and are all, 

 with the exception perhaps of Mignonette, sure 

 and certain doers. Mignonette is sometimes very 

 " pernicketty," and will do splendidly in one 

 place and not at all in another, but by trying 

 different jjarts of the garden, a sviccessful hit 

 may be made. 



Sunflowers. — These are easily raised either 

 singly in pots in a house or frame, or sown 

 direct in the open. Not only are they very 

 handsonie in a bright sunny border, but the 

 seeds have long been known as a good food for 

 poultry, and can be mixed with other hard food 

 for these birds. 



The material for sowing annual seeds in those 

 sown indooi'S is often a great difficulty. A 

 spent hot-bed — that is, one which has been idle 

 all winter — is excellent, bvit every garden cannot 

 boast of such a luxury, certainly not now when 

 manure of any description is almost unprocurable. 

 The soil from a rvibbish heap is a good alternative. 

 A certain amount of soil always accumulates 

 amongst the rubbish on a heap, and if the bottom 

 of the heap can be got at, and this put through a 

 rough sieve, adding a little sand, it answers the 

 purpose well. 



Irish Mistletoe. 



This very misleading name was given to the 

 sprays of berries of Cordyline australis, and these 

 bare stems with quantities of small white berries 

 inade a very novel dinner table decoration. 

 This is a New Zealand plant, sometimes known 

 in gardens as the " New Zealand Cabbage," and 

 a considerable amount of seed must have been 

 formed during the past autumn, as these sprays 

 were obtainable in Dublin, and were also sold in 

 the streets in Belfast under the title of " Irish 

 Mistletoe." R. M. P. 



Friends and Foes of the Plotholders' 

 Crops (No. 2). 



Having considered some of the friends of the 

 plotholder, we may now consider the enemies 

 (diseases and pests), but before doing so it might 

 be worth while enquiring into the principal 

 factors which tend towards the production of 

 weak plants — plants more susceptible to attack 

 by diseases, insects and other pests. 



The principal factor affecting the plant is un- 

 doubtedly the condition of the soil. When the 

 soil is swampy or badly drained the roots of plants 

 can only obtain air with difficulty, consequently 

 root development is slow, as roots, like other 

 parts of the plant, breathe. Most garden crops 

 placed vmder such conditions fail to make satis- 

 factory growth, and soon succumb to disease oi- 

 jDests. Such soils again are usually sovir and lack- 

 ing in lime, and as a consequence diseases, like 

 " finger and toe " or " club root " of Cabbages 

 and Turnips, which thrive in acid media, become 

 so abundant that it is extremely difficult to grow 

 these and other " cruciferous " crops. Such soils, 

 again, are usually extremely cold owing to the 

 excess of water contained in them, which water 

 takes a long time to get Avarmed and evaporated 

 from the soil. If seeds are sown or plants, such 

 as Potatoes planted early on such soils, they often 

 rot in the ground before the soil gets sufficiently 

 \\'arm to start them into growth. 



Plants also suffer through lack of moisture and 

 of food materJals in the soil. It is very probable 

 that the peculiar dwarfness and complete failure 

 of sonie of last year's Potatoes were due to 

 planting in lazy beds, too late cultivation of 

 grass land ,and to the abnormal drought of June 

 and July, which left the soil in a very dry con- 

 dition. 



The best means of secuiing a sufficiency of 

 water and of good materials for crops is first of 

 all deep cultivation fairly early in the season. 



When soils are shallow or only " tickled " or 

 scratched over the roots of j)lants do not go down 

 deeply, consequently less food materials are 

 available for them. Not only is this the case, 

 bvit, owing to the solid and impervious layer at 

 the bottom in such soils, most of the rain will have 

 passed over it to the lower parts of the ground 

 and be of no value to next year's crop ; whereas 

 when this hard layer is broken the water will go 

 directly down into the subsoil, where much of it 

 will remain to rise again in the spring and summer, 

 when the surface soil begins to get dry. By deep 

 cultivation far more water is thus available for 

 the crop, and as most crops only take in their 

 soil foods when dissolved in water — just like 

 sugar in tea in case of humans — it follows that 

 apart from the increased feeding space, the 

 amount of available food matter, the descent of 

 roots in the moister levels, the crops will find 

 their food easier than othei'wise. If in additio)i 

 moisture-holding material such as vegetable 

 refuse, leaves, straw or peat manure is placed in 

 the lower levels when trenching is being done, the 

 crops will suffer less in dry seasons. In other 

 words, deep cultivation will help to solve botli 

 the water question and manure difficulty on 

 allotments, and given the usual supplies of 



