4^ 



IRISH GARDENING. 



haunted branches. This will give space for young 

 growths to take their places. Aim at preserving 

 a proper balance in the shrubs. 



Pruning Hoses. — The pruning of Roses should 

 lie connnenced towards the end of the inontli. 

 Young plants should be cut hai'd back to obtain 

 strong growths. In all cases cut away weak or 

 unripe wood, leaving on! >' the strong, well-matured 

 growths. Strong growing kinds should be cut 

 back to five or six eyes, the weaker sorts must be 

 pruned closer, leaving two or three eyes to each 

 shoot. Cut out all superfluous shoots from the 

 middle of the trees. 



Half-hardy Annuals. — These, if not sown 

 last month as recommended, should be sown as 

 early in this one as possible. 



Hardy Iruit Garden. 



Gooseberries and Currants. — The pruning 

 of these trees being fiBished, let the ground among 

 them be dug over, adding manure, if necessary ; 

 dig carefully, so as not to injvire the roots. Where 

 bullfinches are troublesome they do a lot of 

 damage to the buds of Gooseberry bushes. In 

 damp weather lime shaken among the bushes 

 will help to protect them. 



Pruning Fruit Trees. — Any pruning not 

 finished in the jDreceding months should be com- 

 pleted as soon as possible, as Plums, Cherries and 

 the early sorts of Pears are now coming into 

 flower. Orchard trees may still be done. All 

 young trees planted last winter or this spring 

 should be now pruned according to their various 

 sorts and ways of training to be afterwards 

 adopted. 



Economy in the Use of Vegetable 

 Seeds. 



Sow in Drills and not Broadcast. — This 

 will save seed, reduce labour in thinning, and 

 make cultivation and weeding less laborious. 



Sow Thinly. — ^lany people habitually sow 

 seeds extravagantly, tlms increasing expense and 

 laljour. In ordinary times this may not matter 

 greatly, but now it may mean that by so doing 

 they would deprive their neighbours, of a fairshare 

 of the restricted supplies available, 



I or such crops as Parsnips, Beets and Beans, 

 A\hich have to stand singly at cei^tain distances 

 apart, do not sow a continuous line of seeds. 

 Instead, sow, from one seed in tlie case of Beans, 

 to eight or ten in the case of Parsnips, at intervals 

 corresponding to the distances apart at which 

 the i:)lants are rdtimately to stand. 



The following table gives the length of row f(jr 

 which 1 oz. of seed will be sufficient, assuming 

 this method of sowing is adopted : — 



Willsajfkefi'r 

 S'livn — ?'(/?r6- lat'iUinfj — 



VtYxZ ('/■ — 



1 oz. of 

 Beet ... 

 Carrot 

 Chicory 

 Lettuce 



Onions for harvesting 

 Onions for pulling green 



ft. 



1 oz. of Cabbage of any kind (Broccoli, Cauli- 

 flower, Kohl Rabi, Kale, Brussels Sprouts, etc.), 

 Leek, Onion ; and one-third of an oz. of Lettuce 

 will provide 1,000 plants for transplanting if sown 

 outdoors. When sown under glass the amount 

 required is half that given above. I J oz. 

 Cucumber, | oz. Tomato, \ oz. Celery, 6 ozs. 

 Vegetable Marrow and 18 ozs. of Pumpkin seed 

 will each provide 1,000 plants for growing on. 



When possible Sow Seeds under Glass for 

 Transplanting. — This may be done either in a 

 cold frame or in boxes covered with glass. The 

 method applies to Leeks, Spring Onions, early 

 Lettuces, Cauliflowers, Broccoli, Cabbages and 

 the like. The protection thus given makes 

 germination quicker and more certain, often 

 gives earlier crops, and there need be no waste. 

 Do not Sow avhen Soil and other Condi- 

 tions ARE Unsuitable. — The soil should be 

 moderately moist and free, not wet, cold and 

 heavy. Do not sow tender things like Irench 

 Beans and Scarlet Runners in the open until the 

 seedlings are reasonably safe fronr late frosts. 



Protect your Seeds and Seedlings. — They 

 have nrany enemies. Seeds such as Peas and 

 Radishes, which are liable to attack by birds, may 

 be protected by damping and dusting them with 

 red lead before sowing. Soot or lime, sharp grit 

 or finely sifted ashes will keep slugs away. 

 Attacks of the onion fly and cabbage root fly 

 may be warded oft* by dusting the young plants 

 with soot, by dusting sand or ashes damped with 

 paraffin along the sides of the rows, or by watering 

 with soap suds. — Issued by The Food Production 

 Department, 72 Victoria Street, London. S.W.I. 

 28th September, 1917. 



Correspondence- 



L. fragrantissima and L. Standishii. 



Dear Sir, — There is apparently much con- 

 fusion between Lonicera fragrantissima and L. 

 Standishii. I have seen them described as 

 identical, I believe them to be distinct, and 

 that the one that flowers from December on is 

 the true L. Standishii. I find that whereas L. 

 fragrantissima strikes readily from cuttings, it 

 is extremely difficult to propagate L. Standishii. 

 I should be glad of an authoritative opinion 

 regarding these two plants, both charming but 

 quite distinct. — Yours faithfully, O'Mahony. 



