94 



IRISH GARDENING 



Allotment Observations. 



By J. Hurley, Superintendent, Corporation of 

 Dublin Land Cultivtition Coniniittee. 



The following table may prove interesting to 

 readers of Irish Gardening : — 



N. 



= 150 acres- 

 = 1,194, each 



I of an acre 

 = 410 acres 

 = 2,800, each 



i of an acre 



Revi 



Co. Borough of Dubli 

 Area under allotments in 1917 

 No. of Allotments provided in 1917 ■■ 



Area under allotments in 1918 

 No. of allotments provided in 1918 



Rent jjer statute acre paid by 

 local authority for land ac- 

 quired by agreement for allot- 

 ments = 



Rent paid by allotment holders = 



from £4 to £5 

 16/8 per I of 



an acre 

 Allotment 



from the above table, which only refers to the 

 Coporation Land Cultivation Committee, it will 

 be seen that in less than one year the number of 

 additional acres under allotments was 260, or an 

 increase of 1,606 allotments over the previous 

 year. Tliough this was an appreciable increase 

 it is believed that if land were available to give a 

 plot to each applicant the number of acres would 

 have been increased by 410. 



As time goes on it is interesting to note that the 

 land is being cropped with vegetables which will 

 become fit for use at different seasons of the year. 

 The great fault which was to be seen on nearly 

 all plots last year was that of making too large a 

 sowing of seeds such as Cabbage, Lettuce, White 

 Turnips, &c., at one time. This feature is absent 

 this year. 



In very many cases no note is kept by the plot- 

 holder of the date on which seed is sown ; this is 

 a mistake. Tlie date (and variety) on which 

 seed is sown should be carefully noted, so that 

 when a crop is too late or too early, or the variety 

 not a suitable one, the mistake will not be 

 repeated tlie following year. 



No plotholder should be allowed by his neigh- 

 bouring plotholders to leave flowering Cabbages 

 on his plot ; they are an attraction for butterflies, 

 the caterpillar of which we are all so familiar with 

 being so mischievous to the different crops. Once 

 a crop of Cabbages is attacked by caterpillars it 

 is difficult to prevent it being totally devoured. 



Nitrate of soda is now being used on many 

 areas, but a word of advice to the amateur may 

 not be out of place. It has been proved that 

 small dressings applied often during the growing 

 period are much more beneficial than a large or 

 heavy dressing applied at one time. The golden 

 rule, when applying nitrate of soda, should not 

 be forgotten : "A little and often." An applica- 

 tion after thinning acts as a great stimulant to 

 plants when evenly scattered over the ground 

 and lightly scuffled in. 



The spraying of the I'otato crop is being- 

 carried out by the Irish Plotholders' Union this 

 year, and arrangements are already being made 

 to start spraying as early in June as possible. 

 The present estimate of plots to be sprayed is 

 1,000 or 125 statute acres. This is rather a big 

 undertaking, and the members of the Irish 

 Plotholders' Union are to be congratulated on 

 their courage, this being the first year of tlie 

 Union's existence. 



Views. 



Grow Your Own Vegetables.* 



This is the most ambitious volume on this 

 subject that has reached us so far ; and it is 

 surely a new departure for a Doctor of Science to 

 devote time to writing a book on elementary 

 vegetable culture. We welcome the departure, 

 however, and feel that horticulture, even on an 

 allotment, is now taking its proper place in the 

 forefront of important, prodvictive industries. 

 We do not pretend to have found anything new 

 in the book concerning the essential operations in 

 connection with the soil or subsequent cultivation 

 of the crops, but there is plenty of sound advice 

 on both given in simple language, such as an 

 educated man always uses, and for the novice for 

 whom the book is intended, there are many useful 

 hints which indeed might not occur to the pro- 

 fessional gardener better equipped in knowledge 

 and material. Many viseful illustrations are 

 given, helping greatly to make clear the text. 



There are some points, however, we would like 

 to comment on. The old advice of throwing up 

 the soil loosely in winter is not applicable to 

 all soils, least of all to those of a heavy nature 

 with a wet subsoil. Anyone can prove for him- 

 self that frost will penetrate farther into firm 

 soil than into that which has been loosened 

 by digging, the reason being that air gets in 

 between the loose particles and excludes the frost, 

 whereas in soil which is consolidated frost is able 

 to follow the moisture. This can be tested by 

 examining a plot which has been dug before a 

 sharp frost and comparing it with an undug j^lot. 

 There is sound advice given regarding waterings, 

 but the valvie of hoeing is insufficiently explained. 

 Hoeing not only kills Aveeds, but keeps the cracks, 

 which foi'm in soil during spells of drought, filled 

 up, thereby preventing the escape of moisture and 

 encouraging the rise of water from below through 

 the finer insterstices. 



Manures are ver^- well dealt with, and the value 

 of lime explained. 



We are inclined to think Dr. Johnson is too 

 sanguiu'.^ about Broccoli, a most difficult crop to 

 manage and one which gives many a gardener 

 much trouble ; it is not what can be called a safe 

 crop. 



With regard to the earthing-up of Potatoes, 

 we agree the ridge should not be left hollow on 

 the top, but at the same time it should be broad 

 rather than steep, and for this reason 20 inches 

 apart is too little for the rows of even early 

 Potatoes, 24 inches should be the minimum. 



The body of the work is devoted to chapters 

 on all the principal vegetable crops, and a useful 

 calendar of " Vege culture Month by Month " is 

 given. Diseases and pests are dealt with briefly 

 and to the point. 



We commend Dr. Johnson's book to the 

 notice of our readers. Well bound, clearly 

 printed and copiously illustrated, it ought to 

 appeal to the well-to-do amateur, though we fear 

 that at the " novel " price of six shillings it will 

 be rather beyond the average working man. 



* "Grow Your Own A^egetablos." By Stanley 

 O. Johnson, D.Sc, F.R.E.S. PubUshed by 

 Messrs. T. Fisher Unwin, Ltd., 1 Adelphi Terrace^ 

 London, W.C 2. Price 6^- uet. 



