IRISH GARDENING 



147 



Keeping up Food Production.* 



'riiK iK'cessitN runtiuues ior growiuj,' all tlie 

 food we ])ossibly fan,an(l e\ ery effort iimst be 

 made to utilise all availal)lr groiuid as late in 

 the season as i)lanting can be reasonably 

 carried on. 



October is an important month in tliis re- 

 spect. The soil has not yet become cold and 

 the days are usually conducive to a certain 

 amount of growth. In tact in mild autumns 

 growth is often too ranii^ant, and a sharp si^eW 

 of hard frost about Christmas or later often 

 |)lays havoc among such crops as Broccoli and 

 also Cabbages sown in July. Some crops, 

 however, such as August sown Cabbages, 

 Onions, Lettuces and Cauliflowers are gener- 

 ally in right condition for planting in Octobei'. 

 If the soil be well firmed before planting growth 

 will be slower and the plants will become 

 hardened and capable of withstanding the 

 harsh w'eather of winter and early spring. 

 Cauliflowers, in well-equipped gardens, are 

 generally transferred from the seed bed outside 

 to a cold frame where they are easily protected 

 from too much moisture and are sheltered from 

 very hard frost though never completely closed 

 up at any time. Where a cold frame is not 

 available it will be advisable to leave Cauli- 

 flowers in the seed bed where they w^ill shelter 

 each other. We often find that the surplus 

 left in the bed after removing sufficient to fill 

 a frame, comes through the winter fairly well, 

 and makes good plants fV)r putting out in April. 



August sown Cabbages may be put out in 

 October where they are to mature, after late 

 Peas, Potatoes, or spring sow^n Onions accord- 

 ing to individual requirements. The soil 

 shoidd not be made too rich. In fact, follow- 

 ing any of the above mentioned crops no 

 manure is re(piired imless the soil is natui-ally 

 very poor and shallow. Small hearting varie- 

 ties, and they are generally best for early 

 \\'ork, need only be jflanted fifteen inches apart: 

 these include such varieties as First and Best, 

 EUams .Early, Early Etampes, Harbinger. 

 Sutton's Af)ril, Sutton's Favourite: while 

 varieties such as Flower of Spring and Klein's 

 No. 1 require eighteen inches. 



Onions come next in importance, and from 

 seeds sown in mid-August good ])lants should 

 be available for planting out in October. There 

 are several varieties reconnnended for autumn 

 sowing, notably the Tripolis, red ;md white 

 Italian and (jiant Rocca. The latter, in the 

 writer's expei'ience, is the best keeper, forming 

 a medium-sized firm bulb of a fine I'uddy brown 

 colour. Ailsa Craig is frequently sown in 



'''Publication unavoidalilv delavL'd. 



autumn, and heavy crops often result, but 

 better results, probably, are got by sowing this 

 variety in mild heat in January. 



Autumn sown varieties may be planted out 

 in October in well tilled ground wdiich has 

 carried a summer crop of Peas, Potatoes, 

 Cabbage, or Cauliflower. Plant nine inches 

 between the plants and at least a foot between 

 the rows. Overcrowding is a mistake and 

 favours the spread of mildewy which on occa- 

 sion attacks the autumn sown varieties as well 

 as those sown in spring. 



Lettuces, such as Hardy Hammersmith, 

 Stanstead Park and Brittany Winter White, 

 can be recommended as reliable. Sown in 

 August, they are fit to prick out in beds early 

 in October and soon become established. In 

 fairly light, well-drained soil they will staml the 

 winter well and come in for use in spring. In 

 c(jld, wet soils failure is sometimes recorded 

 due to the excessive growth of the transplanted 

 seedlings in autumn. In such districts a 

 sheltered position at the base of a wall where 

 the soil is drier will usually give the desired 

 result. On allotments where choice of position 



Dakkodii, Sn: Watkin*. in stoxks Axn watkh oxty. 

 (ii'owu by tbo Students, Killarney School of 

 Housewifery. 



