4& 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Allotments. 



The month of March is an important one if the 

 most is to be n)ade of the allotment. A systematic 

 arrangement of the allotmeni is necessary, and 

 constant attention is also required. In the cultiva- 

 tion of small areas a higher standard of production 

 is required than that demanded from large areas 

 such as a farm, and the quantity of manure applied 

 and the labour required is much greater. On the 

 allotment no vacant spaces should be allowed, and 

 one crop will follow another in quick succession. 

 As far as possible, the plot should run east and 

 west and tlie rows north and south. This will give 

 the maxinunu amount of sunlight to the crops. 

 The area of an allotment is too small to show a 

 profit on labour, as well as seeds and manure; but 

 all expenses should be paid l)y the value of the 

 produce; in fact, there should be a considerable 

 surplus. I have seen quite a number of accounts 

 of allotment holders who kept a record of their 

 e.\[)cnditure and the market value of their pro- 

 duce, and in every ca.«e the balance was on the 

 right side, and this in some cases by men who had 

 never previously handled a spade. In urban dis- 

 tricts chiefly, and to a certain extent by men in 

 the towns, especially men who have migrated from 

 the country districts, the methods adopted l)y a 

 fartiier are copied. This is a mistake. It is not 

 Ijossible in a small garden to adopt the rota- 

 tion of crojiping as practised l)y farmers, and 

 in many otlier ways the system of cultiva- 

 tion is unsuitable. A farmer proceeds on 

 well-defined lines for years, but on an allot- 

 ment it is impossil)le to recommend any par- 

 ticular course of cropj)ing as the best. This de- 

 pends oil the size of the allotment, the C|uaiity of 

 the soil, and the manure at conuuand. A safe 

 rule to adopt to obtain the most from the plot is 

 to manure highly, dig frequently, and plant any 

 crop that is fit for planting out wlien the ground 

 becoMies vacant. By carefully following a calendar 

 of garden oj)erations each month, and sowing 

 seeds, <S:c.. when recoriuneiided. vegetables can be 

 obtained from the i)lot throughout the whole year. 

 Skki) SowiNo. — The row system should always 

 be adopted on the plot. The plot has a better 

 appearance, but, nmch more important, seedling 

 l)lanls are not so apt to l)ecome overcrowded as 

 when sown broadcast. Less seed is required. Tlie 

 seedlings are easily, thinned out; the plants re- 

 maining d(. not re(|uire to be transplanted, and 

 weeds are easily kept down by running the hoe 

 between the rows. In the case of certain crops, 

 such as Carrots, Parsnips, Beet. &c., which have 



to stand singly at certain distances apart in the 

 rows, it is not necessary to have a continuous line 

 of seeds in the drill. Towards the end of the 

 month Early Peas, Early Carrots, and Turnips, 

 Leeks, Onions, Parsley, Parsnips, Caulitiower, 

 Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, iSavoy Cabbage, 

 lladish, and Lettuce can be sown, providing the 

 weather and soil conditions are favourable. 



Planting. — Plant sliallots. Potato Onions. Onion 

 " Sets." and transplant autunni-sown Onions if 

 not already done. .Jerusalem Artichokes can still 

 be i^lanted. The early varieties of Potatoes may 

 be planted if the soil is in a suitable condition. 

 If the soil is not in a satisfactory state, it is better 

 to let the Potatoes remain in their sprouting boxes. 

 Rhubarb may be divided and re-planted where it 

 is desired to increase the roots. To produce good 

 tender stems, liberal dressings of manure shoidd 

 be given. It is not advisal)le to remove the leaves 

 the first year after planting. 



Potatoes. — A plotholder should get new " seed " 

 every two years at least. The best change for 

 " seed " Potatoes is from a cold to a warmer dis- 

 trict, or from a moist to a drier climate. My ex- 

 perience is that large tubers i-ut arc l)ctter than 

 small sets, unless the latter are immature. Sprovit- 

 ing the tubers before planting is especially valu- 

 al)le for early and second-early Potatoes. The 

 depth to plant is from four inches to six int'hes 

 according to the nature of the soil. The shallower 

 depth l)eing for heavy soils. You are not going 

 to run a plough across the plot to earth the 

 Potatoes up, so plant closer than the farmer. 

 Plant the early varieties eight to twelve inches 

 in the rows, and about twenty inches apart between 

 the rows. Late varieties may be twelve inches to 

 fifteen inches between the sets and twenty-four or 

 twenty-six inches between the rows. There is 

 nothing like well-decayed farmyard manure for 

 Potatoes, supplemented with artificial manure. 

 Apply the manure at the following rates per plot 

 of oOO square yards : — One ton of farmyard 

 manure, 10 lbs. sulphate of ammonia, and two 

 stones superphos])hate of lime. If no farmyard 

 mainire is available, increase the artificials by 

 one half. Burn all the rubbish on the plot and 

 use the resultant ashes. Coal ashes are useless as 

 a manure, but wood ashes are especially valuable. 

 Varieties of Potatoes can be enumerated by the 

 hundred. One of the earliest is May (^ueen. The 

 best second early is British Queen, which is a 

 deservedly popular variety. For the main cro]) 

 plant either Arran Chief, The Factor, or Irish 

 Queen. A Potato which is rai>idly growing in 

 favour is Great Scot. It is gen(M-ally classed as a 

 second early, but is really a mid-season variety. 

 It is also inumnie against the disease known as 

 " Black Scab." or Wart Disease of Potatoes. 



Thk Flowkk Border. — Sweet Peas may be sown 

 at the end of the month. If the ground lias not 

 already been prepared, dig a trench about one 

 foot in depth and the same in width. Place a good 

 layer of manure in the bottom of the trench and 

 then cover the manure with sevi^ral inches of soil. 

 Do not sow the seeds too thickly. an<l. after sow- 

 ing, cover the seeds with fine soil. Herbaceous 

 plants should be lifted and transplanted. Sej)arate 

 the clumps with a fork and do not chop with a 

 sj)ade. Any vacant places in the flower border 

 can be sown with Hardy Annuals, which can 

 usually be procured in clieaj) packets from the 

 seedsman. Useful kinds are Cauliflower. Sweet 

 Sultan. Mignonette, Candytiil't, Virginian Stock, 

 Godetia, and Clarkia. 



G. H. O., Belfast. 



