8o 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Midland and Northern Counties. 



By W. Roberts, Gardener to Lady Emily Bury 

 Charleville Forest, Tullamore, King's County. 



Kitchen Garden. 



Thin newly sown Asparagus and watch beds in 

 bearing, and do not cut these too late. It is an 

 old maxim that none should be cut after the 

 1st June, and it is not a l)ad one, though I fear in 

 many eases circumstances prevent its being ad- 

 Jiereii to. Tomatoes may be planted out of doors 

 in sunny i-pots where houses are not avaihible, 

 though I have yet to meet anyone in districts 1 

 write for who speaks very enthusiastically ai)out 

 their results. Tlic case usually is, a few fruits 

 ripen, and tlie rest have to be hung up. &c. 

 However, I tliink the principal cause of failure 

 is too strong and rampant a growth, " and 

 ordinary inteUigence will suggest how to overcome 

 this," too little attention to removal of lateral 

 growth, portion of the leaf, &c., and generally 

 letting all the light and air possible to the fruit. 



Prepare Celery trendies and transplant when- 

 ever ready, and avoid anything in the way of a 

 check. There are several methods of planting. 

 Some recommend the bed system, others three 

 rows to the trench, others two and others one, 

 the di.?tanc5 between the trenches being, of course, 

 the number of rows that have to be earthed up. 

 Personally, I favour the single row, as they can be 

 planted fairly close and are easier handled in 

 every way, a.s well as practically trenching the 

 plot for future crops. 



Sow Beans for late crop and Dwarf and Runner 

 Beans for main crop. Plant out Brussels Sprouts, 

 Cauliflower. Lettuce, &c., and thin Carrots Onions, 

 Parsley, Spinach, &c. Marrows, Gourds and 

 Ridge ' Cucumbers may be planted out towards 

 end of month, but means of protection will have 

 to be kept handy in case of frost. Give litter to 

 Strawberries in good time to keep the fruit clean, 

 and just before or at flowering time a dressing of 

 superphosphate, a small handful to each i)lant, 

 will be found very beneficial. 



Fruit Houses .\nu Garden. 

 Peache.5 by all reports I have lieard promise 

 very well this year in either heated or unheated 

 structures, the latter having ap]jarently escaped 

 the amount of frost capable of injuring them. I 

 find that in cold houses or cases it is a good plan 

 to let them grow a bit more before thinning or 

 disbudding than is usually done wliere heat is 

 employed, and not be too methodical as to 

 •syringing, especially on any but very fine morn- 

 ings. This latter remark applies also to cold 

 vineries. Disbudding in this case is " the sooner 

 done tlio better." lie vineries, 1 have two small 

 houses that have been grown entirely without 

 artificial heat for the last two year.-, and at pre- 

 sent they promise as well as ever I saw them, and 

 one of them contains muscat of Alexandria only, 

 so that if this sort of thing continues one can only 

 wonder at the number of years we have been 

 " chasing the shadow." Appleis Pears. Plums, 

 itc. promise very well, also bush fruits, and given 

 favourable weather conditions good crops should 

 be the order. A spraying of arsenate of lead to 

 those that have set their fruits will help to banish 



the many leaf pests, moths, &c. Attend to 

 newly planted trees, especially on walls, with 

 water during dry. harsh weather. Keep the hoe 

 going among all bush fruits and other planta- 

 tions, as the old saying of a " stitch in time," &c., 

 applies very much here. 



Flower Garden. 



Many half-hardy annuals may be sown in the 

 open ground during and towards the end of thi.^ 

 month, according to locality, and quite a brilliant 

 display may be had for a very small outlay. 1 

 always think they look best in masses rather than 

 in lines, though, of course, the amount of space 

 available affects this. There is sucli a plentiful 

 ■•ui)ply of these on the market nowadays, and of 

 such diversity in colours, that the most fastidious 

 taste may be satisfied. The ground should not be 

 too rich, and fairly firm, and a little soot raked 

 in before sowing will help to ward off insect 

 trouble, and when the seedlings are big enough, 

 that i>-. when they have grown what is called the 

 " rough leaf." thin out pretty severely, otherwise 

 the best results will not be oljtained. The thinning 

 should be done during showery or dull weather, 

 and. if necessary, water nuist be applied with 

 a fine rose or sprayer to settle the soil 

 round those left to flower. These remarks 

 api)ly to hardy ainiuals which have been already 

 sown. Annuals i)reviously raised in heat may l)e 

 hardened off ready for planting out in beds or 

 borders, and in favoured districts the old 

 fashioned bedding plants " which alas ! have in 

 some i)iaces quite disappeared." may be put into 

 permanent quarters, but further north and in 

 i-older districts it is best to defer mitil next month. 

 Grass on lawns will now begin to grow rapidly 

 and must l)e mown regularly to ol)tain the neces- 

 sary amount of sole or foundation. I find this a 

 good time to prune many of the early flowering 

 <hrubs ; this means simply cutting out the old 

 flowering. wood and generally keeping the bushes 

 in shape. 



Killing Weeds. 



A GOOD Arsenical Weed-killer is the most effective 

 and lasting preparation for keeping garden and 

 other walks free from weeds, and, unfortimately, 

 during the war the price of arsenic advanced more 

 than that of almost all other chemicalv-. This year, 

 however, it has dropped enormously in price, and 

 Messrs. Mark Smith, Ltd. (the makers of Smith's 

 " Perfect " Weed-killer, Liquid and Powder) are 

 abli- to announce a corresponding reduction in 

 the jjrices of their Weed-killers. Mr. D. M. 

 Watson. Horticultural Chemist, 61 South Great 

 George's Street, Dublin, i.- Irish Agent for these 

 ])reparations, and his advertisement (giving 

 prices, &c.) will be found on page viii. Smith's 

 Weed-killer is recognised throughout the United 

 Kingdom as the Standard Weed-killer. 



