42 



IRISH GARDENING 



r. cinifeiiiis is of dvvarl. prostrati' haliit, tliou<?h 

 tlie flowering sliools asctiid coiisidi'ialily, reaching 

 af)ont a foot or so in lieight and liearing ratlier 

 dull white, small (lowers. The variity ikiuIi"- 



purjiiiri'tis is a better garden plant, witli vinlet 

 ])nrple flowers, and inak(>s an interesting group on 

 the rock garden. 1'. ijlcher is one of the finest 

 species from a decorative ])oint of view, tlie flower 

 stems being over a foot liigli and carrying a 

 rHcen)e of large, bright bhie flowers. The best form 

 of this species is var. (i/dndiitlnis. seldom, liow- 

 ever, seen true to name. /'. seen ndiflonts is in the 

 same section as /'. i/hihcr. but the leaves are 

 glaucous green and tlu' IJowtMs bhiish ])urple and 

 very attractive. 



P. {/Uniriis is dwarf, alxjut nine Indies or little 

 more in height, with r<iundish basal leaves and 

 those on the tlowering stems narrower; flowers m 

 close spikes, dee]) ])urple in colour. 



F. lietcrop]! 1/11 IIS is attractive and generally 

 admired. It is more woody at the base than the 

 previous species, with usually narrower leaves, 

 which, liowever, vary somewhat in size and shape; 

 the flowers, borne in a longish, loose spike, are 

 blue with a suffusion of ])iidv at the Ijase, but the 

 general effect is blue; this combination of coloiu's 

 is pleasing to look at l)ut difficult to describe in 

 words. 



P. Inimilis is a most attractive species, one of 

 the dwarfest, rarely exceeding six inches or so, 

 and l)earing bright blue flowers in spikes lield erect. 



P. Wdtsoni is also a low grower, but reaching 

 nine inches or a foot when in flower. The leaves 

 are bright green and the fipwers, produced in short 

 spikes, are dark purple. ., 



The above comprise soni^f the dwarfer species 

 and varieties in cultivation, but many others of 

 taller habit are obtainable, and nearly all are 

 worth growing. 



Belgian Horticulture After the "War- 



\Vf. who lived securely within this sea-girt isle 

 while Europe weltered in the late war know little 

 of the sufferings and less of the losses endured by 

 the people of Belgium. Ghent, well known by 

 name at least to many horticulturists in Ireland, 

 has suffered severely. We learn that the fine col- 

 lection of Palms owned by M. Wartel has gone 

 entirely, many of them being imique specimens. 



We are glad to know, liowever, that the wonder- 

 ful collection of Cycads owned by Messrs. Sander, 

 of St. Albans and Bruges, has been saved, and 

 also the C'ymliidiums of the Comte d'Heiiii)tinne. 

 Most of tlie other wonderful plants whicli made the 

 Ghent Quinquennial famous are gone, and will 

 take many years to replace. 



Daphne petraea (rupestris). 



TO THE EDITOl! IRISH GARDENING. 



Dear Sir, — I thought you might be interested to 

 see a photo. I took in my garden last May of a 

 Daphne rupestris which I got in 1914. It was then 

 quite small, and has grown into a small shnd) 

 about 4i inches across. It is growing in an open 

 position in a mixture of ordinary soil and some peat, 

 and has some stone chips on the surface of the 

 groinid to keep it from getting splashed with earth. 

 Last year it flowered well, and was quite a nuiss 

 of pink, and it looks as if it would be equally good 

 this year. — R. S. Browne, Hopeton, Rathgar. 



Allotments. 



TuK month of M;iich l)rings allotment holders to 

 thi'ir plots in nil earnest. Every opportunity 

 should be taken tn work the land so as to bring -f 

 into a suitable ciuidition for sowing seeds, at the 

 same time working manure into the .soil if this has 

 not already been applied. If the soil is heavy a 

 good deal can be done by lightly forking the sur- 

 face and exposiiii;- it to the drying winds which 

 usually occur during this month. Potatoes. Onions, 

 aiul Shallots have already been planted, and as 

 soon as the soil can be got into a suital)le con- 

 dition a start will be niiide to transplant the 

 Onions sown in the autumn. These are trans- 

 planted in rows 15 inches apart and 8 inches 

 between the ])lants. Deep planting results in 

 " necks " or leggy Onions. A good method to 

 adopt is to plant the Onions and then draw soil 

 to the j)lants to keep them upright. Once new 

 roots are formed the soil is drawn away. Seeds 

 should also be sown in drills one foot apart. Secure 

 ii fine tilth, make the i)ed firm, and tread the soil 

 back into tlie drills. The soil should, of course, lie 

 dry and friable. 



The chief sowing of Leeks should also be done, 

 as it is important to have good plants for trans- 

 planting. The seeds are eitlier sown l)roadcaRt or 

 in drills. 



Parsnips will also require sowing. This is a 

 profitable cro]) to sow, producing a good weight 

 j)er acre and highly nutritious. They succeed well 

 on old Celery trenches. If the land is rich. 

 Student is the best type. Hollow Crown is good foi 

 general use, not requiring such a deep soil. Eresh 

 seed should always be sown; old seed loses its 

 germinating power. If the seed is thoroughly re- 

 liable, about one dozen seeds can l)e dropped every 

 9 inches. The ]jercentage of germination is seldom 

 above 25 per cent, in the open ground. 



Potatoes. — Early and second early Potatoes 

 shoidd always be sprouted in boxes for good crops. 

 If the weather and the soil are unsuitable for plant- 

 ing, let the Potatoes remain in the boxes. They 

 shoidd be in a position receiving full light, so that 

 the young shoots are quite hardy. The seed of 

 early Potatoes shoidd be true to name; otherwise 

 the crop will not be as early as expected. More- 

 over, if rogues of a late variety are mixed with the 

 sample, the plants from the tubers of a late matur- 

 ing kind will be useless if lifted at the same time 

 as the early kinds. Three good early Potatoes are 

 Sharpe's Express, May Queen, ;uid Midlothian 

 Early. Select the variety wdiich suits the district 

 The best second early Potato is British Queen. 

 Late kinds may be Arran Chief, Factor, Irish 

 Queen, or any variety which suits the district. The 

 early varieties mentioned above have dwarf tops, 

 and 2 feet between the rows and 1 foot in the rows 

 will give them sufficient room. For the main crop 

 varieties it is usual to allow on plots 2 feet 6 inches 

 b(>tween the rows and 15 inches between the sets. 

 The manure should be applied at the rate of one 

 ton per plot of ;{flO square yards, supplemented by 

 the following artificial manures : — Sulphate of 

 Ammonia, i stone; Superphosphate of Lime, 2 

 stones; Muriate of Potash, ^ stone. 



It is too early to sow the main crop of Beet and 

 Turnips. If a few early roots are desired, a small 

 sowing should ))e made, choosing the Globe varie- 

 ties in each case. The early white Turnip matures 

 rapidly, and is more palatable when used young. 

 Radishes may be sown, and also Parsley. The 

 latter crop is usually sown as an edging to the plot, 

 but for ordinary needs this gives a surplus. A 



