62 



IRISH GARDENING 



lor level cuttiiijl. L'se the best liil)ricat iii<; oil oli- 

 t!iiiiHl)le, and eiean the machines each rvciiiiej 

 before ])uttin<; in the machine house. Do nol leave 

 them out. Clean up the mowings each day. or they 

 soon mark the lawns. Tennis courts, bowiin;.^ 

 greens. cro(|uet lawns and putting greens on golf 

 courses now require constant attention to iiave 

 tliem in the best jjossible jjlaying condition. Where 

 ])Ossil)le, it is best. to obtain the services ol an in- 

 telligent man to take charge of this dei)artiiient. 

 Koll every morning when there is no frost and krv]> 

 every weed pvdled up. Tlie dimensions of a full- 

 sized tennis court may be useful to some, so 1 will 

 include it -.—78 feet long by 06 feet wide. The ser- 

 vice lines need marking 21 feet from the net in 

 centre and parallel with it, and the service side 

 lines 4^ feet from side Hires. A full-size croquet 

 ground measures 35 yards by 28 yards. Pegs in 

 centre line of ground 7 yards from nearest Ixnin- 

 dary. Hoops up centre line of ground 7 yards from 

 ])egs and 7 yards apart. Corner hoops 7 yards from 

 centre line and 7 yards from nearest boundiiries. 



Gr.\ss Seed. — This is the princi])al month for 

 sowing grass seed for making new lawns. &c., reno- 

 vating bare patches. Sow evenly both ways and 

 lightly rake the seed in. Beware of birds. 



Flowering Shrubs. — The Winter Honeysuckles. 

 P'orsythias. Flowering Currants, require hard 

 pruning to secure good growths for next season's 

 flowering. Prunus triloba and Davidiana require 

 the weak growths taken outr,to throw the strength 

 into ne.xt season's flowering' shoots. The Pyruses 

 growing on walls after flowering will require thin- 

 ning and training. Take a few of the old shoots 

 out each year. 



Bam HOGS. — These beautiful subjects may safely 

 be planted now. Give them a sheltered spot away 

 from cutting winds, and a good, rich soil. The 

 following are a few most excellent varieties : — 

 Arundinaria spathifiora, tall ; Japonica, well- 

 known; A. Anceps and A. aristata, Bambusa fas- 

 tusa, tall and graceful; and B. palmata, The 

 Phylloastachys aurea, P. Quiloi, and P. Castil- 

 lonis, P. violascens, and P. viridi glaucescens. 



Darwin and May Flowering Tulips. — Give a 

 slight dressing of Nitrate of Soda and carefully fork 

 between the rows. This will greatly strengthen the 

 foliage and flower stems. 



Southern and Western Counties, 



By Mr. J. Matthews, Gardener to Sir Kichard 



J. Musgrave, Bart., Tourin, Cappoquin, 



County Waterford. 



The Kitchen Garden. 



Seed sowing and the planting out of vegetables 

 raised under glass will claim a good deal of atten- 

 tion during the month of April. If the grormd 

 was prepared as advised in previous notes, the 

 work can be carried out without waste of time. 

 and with some comfort. 



Globe Artichokes may be increased now by 

 YiuUing off side suckers, with roots attached, and 

 planting at least 3 feet apart and 5 feet between 

 the lines. After removing the covering, fork 

 lightly round the plants, and mulch with well- 

 rotted manure; failing a supply of this, a dressintc 

 of some artificial manure and wood ashes should 

 be applied. 



Br'o'ccoli, for winter and spring supplies, may 

 be sown about the end of the month: sow thin, 

 and in an open position. 



Broad Beans. — Sow the juaincrop now, and 

 plant those raised under glass, if not already done 

 \\ Ik 11 HIack Fly makes an appearance, syringe 

 wiili (|uassia extract. 



( 'ui.iKLowEK. — Another sowing may he made late 

 in the month to carry on the sujjply. Early J.ondou 

 comes 111 well for autinim cutting. 



Cabbage. — Savoys and Broccoli should Ite sown 

 ahout the middle of the month. Early s])rin^ 

 Calihage may require some assistance to ))iing 

 them on : light dressings of nitrate of soda about 

 once a fortnnjlil and lioed in will rush growth a 

 bit. Plant out those raised in frames wh(>n large 

 enough. 



Cahuots. — The end of the month will be early 

 enough to sow the main crop, or even into May 

 is not too late. A liiece of ground that was 

 manured for a crop last year and dug in early 

 winter should he chosen; thorou^rhly fork it over, 

 ))reaking up the lumps, removing as many stones 

 as possible. Give a good dressing of wood ashe-' 

 and soot sufficient to give it a black appearance. 

 Where Wire Worm is known to give trouhle. a 

 light dressing of salt should be scattered over the 

 ground; tread fairly firm with the feet, afterwards 

 rake as fine as possible. Draw shallow drills 15 

 inches apart, sowing the seed as thin as po.ssible. 

 covering in with the feet or back of the rake; 

 finish off by raking lengthways up the drills. 

 Another sowing, of a stump-rooted variety, may 

 l)e made to keep the supply going. 



French Beans.— A sowing can be made with 

 safety on a warm border towards the end of the 

 month in drills 15 inches apart and 3 inches deep, 

 allow 8 inches between the seeds. An earlier pick- 

 ing can 1)0 had if sown in boxes and planted out 

 early in May. These plants require some protec- 

 tion from cold winds for a time, such as Spruce 

 branches. 



Scarlet Runners may he treated in like mannei-. 

 allowing more space between the plants. 



Brussels Sprouts, for late supplies, should be 

 sown early in the month, and plant out those 

 sown earlier when of sufficient size. 



Herbs. — Seeds of these may be sown now, either 

 in their permanent quarters or in pans, and 

 planted out later. 



Leeks for main crops should be sown in the first 

 days of April. Good, rich land is required for 

 these, in an open situation. 



Onions raised early in the year will be ready 

 to plant out towards the end of the month. Tf 

 kept in the boxes too long they get weak and 

 stinited; harden them off gradually, finally placing 

 in the open. Towards the end of the month, sov.' 

 seed for picklers on a piece of poor land; sow 

 thick, and do not thin these. 



Peas. — Sow seed as the demand may ie(|uir(> 

 them; put stakes to those above ground; iiuike 

 every effort to have Peas staked soon after they 

 are through the soil, as if they get blown over it 

 i:-. difficult to straighten them up again, and often 

 the stems get bioken, ruining the prospects of a 

 good crop. 



Potatoes. — liate varieties should be got in duriim- 

 the month, allowing plenty of space between th.- 

 drills; nothing is gained bv close planting, the 

 haulm gets weak and ST)indly, resulting in poor 

 returns. The drills should be 3 feet apart and 18 

 inches between the sets; better and heavier crop>^ 

 are obtained in this way. 



Spinach. — Make a sowing of that useful variety, 

 the Spinach Beet, either the dark or light green; 

 this will give a good supply during the summei 



