112 



IRISH GARDENING 



Carrots. — Young tendor roots are appreciated at 

 all times, and a sowing may be made now for late 

 pulling. Choose a stum])-rooted variety, and sow- 

 in a position where jtroteetion ean he given fiom 

 early frosts. 



Celery. — Comi)lete the i)lHnting as soon as pos- 

 sible, and when spraying the Potatoes go over the 

 Celery too as a xn'eventive nieasiu'e against diseas(\ 



Frexch Be.\ns. — Make a fiu'ther sowing to kee]) 

 the supply going; another towards the end of the 

 month on an early Ijorder where protection can ho 

 given to finish the crop. 



Lettuce requires sowing on a cool l)order during 

 the hot, dry weather. Sow thinly where they are 

 to mature, as when transplanted they do not start 

 away so quick now. 



Onions. — These w-ill l)e making good progress 

 now. A dusting of artificial manure hoed in, 

 watering afterwards will push them on. 



Potatoes. — Early varieties sliould be lifted as 

 soon as they ripen, selecting the tubers for seed 

 piirposes. These may lie on the ground for a few- 

 days to green before storing away in a cool, airy 

 place. 



Parsley. — Sow for standing through the winter, 

 early in the month. A good supply of water will 

 be required to germinate the seed if the weather 

 continues dry. 



Tomatoes. — Plants put out early last month will 

 require constant attention to disbudding and tying 

 up to the supports. Pinch out the points of the 

 plants when three or four trusses of fruits are 

 formed. This number will be about what can be 

 ripened before the end of the season. Cut back 

 some of the foliage if overshading fruit, but on no 

 account strip the plants or the flavour will lie im- 

 paired. 



Vegetable Marrows. — These will require ])lenty 

 of liquid manure to swell up the fruits. Stop the 

 main shoots and subsequent laterals at the first 

 leaf past the fruit. 



Keep the hoe and grub going amongst all crops, 

 which in many cases saves watering apart from 

 destroying weeds. 



Apply weedkiller to garden paths, taking car(> to 

 protect live edgings. This is best put on in the 

 evening or on dull days to save evaporation. 



The Fruit Garden. 



Sunnner pi'uning will still claim some time, and 

 in such seasons as this when the crops are light 

 wood growth is generally stronger. Strong shoots 

 that are making second growths should be gone 

 over a second time, pinching back to the first leaf. 

 Stimulants should only be given to trees that are 

 bearing a fair crop. 



Peaches .\nd Nectarines will be conqjleting the 

 stoning period, and may be finally thinned to the 

 required crop, according to what the trees will liear 

 and finish well; overcropping should be avoided. 



Regulate the young wood, tying in between the 

 fruiting branches, thus allowing more sun and air 

 to reach the fruit. Place nets in position as soon 

 as colouring begins. 



Strawberries. — Preparations should be taken in 

 hand for planting as soon as possible. Strawberries 

 follow well after Potatoes or Cabbage, providing 

 the ground is in good heart. If trenched and well 

 manured previously so much the better. Dig in 

 some well-rotted manure, and leave to settle for a 

 week or two. Tow^ards the end of the month the 

 runners will be well rooted and ready to plant. 

 Tread the soil firmly and rake level, marking off 

 drills at least 2^ feet apart, placing the plants 15 



to 18 inches apart, according to the hahit of grow-fh. j 



Plant firmly and water well if the weather is dry. ' 

 Pot uj) into 6-inch pots those intended for forcing, 



and stand them on a hard ash bottom in full sun, I 



where they will ripen strong crow-ns before the end j 

 of the season. 



Weeds and insect pests nuist be fought against, 

 even though the crop has failed, as next year's 



weather conditions might he better, and neglect ' 



now may seriously affect next year's crop of fruit. i 



Raspberries, if dry weather continues, will re- i 



quire plenty of water, weak liquid manure, if avail- I 



able, apart from finishing off the crop, it will | 



strengthen the canes for next season. J^ogan- i 



berries also will take a lot of water, especially if j 



planted against walls. Secure the young canes from "j 

 getting destroyed with the wind. 



The Pleasure Grounds. j 



The plants that were bedded out last month will j 



be making some show now^ and gradually filling up I 

 the allotted spaces. Peg down Heliotropes, Ivy 



Geraniums and Verbenas until the ground is fully , 

 covered. If watering is required, give it in full 

 measure, and as the plants freely develop and 

 cover the ground less water will be necessary. Keep 

 the buds clear of weeds, and remove decayed 

 flowers, applying' stakes where needed. Mow the 



grass regular, and clip the edges of buds and ' 



paths, making the whole as attractive as possible. , 



Border Carn.\tions. — These may be layered as ! 



soon as the side growths are long enough. The < 



earlier the layers are rooted the stronger the 1 

 plants will be to put out. I have never found it 



necessary to make up a compost for layering into, 1 



but simply fork up the soil round each plant, ; 



pegging the layers into it. If the shoots are high i 



up the stem draw the earth up in a mound sufficient j 

 for the layers to reach it without l^reaking. I 



l)elieve this method saves time in layering, and | 

 watering and rooting takes place quicker; also, the 

 plants lift with better balls of roots. 



Malmaisons may be turned out of the pots and ; 



])hniged in a shady border and treated in the same \ 



manner. Increase the stock of Pinks by inserting j 



pipings under handlights shaded from the sun. I 

 These will root well in pure sand made very firm. 



Border Chrysanthemums. — Place stakes to these 



in good time, and tie up the main stem securely. ! 



As the side growths develop, these can be slung up ; 



loosely to the stake, keeping the plants in their i 



natural ■■ shape. Apply a dressing of artificial ' 

 mamire when the buds are set and hoe it in. 



Thompson's Plant Manure is good for tins pur- i 



pose. j 



Roses. — All spent flowers should l)e removed as i 



they fade, and cut the flowering stems back to in- '' 



duce them to break away again for a later display. : 



Always be on the look out for aphis and mildew, i 



spraying on the first appearance. Regular hoeing | 



and watering will help to promote a free growth, ., 



and lessen the attacks of aphis. ', 



Violets are making good progress since they were 

 ])lanted out, and the runners grow fast. These ■ 

 must be pinched back to the first joint to have a ., 

 Liooa flowering ])lant for the winter blo^ims. In dry- 

 weather water we'll and nuilch with short manure i 

 or leaf mould, and spray in the evenings. A good \ 

 dusting of soot is a good stimulant, imparting a 

 rich colour to the foliage. i 



Wallflowers should be transplanted before j 

 getting drawn up in the seed bed. Put out on 



rather firm ground in drills a foot apart and nine j 

 niches between the plants to encourage stocky 



plants that will stand the winter. \ 



