126 



IRISH GARDENING 



drawing' llio drills 12 iiu-lios apart. Do not sow 

 bcfori' the al)ove diili\ othervvisi' a good percentage 

 w ill prohabiy nm to seed in place of buli)iiig. Ailsa 

 Craig, Red Italian and Lemon Rocca are excellent 

 varieties. White lA>viatlian does not keej). and 

 is only good for ininiediate use. Give the spring- 

 sown ])lants every assistance to ripen well, keeping 

 the ground tree from weeds, and towards the end 

 ot the month hend the tops to assist the swelling 

 (if the hulhs. Hiindle most carefully when pidling 

 and storing. Shallots will require to be harvested; 

 pull and place th.inly in frames till they are 

 llioronghly ripe, when they should l)e storetl in a 

 dry shed. 



Lkttuce. — Sow seeds of tlie following Winter 

 l-ettuce: — All the Year Round and Hardy White 

 Cos to stand the winter. Allow the plants plenty 

 lit room, and keej) the Dutch hoe at work between 

 the rows. 



Turnips. — rre])are a piece of ground occupied liy 

 early Potatoes for a good sowing of Red Globe and 

 Chirk Castle Turnips. Add a good dressing of wood 

 ashes and soot, and sow in Jines about 16 inches 

 apart. Keep the hoe busy as soon as they are above 

 ground, and thin to about 10 or 12 inches as soon 

 as they can l)e conveniently liandled. 



R.\nisHES. — Continue to sow Radishes on good 

 ground every week. They will require plenty of 

 moisture, otherwise they will prove very tough. 



P.\RSLKV. — Cut over portions of tlie Parsley beds 

 to encoiu'age yoiuig growths before the cold 

 weather sets in. The cold snap of frost experienced 

 in these gardens last November killed the whole 

 crop of Parsley outright. 



Winter Greens. — Continue to fill all vacant 

 sjjaces with Winter Greens as the ground becomes 

 vacant. Clear away all crops of exhausted Beans 

 and Peas. Keep a neat and smart appearance, and 

 all ground hoed as often as possible. Continue to 

 protect the curds of Cauliflower as they turn in, 

 simply bending two or three leaves over to exclude 

 the light and sun; otherwise they soon open and 

 lose their colour. 



The H.\ruy Fruit Garden. 



Fruit Room. — Take the first opportunity of 

 cleaning every part of the fruit room. Wasii all 

 stages and woodwork with hot water and carbolic 

 soap; tlien lime-wash all brick or stone work. 

 Any painting and repairing should l)e attended to 

 at oni'C. When it is finished leave all ventilators, 

 doors and windows wide open to sweeten the whole 

 building. When putting in ripe Peaches, Nec- 

 tarines. Melons or Plums place a few sheets of 

 grease-proof paper under the fruit, and handle 

 most carefully. 



Black Currants. — When the picking of Black 

 Currants is finished, prune the trees at once. This 

 will allow the smi and air to ripen up the young 

 shoots well for next season's crop. Cut away all old 

 and useless shoots, retaining the young slioots fi'oiu 

 the Vjase. Old trees may be rejuvenated by cutting 

 them right down to the ground. On no account 

 allow them to become crowded with a mass of 

 shoots. 



Raspp.E7!Rii'.s. — As soon as the crop is finished cut 

 away and burn the old fi'uiting canes. Tie tlie 

 requisite number of new shoots to the wires loosely, 

 remove all others. Clean the beds, making them 

 tidy, and give good supplies of water during hot 

 weather. Go over the autiunn fruiting canes, and 

 reduce any growth that may have started since the 

 last thinning. On dry soils these varieties will re- 

 quire ijlenty of water. 



Sti!AWIii;i;i!1KS. — Get the new beds planted at the 

 earliest convenience. This will ensure them 

 getting a good start and making g(jod progress. 

 Keep the ground well hoed between the })lants. Do 

 not allow plants to remain longer than three 

 seasons. Old beds that are finished should be 

 ch'ared, well cleaned, and used for another cro]). 

 If the old Strawberry plants are cho])])ed off with a 

 mattock and allowed a few hours' drying, they will 

 readily l)urn with the mulchings and weeds, 

 Thcr(>by saving a good deal of labour, and the ash 

 is most beneficial to return to the plot. Have the 

 cloches ready for late fruiting varieties. By their 

 usi' the t)erries ripen quicker and are much better 

 flavoured; also watch the i)erpetual varieties very 

 closely towards the end of the month. 



MoRELLo Cherries. — Gather the Cherries i)er- 

 fectly dry for bottling, and the darkest coloured 

 berries first for this purpose. Cut the stalks with a 

 sharp pair of scissors about an inch long, just 

 enough to hold tliem by without touching the berry. 

 They will hang quite a long time in good condition. 

 In several gardens I have lived in they have been 

 greatly esteemed for dessert. They are useful for 

 compote of fruit, and very valuable for culinary 

 purposes late in the year, and are also used for 

 cherry brandy. 



Peaches and Nectarines. — As tlie early varieties 

 become ripe, and jiart readilv from the tree, 

 they will need going over every day. Handle them 

 very carefully. It is advisable to use a clean silk 

 handkerchief when gathering these choice fruits, 

 as the slightest touch will bruise them. When 

 sending by post or rail pack them in partitioned 

 boxes, one fruit in each section, papered and 

 packed in soft wood wool, and despatch them as 

 soon as they are gathered. It will be found they 

 ripen very quickly in packing material and boxes. 

 When the tree is cleared give a thorough good soak- 

 ing of clean water, and take out all shoots not re- 

 quired for next season's fruit. Tie in the growth 

 so that they do not suffer from winds, &c. En- 

 deavour to get the wood thoroughly well ripened 

 before the sun loses its power. The following 

 varieties are well worth growing : Early Alexander, 

 Early Rivers, Hale's Early, Duchess of Cornwall, 

 Amsden June, Perigrine (magnificent colour), 

 Dymond, Bellegarde, Sea Eagle; and Golden 

 Eagle for very late work. 



Pears. — Go carefully ovei' the trained Pear trees, 

 ])inching the lateral growths back again to allow 

 the sun and air to reach every part of the tree, 

 and remove a few of the leaves covering any of 

 the fruit. By this means the flavour and colour will 

 be greatly improved. Early varieties will require 

 constant attention from now onwards. W^illiams' 

 Bon Chretien and Jargonelle require picking a few 

 days before they are ripe. Lift the fruit, and if it 

 leaves the tree readily it is fit to gather. Do not 

 gather all at once, but extend the season as 

 long as possible. Place in the drawers in the 

 fruit room, where they will quickly finish. When 

 planting these varieties nuike use of different 

 situations. By this means the season will be i^ro- 

 longed till other varieties are ready. Trees grow- 

 ing against walls will require i)lenty of moisture 

 and mulching to bring out the fine (pialitit's of 

 Pears. 



Plums. — These delicious fruits are now be- 

 coming fit for use. Choice specimens growing on 

 walls will require watching. Squirrels, mice, rats, 

 wasps and ants are very partial to a good phnn, and 

 Uicans must be taken to stop them. Small muslin 

 bags tied over each fruit generally stops the 



