IRISH GARDENING 



171 



Allotments 



Tenure of Plots. — Allotnient holders in many 

 districts are at present in the difficult posi- 

 tion of not knowing at what date the tenancy 

 of their plots will terminate. This difficult 

 position is chiefly felt in the towns where 

 many of the plots are on prospective building land. 

 The cultivation of the land nuist necessarily go on 

 throughout the year, and where there is no security 

 of tenure a serious loss is entailed by allotment 

 holders unless adequate notice is given. Unfortu- 

 nately, also, there have l)een serious increases in 

 the rent of some plots which do not appear justified 

 by the circumstances. Instances occur where land, 

 previous to the installation of plots, gave no return 

 whatever, yet allotment holders are asked to pay 

 very high rent indeed for the insecure right to 

 cultivate a piece of ground. Public authorities in 

 England have been giving adequate notice to quit 

 land, but many private persons have not realised 

 their responsibilities in this direction. 



Cultivation. — It is a matter of regret to have to 

 say that in too many instances this season the 

 summer cultivation of allotments has been 

 neglected. The primary cause was, no doubt, the 

 unfavourable weather experienced. To keep down 

 weeds demands constant warfare, and on many 

 plots it soon became a losing game, and the weeds 

 obtained the advantage. This is unfortrmate. It 

 is a far too prevalent idea that weeding is only 

 necessary to make the plot look clean and tidy. 

 Nobody who cultivates the soil can afford to grow 

 weeds, but there are some people who think they 

 can not only afford to do so, but actually dig and 

 manure the land for their benefit. Because that is 

 what it amounts to when the weeds are unchecked. 

 Hoeing the land during the sununer is much easier 

 than a lot of hand-pulling of weeds which becomes 

 necessary when the hoe is not used. The advan- 

 tages of "hoeing have been written so often it seems 

 unnecessary to repeat it in detail. It is quite cer- 

 tain, however, that although most people are 

 acquainted with the advantages they have not 

 realised them sufficiently to put it into practice. 

 Compare any two allotments, or two fields on a 

 farm will illustrate what we mean just as well. 

 The crop from a badly-cultivated allotment or 

 farm is seriously less than what should be obtained. 

 This, then, is a perfectly understood fact which can 

 be observed at any time. Where an allotment has 

 become overgrown with weeds, it is a welcome 

 opportunity at this time of the year to restore order 

 again. Weeds such as chickweed present no diffi- 

 culty at the moment. But perennial weeds with 

 underground runners such as couch or twitch 



grass require to be carefully forked out, removing 

 every piece seen. Eoots of dandelion and dock 

 must also be picked or forked out. The worst 

 land can be cleaned, if the proper methods are 

 adopted, but on an allotment the best tool is the 

 hoe, constantly applied during the summer. Even 

 weeds with stubborn roots die out, if persistently 

 cut down several times during the summer. 



Digging. — This important operation connected 

 with the production of vegetables demands our 

 attention, especially on the heavy soils. The land 

 should be deeply dug and left exposed. It is a good 

 plan to dig a trench around the plot and once or 

 twice across it to drain away water. If heavy soils 

 can be manured now so much the easier will the 

 ground be prepared in the spring for sowing seeds. 

 For all soils deep digging means better crops. Com- 

 pared with the farmer, the gardener produces 

 more per acre owing to the land being mort? 

 highly cultivated. Within limits, of course, the 

 more highly cultivated the land is, the more it pro- 

 duces. Knowing this, gardeners who have the 

 facilities for doing so, double dig the land two 

 spades deep every four or five years. Some men 

 are satisfied when the surface looks black, but the 

 spade should be dug in deeply and the land turned 

 over thoroughly. 



Manure. — Farmyard manure in the true sense 

 of the word— that is, supplied by all the animals 

 pertaining to the farm— is ideal for an allotment. 

 Such stuff, well decayed and prepared, works 

 wonders. Whatever manure is obtained, natural 

 manure is especially valuable for its effect on the 

 soil, just as in supplying one or other food for 

 plants. Our object in digging and numuring is to 

 make soils fertile, so that plants will grow well. 

 And it is with this knowledge that we apply other 

 substances. Seaweed is excellent where it can be 

 obtained, and on heavy land it may be used fresh. 

 On lighter soils it should be partially de- 

 cayed before use. Poultry and pigeon manure 

 is powerful. As is well known, it is sticky when 

 wet and lumpy when dry. It can be stocked in a 

 shed as gathered and covered with layers of soil. 

 The allotment refuse, properly decayed, is valu- 

 able, and if enough lime is present in the soil it 

 will be useful. Pig manure is also a strong 

 manure. Well mixed with litter and soil, it is very 

 valuable. Coal ashes are sometimes applied to 

 heavy land to open it, but these ashes contain 

 no manure value, and their use is not recom- 

 mended. Wood ashes, on the other hand, are 

 especially good, and hedge clippings bvirnt and 

 preserved are useful for the potato patch. What- 

 ever manure is obtained, some care is necessary to 

 avoid it wasting. The two chief things which 

 spoil manure are air and rain ; therefore, the ob- 

 ject in making a manure heap should be to pre- 

 serve it as far as possible from both. Manure 

 which lies about in small heaps rapidly wastes. 

 Except, perhaps, to turn a manin-e heap, the less 

 it is knocked about the better. Once the manure 

 is broken into, it is advisable to wheel it on the 

 land and dig it in soon. G H O 



The School of Horticulture, Wisley. 



The following students in the Royal Horticultural 

 Society's School of Horticulture have recently com- 

 pleted their two years' course, and have been 

 awarded the School Diploma, together with a prize 

 of books : — Mr. A. Pearson, Mr. Walter A. Pearson, 

 Mr. George Wood. Mr. Felix C. Brown. Mr. A. 

 Pearson was awarded in addition the Nicholson 

 Memorial Prize for observations. 



