IRISH GARDENING. 



27 



a pretty bed (?) to look at. In all dry times during- sum- 

 mer give them a real good soaking- of water, especially 

 after applying the artificial manure. Keep all insects 

 under perfect control, and mind mildew or your bed 

 will look as if it were mid-winter inste;<.d of mid-summer. 

 When the flowering season is over, you may shorten 

 any growths that catch the wind a little, to prevent your 

 plants from too much buffeting in the winter's gales. 

 We do not practice this game -half enough in Ireland, 

 thoug-h it is done regularly by our neighbours in 

 England. Can it be put down to our laziness or 

 ignorance ? 



Now, I must tell you some suitable varieties that ought 

 to do well under this treatment and fulfil the conditions 

 I have given above. You will find a majority of H. T.s 

 and Teas in the list, as they are more free flowering 

 than the H. P.s, but we cannot well do without some 

 H. P.s. 



Frau. Karl Druschki, Mrs. John Laing, Alfred Colomb, 

 Senateur Vaisse, Hugh Dickson, Mrs. R. G. Sharman- 

 Crawford, Ulrich Brunner, Captain Hayward. 



La France, Betty, H. A. Moore, Mme. Jules Grolez, 

 La Tosca, Mme. A. Chatenay, Liberty, Caroline Testout, 

 Lady Ashlown, Mme. Ravarv, Mrs. Peter Blair, Dean 

 Hole. 



White M. Cochet, Rubens, Hon. E. Giff'ord, Lady M. 

 Corry, Lady Roberts, Maman Cochet, Souvenir de S. 

 A. Prince, Francisca Kruger, Corallina, G. Nabonnand, 

 Sulphurea. 



Of course this is but a short list, but just try Frau. K. 

 Druschki, Dean Hole, Hugh Dickson, and see how you 

 like them for a start. 



The School Garden. 



By L. J. HUMPHREY, Special Instructor in School Gardening under 

 the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for 

 Ireland. 



IN the columns of this journal will be found all the 

 necessary instructions for the cultivation of veg-e- 

 tables for school or other gardens, and for this rea- 

 son instructions as to the time of planting- and methods 

 of sowing will not be repeated here. There are certain 

 considerations, however, which should influence both 

 the variety and the position of the veg-etables grown 

 in the school g-arden. Of these, one of the most impor- 

 tant is to secure an arrangement of the vegetables that 

 will obviate any chance of the earliest sown being dis- 

 turbed by the work of planting the later kinds. A suit- 

 able plan is to start at the end of the plot with the earliest 

 row of peas, for example, following- this by a row of 

 broad beans, then one or more rows of potatoes, and so on 

 through the plot, gradually planting a portion, lesson by 

 lesson, till the whole plot is planted. For the sake of 

 effect, space can be left at the beginning of the plot for 

 a row of beet — a variety, such as Dell's Crimson, which 

 will make an eff"ective edging, and one which can be 

 turned to more profitable use, as a rule, than a long- row of 

 the parsley, so frequently employed for this purpose. 

 Indeed, a small clump of parsley on each plot is usually 

 sufficient for all requirements. Owing to the limited size 

 of the plots, tall-growing- varieties of peas are iiot to be 

 recommended, as they shade and consequently influence 

 the cropping of too larg-e a proportion of the plot On a 

 plot 40 feet in length two rows, at least, of peas sown at 

 intervals for succession should be growii, and these varie- 

 ties should not exceed 3 feet in height. For a similar rea- 

 son, if runner beans are grown on the plots, they should be 

 kept low by pinching out the growing points, or trained 

 over the main dividing walks on light arches of bamboo 

 or laths; though, unless materials are very plentiful, the 

 cost of staking will render it necessary to limit the num- 

 ber of clumps to be grown in this way. In allotting space 

 for each vegetable to be grown, it is as well to remem- 



ber that the boys who will work the plot are somewhat 

 inexperienced, and a simple arrangement, allowing 

 ample room to each vegetable, will be much more easily 

 worked, and will produce a more lasting impression on 

 a boy's mind than a plan which is too elaborate or in 

 which the plants are grown so close together as to appear 

 in any wa}- confused. 



During February a beginning should be made with 

 the sowing of the vegetable seeds on the plots. A row 

 of early peas, followed by a double row of broad beans, 

 and if the weather is favourable and the soil in good 

 order parsnips may be sown for the main crop. Under 

 similar conditions a row of early potatoes should be put 

 in, but otherwise the tubers are better left in the boxes, 

 in which they will have been placed to sprout long since. 

 If any vacant ground has not yet been dug, this' should 

 be done at once, and manure added at the same time. 

 In the borders artichokes (Jerusalem and Globe), rhu- 

 barb and seakale should be planted. Spraying of fruit 

 trees and bushes must be completed in the early days of 

 the month or the buds will be too advanced to be un- 

 injured by the caustic spray. Any re-arrangement of 

 flower borders should be completed this month, and 

 vacant spaces noted to be filled with annuals at a later 

 date. With these notes as reminders, the columns under 

 " The Month's Work" should be consulted for details of 

 these and other plants for which in this column space 

 cannot be found. 



Roses for Perfume. 



The rose grower who from one cause or another 

 may have neglected to order his supply is not yet too 

 late, as with care the planting may be done with safety 

 up to March, pruning following in the ordinary way. 

 Personally I do not cut back for a little while after 

 planting, as I fancy I can distinguish a good plump bud 

 better when the bush has been a fortnight or so planted 

 than I can at the time of planting; but this is largely a 

 matter of practice, some growers cutting back and 

 planting on the same day. However, before either 

 planting or cutting can be done, the bushes must be 

 procured first, and it is to the intending purchaser I 

 address my remarks. 



To him might I address a reminder of some of the 

 older varieties, known to be specially endowed with 

 that subtle distinctive odour which does so much to 

 maintain the rose in its proud position, " Queen of the 

 Garden," and which is so often sadly lacking in some, 

 but I am glad to say not all, of the later day intro- 

 ductions. 



While the few I select are certainly highly perfumed 

 and are selected for that reason, it is not their only 

 merit, several of them holding their own for early and 

 late blooming, colour, shape, vigour, &c., with the best 

 of the new varieties ; in fact few of the best collections I 

 have seen exhibited for several years were without 

 one or other of these "old reliables." 



With planting, pruning, &c., an older correspondent 

 ably deals, and with a word of advice to order early I 

 append my selection of perfumed roses: — Alfred Colomb, 

 Auguste Rigotard, Charles Lefebvre, Dr. Andry, Duke 

 of Wellington, Due de Rohan, Etienne Levet, E. Y. 

 Teas, Jeannie Dickson, Ulrich Brunner, La France, 

 John Keynes, Mad. Gabriel Luizet, Marie Finger, Star 

 of Waltham. — J. J. Curley, Co. Sligo. 



Wasps. — We have heard it said that the white 

 perennial cornflower {Centaiirea) is a perfect trap for 

 queen wasps during the months of May and June. It 

 has been stated that a gardener in Westmeath caught 

 and killed over 100 queen wasps on this flower in one 

 season. Perhaps some of our readers who are troubled 

 with wasps will try the experiment during the ensuing 

 season and communicate the result to us. 



