IRISH GARDENING. 



addition of about 2 gallons of good, fine bone 

 meal (free from dust) to each barrowful of 

 mixture. Put on the leaves placed over the 

 drainage at the bottom of the boxes about one 

 inch of well-decayed manure passed through a 

 half-inch riddle. Press firmly, and add a couple 

 of inches of the prepared mould over the manure. 

 With such a preparation no trouble should be 

 experienced in securing good balls of soil to 

 the roots when removing later the plants from 

 the boxes. If early leeks are required put a 

 few of the strongest plants into 4-inch pots, 

 one plant in the centre of each pot, putting 

 them down as low as possible when potting. 

 Give a shift into 6-inch pots when ready before 

 planting out. 



Tomatoes. — Pot off singly into 4-inch pots, and place 

 on shelves near the glass, exposing them to good light 

 so as to prevent them becoming drawn and weak. Re- 

 pot into 6-inch pots when ready, and for this potting 

 increase the quantity of loam and reduce the amount of 

 leaf- mould. After the plants have got over the check 

 of potting remove to a more airy house Keep the 

 plants to single stems, as these always give the earliest 

 fruit which are generally got from single cordon plants 

 in boxes or 10 and 12-inch pots. 



Seakale and Rhubarb will force much more easily 

 now that they have had a season of rest, and less heat 

 will be required to promote growth, whether they are 

 forced where they are gTOvving, in greenhouses under 

 shelves or in a mushroom house. 



French Beans. — Make a couple of sowings during 

 the month. Canadian Wonder is a grand variety for 

 late forcing. Use lo-inch pots, putting 8 or 10 beans in 

 each pot, using rich soil. When the bean plants are 6 

 or 9 inches high put some light, dead spruce branches, 

 or those of beech, around the sides of the pots to keep 

 the plants from falling about ; the stakes may be about 

 2 feet high. 



Peas. — Once February comes and the weather is 

 suitable, always try to get in some early peas, selecting 

 a border facing south and well sheltered. The ground 

 should have been manured and turned over roughly 

 early in the winter, and before breaking the clods down 

 with a fork or rake it would be beneficial to give a 

 dressing of wood ashes or burnt garden refuse. On 

 account of the ground being so cold and wet this year 

 I would advise covering the peas with fine, light soil, 

 such as siftings from the potting bench, mixing with it 

 a little lime and soot. Wm. Hurst is one of the best 

 dwarf peas for this early sowing, while Early Bountiful 

 and William I. grow about 3 feet high, and yield 

 heavy crops. These varieties, being round-seeded, 

 tire much hardier than the marrowfat peas, but they 

 lack their flavour. Anyone having a dry, sloping border 

 facing south or a space under a wall should sow some 

 seeds of Gradus, a grand early marrowfat pea growing 

 4 feet high. Peas raised in boxes in frames sown 

 last month should receive plenty of air now that they 

 are up, and will be in a good way for planting in the 

 open ground in a month or six weeks. 



Cauliflowers. — Plants in frames, sown last August, 

 should get plenty of air on mild days by removing the 

 lights, so that early in the next month the strongest plants 

 will be fit for planting out. Cauliflower plants raised in 

 heat from seed sown as advised in January will require 

 singling out into boxes filled as follows : — On the bottom 

 of the box place a good layer of leaves for drainage, 

 over that an inch of riddled horse droppings or mush- 

 room bed manure, and then fill to near the top with 

 loam from an old pasturage which has been passed 

 through a half-inch riddle before using. Make firm. 



After separating the plants keep them warm for a few 

 days till started before putting in cold frames. Plants 

 treated as above seldom suffer from damping off, also 

 known as "black leg." They lift too with good balls 

 of earth attached to the roots when transplanting and 

 therefore receive no check. Brussels Sprouts may be 

 treated similarly. 



Spring Cabbage. — This is one of the most useful 

 garden crops, and the ground between the rows should 

 in dry weather be well hoed and the plants slightly 

 moulded up to hasten growth. Before hoeing give a 

 dressing of some good artificial manure — a small tea- 

 spoonful of nitrate of soda given every two weeks 

 causes the plants to start growth quickly and heart-in 

 rapidly. If more ground is to be filled with cabbage 

 plants this ma)^ be done, and if plants are short make a 

 sowing in heat of Express cabbage seed, and treat the 

 same as cauliflowers. 



Spinach. — Make a sowing of Victoria Round spinach 

 on a warm border about the middle of the month. 

 Sowings should be made every three weeks. 



Parsnip. — Towards the end of the month parsnip 

 seed may be sown for the general crop in ground deeply 

 trenched and heavily manured for a previous crop, not 

 using fresh manure, which causes the roots to fork or 

 branch. Sow in rows 2 feet apart (though some 

 prefer only 18 inches) draw lines i^ inches deep; 

 sow the seed thinly, pressing firm, and level in the 

 soil with back of rake. 



Broad Beans. — These can be raised like early peas 

 by sowing in boxes and transplanting to the open 

 ground. Treated this way the plants commence bearing 

 much earlier, fully as fine pods are obtained, while there 

 is no fear of failure of crop from bad weather causing 

 the seed to decay. If such means are not available a 

 sowing of one of the long-pod varieties (see calendar 

 last month) can be made in the open ground. Open 

 trenches 11-2 feet deep and 2 feet wide, break up the 

 bottom and put in about i foot of well-decayed manure, 

 3 or 4 inches of fine, good soil over it, sow beans in a 

 double line 6 inches apart, the beans same distance in 

 the line, and cover 3 inches deep with fine soil. 



Celery. — -About the middle of February is a good 

 time to make a sowing of celery for early use. 

 Often failure follows the early sowing of celery through 

 bolting or running to seed. Many growers believe it is 

 the early sowing that is the cause, but this is not so ; 

 dryness at the root and consequently check is the chief 

 reason, and if time and attention to the caring of the 

 plants cannot be given only sow the main lot next 

 month. I always sow in boxes very thinly, covering 

 lightly. A frame on a good hot-bed is the best place, 

 the plants being close to the glass, and therefore not 

 drawn up weakly as often happens if the boxes are 

 placed in greenhouses. 



Potatoes — A small sowing of these should be 

 made towards the end of the month either at the 

 foot of a south or east wall or on a warm sheltered 

 border in front of glasshouses, these coming in fit for 

 use two or three weeks before those planted in the open 

 next month. Use some light soil for covering in the 

 sets, the latter being prepared for planting by sprouting, 

 as recommended in my note on early forced potatoes 

 last month. Look over the early and main crop seed 

 potatoes in boxes, disbudding to one or two growths in 

 each tuber unless they are to be cut before planting ; 

 also give plenty of light and air to get strong sprouts. 



Artichokes. — Jerusalem artichokes, like all vege- 

 tables, well re-pay good culture, and finer and evener 

 roots are produced, free from the knotty and irregular 

 growths we so often see on artichokes. The ground 

 should be deeply dug and well manured. Select 

 medium-sized sets, and plant in rows 2)4 to 3 feet apart, 

 and at least i}4 feet between the sets; cover about 6 

 inches. The new white artichoke is a great improve- 

 ment in shape and quality on the old coloured variety. 



