IRISH GARDENING. 



leeks and Brussels sprouts similarly raised. Take care 

 that they are well hardened off before planting, so as to 

 prevent too great a check on growth. 



Make good sowings of peas and broad beans during 

 the month, selecting the mid-season varieties given in 

 the January number. Finish planting potatoes without 

 delay. Two sowings of most of the following seeds 

 should be made during April if (as is likely) the weather 

 in March prevents sowing in that month, — cabbage, 

 cauliflower, turnips, broccoli for succession as given 

 in calendar, savoy, and broccoli or kale. About the 

 middle of the month make a last sowing of leeks, and 

 at the end of the month sow pickling onions. 



Seakale. — Get all work connected with the planting 

 of seakale finished as early in the month as the weather 

 and condition of the ground will allow, so that the roots 

 (if prepared as advised in a former number) will have a 

 long season of growth to strengthen. If a stock of 

 plants is to be raised from seed, select an open position 

 in the garden, where the ground is fairly rich ; sow in 

 drills thinly, about 2 inches deep, the drills being from 

 1 ^ to 2 feet apart. When the seedlings are fit thin to 

 about I foot apart. Clean away all material used for 

 covering seakale to blanch where it is growing, to let 

 the fresh growth come away strongly. 



ASPARAGUS. — Get the beds ready for asparagus to be 

 planted at once, as it is well to give it a short time to 

 settle down before planting, which should if possible 

 be done in mild, dull weathar, as exposing the roots to 

 drying winds and bright sunshine is often the cause of 

 failure. The best time for transplanting is just as the 

 young shoots come through the ground. Asparagus 

 roots grow in a horizontal direction, therefore do not 

 bundle them into a small hole, but open wide holes, so 

 that the roots can be laid out having the crown about one 

 inch under the surface. Plant firmly, pressing the soil 

 with the hand about the roots and crown. Stake the 

 young growths to prevent them being broken by wind. 

 Two tothree feet will be required between the rows and 

 also between the plants in the row, leaving an additional 

 foot between every three rows for attending to the beds 

 for cleaning, cutting, &c. 



Salsafy. — This vegetable is now much liked, especi- 

 ally if the roots are straight, clean and without flower 

 stems. Rich ground that will grow good parsnips and 

 carrots will suit well, as manure near the surface causes 

 the roots to fork and be of little value. Sow the seeds 

 by end of the month in lines i>^ feet apart. 



Carrots. — In many gardens the carrots crop is 

 little better than a failure, no matter how carefully the 

 ground has been prepared, canker, maggot and wire- 

 worms being the great enemies. Deep digging and 

 trenching does much to prevent severe attacks, but, in 

 addition, dress your ground in the autumn with gas 

 lime or, before sowing, with vapourites, and work it 

 into the soil. Freshly staked lime and soot may be used 

 with much advantage when preparing the ground and 

 at the time of sowing. On heavy land burnt garden 

 refuse and wood ashes are most valuable, and where 

 wireworms and maggot are plentiful give a dressing in 

 the drills opened for the seed. Make a couple of sow- 

 ings at the beginning and end of the month, and where 

 there is danger of the roots being attacked select quick 

 growing sorts as Early Gem or Sterling Reliance. 

 Stump rooted varieties in place of such grand, long 

 varieties as St. Valery and Sutton's new Red Inter- 

 mediate generally grown. Sow in lines ij feet ap'irt, 

 covering the seed an inch deep. 



Lettuce. — Plant out early lettuce plants as soon as 

 fit, planting firmly in rich soil. To have a succession 

 make a small sowing on well manured ground every two 

 weeks, sowing the seed thinly in rows, covering with a 

 net to prevent birds taking the seeds. 



Beans. — It is quite soon enough to sow by end of the 

 month in the open border French and Runner beans, as 

 if planted earlier either the seeds decay through cold and 



wet or the grower finds the young plants killed by frost 

 in May. No vegetable is more remunerative than 

 Runner beans if the ground has been well prepared. 

 Open a trench i|feet wide and deep, break up the bot- 

 tom and fill the trench nearly to the top with well-rotted 

 farmyard manure and good garden soil, equal parts. 

 Sow beans in a single line 6 inches apart, and cover 3 

 inches deep. Best of All is a fine variety with very long 

 pods. French beans for an early crop should be sown 

 on a sheltered border facing south in rows in double 

 lines, the beans 6 inches apart in the lines, the rows 

 being 2 feet apart. Have the ground rich by digging in 

 a good dressing of manure. Canadian Wonder is a good 

 variety. 



Cardoons. — There are two methods of raising cardoon 

 plants — by Si.wing in pots and placed on a mild hot bed 

 where you have a cold, heavy soil, but be careful to 

 plant out before they get pot-bound , and sowing direct 

 in the open. Cardoons must have good treatment, there- 

 fore prepare open trenches, as for celery, one and a half 

 to two feet wide, and deep ; put in a foot of well-rotted 

 manure, and at least four inches of soil over it. Sow 

 two or three seeds together, at about two feet apart along 

 the trench, thinning the plants to one when fit. In plant- 

 ing out those raised in pots, give two and a half feet 

 between the plants in the row. In dry, warm weather 

 cardoons take plenty of water, and once a week give a 

 good watering with liquid manure. 



Vegetable Marrow. — In many places this crop is very 

 welcome, and more especially if marrows can be cut well 

 in advance of the usual time. Of course, if frame culture 

 can be given, it is easy to have early marrows, but few 

 can follow this mode of growing them ; so that we 

 generally sow imder glass, and afterwards protect with 

 either handlights or boxes. Sow two or three seeds in 

 5-inch pots, close to the sides, and put in a warm frame, 

 where the seeds germinate quickly, repotting and 

 dividing the'plants before they get large. If seed be sown 

 this month and the plants carefully hardened they can be 

 planted out about the middle of May. Protect with 

 handlights, or failing these turn boxes without bottom or 

 top over the plants, covering the boxes over at night 

 with either sacks or mats to protect from frost. The 

 sides of the boxes keep the plants from getting broken 

 bv wind. 



The 



•^ a^ t^ 



Flower Garden. 



By J, G. TONER, Horticultural Instructor, Co, Monagtian, 



CINERARIA seeds to produce plants for early 

 bloom may be sown during this month ; a rather 

 light compost should be used, the seeds sown 

 thinly and very lightly covered. It will be well in the 

 subsequent management of the young plants to put them 

 directly into 3-inch pots from the seed pan. 



Chrysanthemums now will be well suited in cold frames, 

 and the re-potting must be attended to as necessary. 

 This work will be very irregular, as the different varieties 

 vary much as to rate of growth. The proper period for 

 re-potting is not when the pots are quite full of roots, but 

 when they are travelling freely round the ball of soil. 



Provision for bright benches during late autumn 

 and winter can now be made by sowing seeds of 

 Primula sinensis ; a nice mixture of leaf-mould and loam, 

 with plenty of fine sand, will suit ; sow thinly and regu- 

 larly, as the seeds even in a brisk temperature do not 

 always germinate evenly, and if regularity in placing the 

 seeds is" observed the more forward may be removed 

 without interfering with the late arrivals. 



Primula obconica. too, must not be forgotten, the rose 

 coloured variety is both popular and useful; likewise P. 

 sfellafa, which is very elegant, and it gives a lightness 

 and freedom to mixed groups of plants not otherwise 

 easily obtainable. 



Put in cuttings of Zonal pelargoniums, three orfou- 



