66 



IRISH GARDENING. 



pieces from many another. The spade, therefore, 

 increases the area of underground surfaces, and 

 thus creates new " fields " for the rootlets of the 

 plant to sprawl upon in search of sustenance. 

 We do the same when we cut a loaf in two, 

 still more when we cut it into slices. If we are 

 fond of butter or jam, do we not increase these 

 in proportion to bread the thinner we cut the 

 slices or the smaller we cut the chunks? We 

 speak of a man or a boy perhaps as being" ex- 

 ceedingly lucky when his bread is buttered on 

 both sides. Would he not be still luckier if it 

 were buttered on the ends as well, or, still more, 

 if it were cut into square after square smaller 

 and smaller, and buttered upon every new sur- 

 face the cutting- produced ? Thus the man who 

 tills his land is buttering- his bread not only upon 

 both sides but upon every side, and the more 

 thoroughly he tills the more he enlarg-es the 

 feeding ground of the plants he grows. 



Although Tull died nearly one hundred and 

 seventy years ago, we have not added greatly to 

 his information. Tilling keeps down weeds. Tull 

 knew that. He called them " robbers." We 

 know that tilling gives chemical action a greater 

 chance. Tull had an inkling of that also. 

 There are only two iniportant things about 

 tillage that we know which Tull did not know. 

 Tull never heard of bacteria. He died a hundred 

 and twenty years too soon. But we know that 

 tilling, besides increasing the surfaces, increases 

 the air below, and so makes the bacteria more 

 energetic. If a heap of newly mown hay or 

 hard-trodden dung is tossed up with a fork, see 

 how the fermentation is increased. The other 

 thing that Tull did not know, or, at any rate, 

 gives no indication that he knew, is that a tilled 

 soil can hold more water — a matter of enormous 

 importance from this time of year onwards. How 

 is this done ? Simply by deepening the cistern. 

 A tilled soil is always higher than an untilled. 

 There is no more matter there ; but it occupies 

 more space. It is longer from top to bottom. 

 There are far more empty spaces ready to catch 

 and to hold the life-giving liquid that " droppeth 

 upon the place beneath." 



e^* ^* ft^'^ 



A Rann of Wandering. 

 On SaiiU Bride's day, when it comes, I will throw a 



sail on tiie lake, 

 And in Kiltimag-h of my friends on a fine day I'll 



awake, 

 Where the hounds will go before us, and make music 



of delig-Jit ; 

 Where the fires will be piled up, and the tables spread 



at nigfht ! 

 O, my courag-e will be mounting- up until my spirit's so, 

 That within a mile of the world's mouth I will be fain 



to g-o ; 

 Sure the scatt'ring- of the mist across leaves no half 



wish behind, 

 And my heart was ever lifted with the lifting: of the wind. 

 — Padraic Colum in "Wild Earth." 



Current Topics. 



By PETER BROCK, Horticultural Instructor, Co. Fermanagh. 



THE weather in this fickle climate is an everlasting 

 topic. March came in, and for the most part 

 continued and went out, roaring- and pouring. 

 In consequence of the long continuance ot rain and 

 storms the opening- days of April found out-door work 

 very much in arrears, sowing- of fine seeds being- about 

 three weeks later than usual. This, however, is not 

 such a serious drawback when seed can be got in on 

 well prepared land and on a dry bed. " Long- foul, 

 long fair" is an old saying, and g-enerally true. We may 

 hope for more fair than foul weather for some time. 



Current tips, not to the waiter, porter, or jarvey, but 

 to readers of Irish Gardening : — Last month's issue 

 contains some tips which, although they may not be 

 seriously considered as a big push to the advancement 

 of horticulture in this climate, they are, at least, 

 amusing — for example, "grafting," page 64. The 

 times and methods by which trees are " fi/ade in 

 Ger7ita7iy " tive \.\i\\(\\.\e, 'And may be calculated to draw 

 smiles from some deft manipulators with knife or chisel 

 on this side of the North Channel. It is, nevertheless, a 

 fact that various methods such as whip, whip and 

 tongue, or notch grafting may be successfully per- 

 foimed over a longer pei-iod than is generally practised 

 in this countr}'. Crown or rind grafting, however, can 

 only be performed to the best advantage when the sap is 

 moving. The season during which this work is done in 

 Germany clearly explains the i^eason for the unpopukirity 

 of crown grafting there. Excluding the air from the 

 points of union with wax or clay-pug is like choking the 

 proverbial dog with butter or brick-bats — it does not 

 matter so much how it is done, so long as it is done 

 quickly and efficiently. Grafting, however, when the 

 thermometer may be indicating frost near zero, muffled 

 in a fur cloak, and carrying a bucketful of fire to keep the 

 wax pliable, while other folks are skating or tobogganing, 

 is nc>t likely to come into general practice in this country. 



The carrot is one of our most popular vegetables, 

 forming a dainty relish when grated in soup, cooked 

 whole, or in stews, and, as the chef puts it " salted and 

 peppered to taste." But when "pickled" for an Irish 

 (gardening) stew, made as dii-ected in last month's issue, 

 a special taste may ha\'e to be developed to lelish it. 

 How to grow carrots /)/rX-/<'r/ for exhibition, theibllowing 

 hints are given on page 62 : — 



" A good artificial fertiliser for carrc">ls is a compost 

 made up of 3 lbs. common salt, i^ lbs. superphosphate, 

 I % lbs. nitrate of soda, and i lb. kainit per square jard ; 

 half the foregoing- quantities to be mixed with the 

 compost prepared for filling the holes, and the remainder 

 to be applied when the plants are thinned." 



The above compost is more like a weed-killer than a 

 fertiliser, especially when applied in the manner 

 described — at the total rate of 15 tons 2 cwt. and 4 st. 

 per statute acre. Of course when the honour of winning 

 a prize is in view, great pressure is sometimes resorted 

 to and expense is seldom consideied. To grow carrots 

 free from blemish with insects, in prepared holes or 

 otherwise, fit for exhibition or ordinar}' use, in succession 

 to celery or other similarl)' heav}'-manured crop in old 

 gardens, the soil will invariably require fumigating. For 

 this purpose about 3 lbs. of " Strawson's Vaporite," or 

 the newer soil fumigant, " Cooper's Apterite," to forty 

 (40) square yards, dug in immediately before sowing, will 

 protect the crop from various kinds of soil insects — better 

 known to gardeners as cut- worms. The artificial fertiliser 

 recommended nowadays is enough to make the very 

 grass on the grave of a well-known by-gone past master 

 knight t^f the spade who was invariably a champion 

 among exhibitors of vegetables at big shows exclaim — 

 " Canny, mon ! be canny wi ' that salty compost ! " 



