IRISH GARDENING. 



75 



School Gardening. 



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

 Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland, 



HERBS. — A useful adjunct to the school g'arden is a 

 border or bed for herbs. JNIany plants of this 

 kind are very interestint; to g'row, and as small 

 supplies are constantly being' required their cultivation 

 affords a variety of work spread over a considerable 

 period. In g'irls' schools where domestic economy is 

 taught the herbs will be g'reatly valued by the teacher, 

 and the work of growing them could form an introduc- 

 tion to gardening of a more general kind. Only a small 

 piece of ground is necessary, and the majority of the 

 plants can be raised 

 from seeds at very 

 little cost. The soil 

 for the border should 

 he well prepared b}' 

 digging' find maniu'- 

 ing as early as pos- 

 sible, and the seeds 

 can then be sown 

 during the present 

 month. Before sow- 

 ing, large stones 

 should be removed 

 from the surface 

 and the rough lumps 

 of soil broken down 

 by the use of the 

 rake. As many of 

 the seeds are small 

 the surface soil 

 should be made level 

 and no irregularities 

 left in which seed 

 might get buried at 

 too great a depth. 

 The seed should be 

 sown in drills about 

 one inch in depth, 

 afterwards covering 

 the seed with the 

 fine soil removed in 

 draining the drill. 

 The annuals, how- 

 ever, should be kept 

 distinct from the 

 perennials in order 

 that the cultivation 

 in after years may 

 Mivolve less trouble. 

 It is a good plan to 

 have all the rows 

 short — about six to 



Group of Ard Cairn Seedling DafTodils't Polly Ecoles and Jenny Woodhouse). 



eight feet — and then for those kinds of which small 

 quantities are required one row will be sufficient, while 

 for others two, three, or more rows will be necessary. 



Thyme as a small shrubby perennial would form a 

 neat and effective edging, while if a low hedge is 

 required to divide the herb garden from the rest of the 

 grounds lavender is both appropriate and ornamental. 

 The following are some of the most useful kinds to 

 grow : — Thyme (seeds or cuttings), mint (cuttings or 

 division), lavender (seeds or cuttings), rosemary (seeds, 

 cutting's or division), sage (seeds or cuttings), angelica 

 (sow in autumn). Anise, borage, marigold, fennel and 

 dill should be sown as soon as the bed is prepared. 

 Nasturtium {fropoeohtiii), the unripe seed pods of which 

 are used as a pickle, might, among others, be included. 



During' May there will be much work to be done both 

 on the vegetable plots and in the flower borders. The 

 earthing up of such plants as broad beans should be 

 carried out and the weeds kept down by hoeing. The 



hoeing will also serve to keep the soil loose at the sur- 

 face, and thus act as a mulching to the plants. 



Plants of broccoli if well advanced should be pricked 

 out into nursery beds, and Brussels sprouts and cabbage 

 may be planted on the plots. The celery trenches 

 should be got ready and the ridges planted with lettuce, 

 or raddish should be sown. The rows of peas will need 

 sticking, and at the same time some earth should be 

 drawn up to the stems. Where there is room, vegetable 

 marrows should be planted out in soil which has been 

 well prepared with some good farmyard manure. These 

 plants make vigorous growth and could be well utilised 

 to cover compost and other heaps which, without a 

 covering of plants, might appear unsightly. 



Annuals sown in the open should now be thinned to 



about six inches 



apart in order that 



bushy plants may be 

 produced. The end 

 of the month will 

 be a good time for 

 planting out stocks 

 and asters, and bed- 

 ding plants which 

 have been well har- 

 dened off can also 

 be put in the beds. 

 Sweet peas should 

 be staked as early as 

 possible, using well 

 branched, twiggy 

 sticks to which the 

 plants can easily 

 attach themselves. 



On the fruit plot 

 the weeds should be 

 kept down and the 

 soil kept loose by 

 means of the hoc. 

 A look out should be 

 kept for insect pests 

 and diseases in order 

 that attacks may be 

 combated in their 

 early stages. With 

 the approach oi' 

 summer special care 

 should be taken to 

 keep the gardeii and 

 groimds in neat 

 order. Edgings 

 and walks will es- 

 pecially need care as 

 the various opera- 

 tions of sowiiig and 

 planting will very 

 likely have dis- 

 turbed these, and an early opportunity should be taken 

 for putting any little irregularities straight. Labels of 

 perennials will often need renewal, and while this is being 

 done the labels of this season's plants should be looked 

 to and any mistakes corrected, placing the labels care- 

 fully in lines where they may have been disturbed. 



^w e^ 9^ 



Mulching.— A " mulch " is a protecting layer of some 

 loose material (such as fine earth, manure, or leaf litter) 

 placed on the surface of the soil so far as the roots of the 

 assisted plant extends Its benefits are (i) during dry 

 weather it prevents a loss of water from the soil by ordi- 

 nary evaporation ; (2) it preserves a more equable tem- 

 perature, keeping the soil cooler by day! and warmer by 

 night ; (3) it sil^pplies a certain amount of manurial 

 matter which is washed down by rains ; (4) in winter it 

 protects the roots from frost. All plants benefit from 

 mulching, but especially newly planted shrubs and trees. 



