92 



IRISH GARDENING. 



liquid manure is available, apply it diluted at intervals of 

 three or four days to black currants, raspberries or 

 apples that are carrying- large crops of fruit. It will be 

 of g-reat assistance to such trees, and the fruit will bo 

 larger and finer in qualilv. Liquid mainire can be easih- 

 made from sheep maniue gathered in a bag and placet! 

 in a barrel or tank ; fill with water, but do not use the 

 liquid for 24 hours. Soot-water, anotherexcellent liquitl 

 manure, may be made similarly. 



^9* c^^ e^^ 



The Vegetable Garden. 



By WILLIAM TYNDALL, instructor in Hcrticulture, Co. Kildarc. 



TRANSPLANTING— The various winter 

 crops will now claim much attention. 

 With the past heavy rains and present 

 warm weather growth has been rapid, and 

 where seeds were sown thickly the plants will 

 soon g-et weak unless the seedlings are pricked 

 out into nursery lines. Treated in this way the 

 plants will be found to grow better, and be able 

 to stand more severe weather during the coming 

 winter. Especially too is this course necessary 

 on account o{ the prospective planting ground 

 being already occupied by a growing crop, and 

 therefore the second planting may be delayed. 

 In transplanting- it is not necessary to have very 

 rich ground or to give the plants much space, 

 but when lifting to finally plant out do so with 

 a fork, and so preserve as many roots as possible. 

 Attend to directic^ns given last month, and 

 thin all crops as they become fit. Support with 

 stakes all crops, as peas, that require them. 

 Destroy all insect pests and grubs, which are 

 this season far more mischievous than any year 



1 can remember, many crops being almost 

 ruined. 



C.\ULiFLOWER. — To keep up a succession of cauli- 

 flowers it will be necessary to have several batches of 

 plants, and plant in different aspects if there are to be no 

 blanks in the supply between the early lot this month 

 and the crop of Autumn Giant, as too often the crops 

 come in altog-ether. I find Dwarf Erfurt a most useful 

 variety, being- of dwarf g-rowth, the heads being- of 

 good flavour and colour, and well protected with leaves. 

 Make sowings of seed in March, April and May, plant- 

 ing out in deeply dug- and well inanured ground in lines 



2 feet apart and i '^ feet between the plants. \\'alcheren 

 is another good old variety, very hard}-, and does well 

 in lig-ht soils. Autumn cauliflowers will be ready 

 during the month for planting, and as Veitch's Autumn 

 Giant is generally g-rown it will be necessary to plant 

 on rich ground, and gfive plenty of room between the 

 lines, 2)4 feet between the plants beingf little enoug-h. 

 Select an open position, as if shaded or planted thickly 

 the heads often come loose. If the weather is hot and 

 dry g-ive a gfood watering: at least once a week, and 

 mulch with rotten manure, then good heads should be 

 produced. 



Broccoli. — To follow cauliflower plant out some 

 self-protecting- broccoli ; select ground well dug and 

 manured. This broccoli very much resembles cauli- 

 flower, but needs much richer soil than the late and 

 spring broccoli, which, if planted on loose, rich ground 

 would grow too strongly and easily succumb to frost, 

 while Self-protecting is generally over before we get 

 severe weather. 



Late Broccoll — This sown early in May has come 

 up very quickly, and will need transplanting to keep the 

 plants sturdy, if, as is often the case, this crop follows 

 strawberries or potatoes, which are likely to be later 

 this year than usual on account of the cold and wet. 

 Model is one of the best. Mid-season varieties, of which 

 Leamington is a good example, should at the end of 

 this month be planted in their permanent quarters 

 to get a good sturdy growth. Plant on firm ground, 

 and less losses will result from severe frost. Cattell's 

 Eclipse and Penzance are other good mid-season 

 varieties, very hardy and with plenty of protecting 

 leaves. 



Savoy and Kale. -These during the month should 

 be fit for planting, and are most useful for a winter and 

 spring supply. If two sowing-s of seed has been made 

 the earliest will give a suppl}- in winter and latest 

 sowing will give cutting. In March arid April, often a 

 time of scarcity, these should receive much attention. 



Spinach. Probably the time of _\ear most difficult to 

 have good spinach is during Jul}-, August and Septem- 

 ber. Seed should now be sown on a cool border, the 

 ground being well manured, and, if the weather is dry, 

 cover- the beds or drills with mats, which keep the soil 

 moist ; remove the mats before the plants appear. 

 \'ictoria is a good variety, with large succulent leaves. 



Celery. — There should now be no time lost in getting 

 in the main crop of celery. In lifting the plants the side 

 shoots that often start should be broken off, and, if dry, 

 warm weather follows planting, give good waterings, 

 and for a couple of weeks, when the days are dry and 

 hot, a syringing in the evenings will do much to start 

 the plants and get them off without a check, which I 

 believe often causes boiling. 



Beet-Root. — This crop should be tiiinned at once, as 

 the warm weather of past couple of weeks has caused 

 quick growth. Allow about nine inches between the 

 plants, and if any rows have large gaps they can be 

 transplanted, lifting carefully to preserve the tapioot, 

 and open deep holes to prevent the roots being twisted. 

 I am fond of the globe-shaped beets, as these sown on 

 warm borders early will soon be fit for use, and can still 

 be sown if any part of the crop sown last montli has 

 failed. 



Onions. — So far I have seen no trace of the onion 

 maggot, but I advise early thinning and giving the crop 

 an occasional dressing with a good fertilizer. Should 

 the plants become affected burn all such plants and 

 syringe the remainder with soluble petroleum, about 

 two ounces to the gallon of tepid water, treading the 

 soil close to the plants. 



During the present montii make a couple of sowings 

 of turnips, spinach, lettuce, radish, endive, French 

 beans and peas, for the latter selecting an early kind 

 not given to mildew. 



^* e^^ ^^ 



The Potato Onion. 



THE uses of the onion are universally known, and 

 few plants have such a wide range of cultivation, 

 for it is grown from the tropics to the coldest 

 verge of the temperate zone, yet the cultivation of the 

 potato onion in recent years has been greatly reduced. 



Every cottager or farmer, no matter how small his 

 holding may be, should endeavour to grow this impor- 

 tant and nutritious vegetable, the product of which 

 should be found on his table in some form or other 

 every day of the year, and especially its use will be 

 appreciated at a time of the year when seedling 

 onions are scarce, as the potato onion comes in fit for 

 use when the seedling onion is out of date — that is, 

 between the old and new supplies. 



The possible range for onion-growing in this country 

 is very great ; perhaps two-thirds of our soil is more or 



