IRISH CARDENINC. 



iol 



Refuse of Gardens : 

 How Utilised. 



By WILLIAM JOHNSTON, Horticultural Instructor, Co. Longford. 



WHEN properly looked after and carefully treated, 

 a large quantity of the refuse or rubbish of 

 gardens may be made of intrinsic value. 

 Throughout the year, but more especially during the 

 summer months, we may expect to find large quantities 

 of weeds in most of our gardens. These weeds, together 

 with the refuse of the vegetables grown in the garden, 

 ought to be cleared away so as to give the growing 

 crops, the legitimate occupants, the full benefit of the 

 ground they occupy, to allow free access to the other 

 important agencies — air, heat, and moisture — to fulfil 

 their respective duties to the best advantage for the 

 future success of the crops ; besides, it enhances the 

 value and adds to the appearance of gardens when 

 properly tilled and cleanly kept, as weeds only occupy 

 ground that should be growing valuable plants. If all 

 the weeds and rubbish were collected and properly 

 treated they would add considerably to the food material 

 of the gardens, as they contain a vast amount of plant 

 food if only made available. 



Methods of Utilising Rubbish. — There are three 

 methods we might employ to dispose of this rubbish — 

 viz., (rt) digging it into the ground immediately, (b) 

 burning it in heaps after collecting, and (c) making or con 

 verting it into a compost heap. The first of these opera- 

 tions gives very little trouble, but is the least satisfactory. 



Burning of Rubbish. — Perennial weeds such as 

 nettles, couch grass, coltsfoot, &c. , should be carefully 

 lifted, collected together, and burned. This can best 

 be done when the prunings of hedges, together with 

 the rubbish obtained from the rows of worn-out peas 

 and beans, &c., are made use of when dry, so as to 

 produce a good blaze to dispose of the roots of these 

 bad weeds. A calm day is the must suitable for this 

 purpose, as the fire then smoulders rather than flares, 

 and leaves the ashes in a compact heap after the fire 

 has burnt out. The ashes so obtained are of great 

 value either applied as a top-dressing to vegetable 

 crops which suffer from attacks of insects or evenly 

 spread over the surface, and dug or forked in to enrich 

 the ground for the succeeding crop. Young plants if 

 dusted with the ashes, when cold, that is obtained from 

 the burnt rubbish will aid in preventing their being 

 attacked by insects, besides assisting in stimulating 

 the plants to more rapid growth. 



Making of Rubbish into Compost Heaps. — 

 Annual weeds, such as milkweed, groundsel, chickweed, 

 &c., if we intend to obtain the greatest amount of food 

 material from them we must start and collect a rubbish 

 heap, because these weeds, together with vegetable 

 refuse, when left in a heap produces a large quantity of 

 humus, or decayed vegetable material. If a soil is to 

 be productive it ought to contain a sufficient quantity 

 of humus for the use of plants. The rubbish should be 

 collected together and placed in a heap in some out-of- 

 the-way corner, so as to be as unsightly as possible, in 

 order to allow it to decay. If we apply some slaked 

 lime and soot as the heap is being collected and made, 

 these materials will aid in assisting decay, besides en- 

 riching the coinpost heap at the same time. Make the 

 heap in a low pile, having a flat surface, and when 

 about one foot high apply a good dressing of soot, 

 after which place another layer of rubbish on top. 

 When about another foot high give a dressing of slaked 

 lime, and continue these layers until all or nearly all 

 the weeds and rubbish will be utilised in this way, 

 always applying alternate dressings of soot and lime 

 while the heap is being made. Give the heap an 

 occasional turning so as to encourage the more rapid 



decay of the rubbish, besides to thoroughly mix all the 

 materials of which the heap is composed. Let the heap 

 remain for about a year, after which dig it into the soil, 

 and it will be found to be a mass of rich fertilising 

 material, well-rotted and immediately available for 

 assimilation by the plants. 



Crops and Soils best Suitable. — The rubbish heap 

 when dug into the ground intended for vegetables will 

 be invaluable to the future success of all vegetable 

 crops ; it will greatly assist in renovating flower 

 borders, and will be found useful in mixing with the soil 

 intended for plants in pots or boxes. 



a?* t^ t^ 



Current Topics. 



By PETER BROCK, Horticultural Instructor, Co. Fermanagh. 



THE warm weather at the end of May soon showed 

 its beneficial effects on crops that, owing to the 

 long continuance of rain in spring, were put in 

 late. Sprouted potatoes responded quickly to the 

 warmth, and everywhere they are now found to be 

 leading from those planted three to four weeks earlier 

 in the orthodox way, and in many cases when the land 

 was too wet to handle or tramp on. Customs die hard. 

 However, the object lessons in the advantages of sprout- 

 ing potatoes are now so convincing that every argument 

 against the modern method of preparing the seed and 

 planting later falls to the ground. The apple blossoms 

 opened under ideal weather conditions, the bees having 

 a grand time collecting nectar and pollen, thereby assist- 

 ing nature in the work of fertilization. The absence of 

 frost or cutting- winds during the time apples were in 

 flower has done much to show owners of orchards 

 the damage that is being annually caused by the apple 

 psylla. Where winter and spring spraying was neglected 

 considerable injury has been done by this pest. 



June has for the most part been so chilly as to 

 indicate the proximity of icebergs. Doubtless a warmer 

 spell may be near ; if so, those interested in the protec- 

 ion of the potato crop from the dreaded blight should, in 

 early districts, by the time this appears in print have the 

 first spraying done. Considerable loss is annually in- 

 curred through putting off" day after day till a few warm, 

 damp days, with thunder and fogs, develop the germ 

 which spreads with devastating "Will-o'-the-wisp" 

 rapidity. Spraying after the disease appears may 

 lessen the loss, but having the plants thoroughly pro- 

 tected by an efficient antiseptic coating of Bordeaux or 

 Burgundy mixture, as recommended in the Department's 

 Leaflet No. 14, is worth ten sprayings after the disease 

 has indicated its presence by smell or the well-known 

 first spotting of the leaves. The efficiency of spraying 

 largely depends on hovv4he work is done. It is a common 

 occurrence to see mep sprinkling potatoes with a knap- 

 sack sprayer in sucH a slovenly manner that the work 

 could be as well done with a rose watering-can or a 

 heather besom. To spray thoroughly the nozzles 

 should be kept near the groimd and directed to the 

 under side of the leaves, and applied with sufficient 

 pressure to show a white cloud of spray rising several 

 feet above the stalks, thus thoroughly coating the stems 

 and under side of the leaves, the spray falling back will 

 invariably be found sufficient for the upper surface of 

 the foliage. 



I have lately met with several severe attacks on 

 gooseberries by caterpillars of the magpie moth. 

 Spraying with Swift's arsenate of lead in the proportions 

 of I lb, arsenate of lead to 50 gallons of water has, in 

 every case, proved an eff"ectivc remedy. There is a 

 prejudice against using this poison on bushes when the 

 the fruit is nearly fit for use. If, however, the spray is 

 directed to the upper surface of the leaves, very little 

 of it reaches the fruit, and the danger is then more 

 imaginary than real. 



