146 



IRISH GARDENING. 



only the best and most uniform fruit should be selected, 

 while all small, deformed and blemished fruit should be 

 used or sold locally. Good, early fruit should fetch a 

 g'ood price this year, as there is a gfeneral scarcity of 

 apples and pears throug-hout the country. Well grown, 

 late varieties of apples should also realise a good fig'ure 

 if kept until late in the season, as there is sure to be a 

 demand. There is a dang-er of late fruit ripening 

 prematurely because of the dry season, therefore it w ill 

 be necessary to water any trees of pears or apples 

 carrying gfood crops Water the ground around each 

 tree thoroughly, so that it will penetrate to the roots. 

 The following apples will benefit from such treatment, 

 as their period of growth extends well into October — 

 Cox's Orang'e Pippin, Blenheim Orange, Newton 

 Wonder, Lane's Prince Albert, Wellington, Annie 

 Elizabeth, and Bramley Seedling- ; and among pears — 

 Doyenne du Comice, Winter Nelis, Josephine de 

 Malines, and Easter Beurre. 



Strawberries. —Continue to make new plantations as 

 directed in last month's Irish Gardening, page 131. 

 Water plants already put out. The strawberry likes 

 plenty of moisture, and responds to Hberal treatment. 

 It is a g^reat advantage to have the new plantation 

 made towards the end of Aug-ust or early in September, 

 the young- plant will then have time to build up and make 

 firm growth before the winter sets in. Old plants should 

 have plenty liquid manure given them after rain, but it 

 should not be given in dry weather. 



Raspbp;rries. — Cut out all old canes immediately they 

 have done fruiting ; also remove any suckers not 

 required, using- a fork for the purpose. Seven or eig-ht 

 canes are sufficient for each clump, and these should 

 have all the sunlight and air possible. Keep the 

 ground free of weeds, and if the soil be of a light 

 nature, give a mulch of g-ood farmjard manui-e. 



Loganberries. — Treat similarly to raspberries. 



W.\SPS. — These pests do an amount of injury to fruit 

 of almost every kind, and thoug-h they have not yet 

 appeared (i8th Aug-ust) to any g-reat extent, still it 

 is quite possible, as the season is a favourable one, that 

 they may be quite numerous later. Bottles (with wide 

 necks) of sweetened beer should be hung amongst 

 the fruit. These bottles, which should not be more 

 than half full, will trap a g:reat number. They may also 

 be destroyed in their nests by using a mixture of 

 sulphur and powdered saltpetre — two-thirds of the former 

 to one-third of the latter. Mix and roll into a narrow slip 

 of paper like a fuse ; lig-ht at one end, and push into the 

 opening of the nest. The fumes will destroy the wasps. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



By WILLIAM TYNDALL, Instructor in Horticulture, Co. Kildare. 



IN September there is often a gre-dt falling- 

 off in the supply of veg-etables, and then 

 we have frequently to use those intended 

 for a much later season. Due attention, there- 

 fore, should be g-iven to keeping- up a g-ood 

 supply. With fine autumn weather French 

 beans, late peas, vegetable marrows, and 

 autumn giant cauliflowers will come in most 

 serviceable until the frost comes, which is 

 seldom before the end of this month or 

 beginning of October. It would, then, well 

 repay growers to have some kind of covering 

 at hand to put over part of these crops — it does 

 not require to be of heavy material like tiffany. 

 If thrown lightly over them it will often save 

 the above-named crops, and also runner beans. 



one of the best autumn vegetables. As runner 

 beans are later this year than usual on account 

 of May and part of June being so cold, they 

 should continue bearing till cut down by frost if 

 the old pods are kept picked off. Towards the 

 end of the month get out main crop potatoes, 

 for if left in the ground many of the tubers 

 become diseased after growth has finished. 



September is a good time for planting box 

 edgings, and very often it suits much better to 

 do the work now than in the busy time during 

 the spring months. The heavy rain which has 

 just fallen after the drought will cause weeds to 

 grow up quickly, so keep the hoe going to 

 clear the ground. 



Celery. — Earthing- up celery should now be done for 

 the main crop, leaving- that required for late keeping- 

 long-er until the plants have nearly completed their 

 growth. The heavy rain that has just fallen has done 

 celery much good, yet it would in many cases be 

 advisable to give a thorough soaking of water before 

 earthing. The plants should be looked over and all 

 side growths and decayed leaves removed Then each 

 plant should be tied with a piece of matting, and equal 

 parts of soot and lime should be dusted between the 

 plants to prevent slugs and worms damaging them. 

 This should be done after earthing. The latter should 

 be done on a fine day, well breaking up the soil before 

 placing it about the plants. Care should be taken not 

 to put the soil too high about the plants, keeping hearts 

 always clear of the soil. In about thi-ee weeks earth 

 again, and in another two weeks earth again finally for 

 third time. 



Onions. These should now be ripe enough for 

 harvesting, and if proper varieties have been sown it 

 very largely depends on how this work is done, whether 

 the crop keeps well or not. If the weather is fine the 

 bulbs may remain on the open ground for a few days, 

 finishing up the ripening under cover, keeping the bulbs 

 fully exposed to sun and light, and so thoroughly dry 

 them. 



Cabbage. — Spring cabbage, if ready for use early in 

 the year, is justly considered a crop of great importance. 

 V'arieties noted for their earliness and freedom from 

 bolting should be selected. A list of such varieties is 

 given in July issue. As cabbage pays well for high 

 cultivation the plot for spring cabbage should be deeply 

 dug and heavily manured, giving also a good dressing 

 of soot or soot and lime, this helping to free the ground 

 of slugs which often damage the plants. In planting 

 be sure to fasten the plants firmly in the ground, sinking 

 the stems close to the lower leaves. Plant from middle 

 of September onward, thinning out the plants in the 

 seedling beds. If the ground is not ready prick out the 

 plants into nursery beds sooner than let them spoil, but 

 all planting should be done before October to give the 

 plants a chance of getting established ere the hard 

 weather sets in. Varieties like Ellam's Early and 

 Excelsior may be planted two feet apart and one and 

 a half feet in the rows, while Flower of Spring and 

 Early OfiFenham require two feet every way. The 

 small plants should be dibbled out closely in beds, and 

 are useful for filling up gaps and planting out in the 

 spring. 



Leeks. — Leeks, whether growing on manured ground 

 or in prepared trenches, will be much benefited by good 

 soakings of liquid manure, making sure that the soil is 

 damp before applying the liquid. If the plants have 

 their roots near to the surface the stems cannot be 

 blanched for any serviceable length unless they are 

 moulded up. If the plants are a fair size this can now 

 be done by drawing up the soil from between the rowa 



