196 



IRISH GARDENING. 



in the summer than they do here. Yet even here 

 strawberries often fail to give a full crop owing to a low 

 supply of soil moisture. 



Sprouting Potato Tubers Before Planting ( "J. P. 

 O'B").— An illustrated article on this subject appeared in 

 our issue of February, 1907, which please see. There is 

 no doubt whatever that the yield of potatoes can be 

 increased by the use of sprouted tubers. The actual 

 increase seems to vary with the variety, being greatest 

 in those that ripen latest in the season. There is also 

 another advantage in using sprouted potatoes — more 

 care is taken to preserve the sprouts. In potatoes 

 stored in clumps, the first formed sprouts are often 

 broken off in handling. Now, these first formed shoots 

 are the most vigorous, and would produce an earlier 

 and a bigger yield, and therefore the greatest care 

 should be taken not to lose them. 



Bone-meal ("X."). — Read "Artificial Manures" in 

 Nos. 28 and 29. Bone-meal is a most useful fertiliser, as 

 after undergoing decomposition in the soil, it supplies the 

 plant with phosphorus and nitrogen. Good bone-meal 

 should yield about twenty-three per cent, of phosphoric 

 acid, and from four to six of nitrogen. Phosphates seem 

 to play an important part in the young stages of growth 

 of any organ, and are therefore essential to the full 

 development of roots and buds. They are especially 

 beneficial in the case of fruit buds and in the formation 

 of seed. Most gardeners are familiar with the good 

 effect produced in crops of plums, peaches, vines, &c. , 

 by working into the soil crushed or ground bones. 

 The liberated phosphates help the plant through the 

 exhaustive period of fruit formation. Of course if the 

 need for phosphates is immediate, a soluble form ot 

 phosphate (that is, " a superphosphate ") must be used ; 

 even bone-meal in the soil only gradually decomposes 

 with liberation of available phosphates. 



Electric Light on Plant Growth ("A.B.C"). — 

 The effect of electric light upon plants is a subject con- 

 stantly cropping up in the newspapers. One effect of 

 the electric light upon trees planted along the streets in 

 towns is said to be that their leaves appear sooner and 

 remain later than the leaves on the same kinds of trees 

 not exposed to this light. It is also said that certain 

 colour changes are induced under tlie same influence. 

 In this connection it is well to remember that electric 

 light is rich in the violet and ultra-violet rays of the 



spectrum, and these, as is well known, are specially 

 active in bringing about chemical changes. 



Correspondence. 



Farmyard Manure. 



Sir, — In reference to Mr. Jamison's excellent article 

 on farmyard manure in your issue of August, 1908, I 

 would like to bring to your notice the economy and 

 convenience of using the straw chopped in about two 

 inch lengths. In the first place there is a great economy 

 in the amount of straw necessary for absorbing the 

 liquid portions of the manure ; the short pieces of straw 

 with their absorbent ends take up the moisture far more 

 readily than the long pieces of uncut straw, with their 

 more or less inpervious surfaces. The chopped straw 

 packs closer, and tends to minimise the heating ; it is 

 far more easily handled with a fork, and offers no 

 difficulty as regards spreading and ploughing in. In 

 ordinary stables, too, the use of chopped straw is most 

 economical, as only the straw near the hind legs of the 

 horse gets soiled, and this small portion only need be 

 removed each day ; the remainder is pushed back a little, 

 and the new material is placed under the horse's head. 



In dealing with intensive farming it is necessary to 

 bear in mind that a good dose of farmyard manure will 

 give beneficial results for a few years. Hence, all the 

 manure made should be put on one-fourth or one-fifth 

 of the arable land in rotation, rather than trying to 

 spread it over the whole of the land each year. The 

 organic matter left in the soil by the roots of the crops 

 will greatly assist the continued action of the manure. 

 If manure cannot be got in sufficient quantities, the 

 necessary organic matter in the soil for producing good 

 crops can be readily procured by growing a leguminous 

 catch crop and ploughing in it. I have seen worn out 

 lands quickly brought into good condition by the plough- 

 ing in of catch crops, even non-leguminous ones. 



in conclusion, I would like to again insist on the 

 principle of concentration of farmyard manure on 

 successive portions of the arable land of a farm. This 

 principle is as important to bear in mind as that of in- 

 creasing the nitrogenous elements of manure and of 

 heating them with care till required for use The 

 question of chopping the straw is one of economy and 

 convenience in use. MiLES. 



" And in actual life, let me assure you, in conclusion, the first ' wisdom of calm ' is to plan, and resolve 

 to labour for the comfort and beauty of a home such as, if we could obtain it, we would quit no more. 

 Not a compartment of a model lodging-house, not the number so-and-so of Paradise Row, but a cottage 

 all of our own, with its little garden, its pleasant view, its surrounding fields, its neighbouring stream, 

 its healthy air, and clean kitchen, parlour and bedrooms. Less than this no man should be content 

 with for his nest ; more than this few should seek ; but if it seems to you impossible, or wildly imaginary, 

 that such houses should ever be obtained for the greater part of the English people, again believe me, 

 the obstacles which are in the way of our obtaining them are the things which it must be the main 

 object now of all true science, true art, and true literature to overcome." — Ruskin, 



End of Third Volume 



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