136 



IRISH GARDENING. 



I should be inclined to award the old Champion 

 the premier place in that category, but it lias not 

 the cropping powers of many of the newer sorts, 

 and accordingly I presume it must sooner or later 

 pay the penalty of being left behind in the race. 

 My intention in starting this note was to state 

 a few short facts, but I have got out of bounds, 

 and I recommend all growers of potatoes, whether 

 novice or expert, to select their seed tul)ers for 

 next year's work as they dig their crop. A more 

 perfect seed cannot be bought than the one boxed 

 now, and kept in a subdued light during winter. 

 A frost-proof house is the place to store the boxes. 



A. F. P. 



Plants and the Winter. 



In our April number we published a letter from 

 Sir Frederick Moore commenting on the injury 

 done to many plants during the late severe 

 winter and spring. Sir Frederick ventured to 

 appeal to readers to " make a list of the injured 

 plants in their district during the period April 

 25th to May 5th. so that the lists may be made 

 under approximately similar conditions." 



As it happened, the latter date proved rather 

 early, as the full extent of the damage done was 

 not determinable until later on in summer, and 

 even now the actual results cannot be accurately 

 stated, as some of the lists received show. Some 

 plants which seemed on the verge of iJerishing 

 subsequently made a remarkable recovery, and, 

 as reports both from Ireland and Scotland show, 

 have made more luxuriant growth than ever 

 before, the severe " pruning " by frost seemingly 

 having been beneficial. It may. however, require 

 another winter to determine which of the badly 

 injvired plants will ultimately survive. Those 

 plants which made a wonderful recovery, pro- 

 ducing new vigorous soft growths, may not 

 become sufficiently ripened to withstand even a 

 normal winter ; again, some shrubs not entirely 

 killed remained dormant for nearly half the 

 summer ere venturing to " break " again, and it 

 remains to be seen whether these new shoots 

 will live or perish. 



During the interval since the publication of Sir 

 Frederick Moore's letter a considerable n'imber 

 of lists have been received, many of them of 

 some size. Clearly it was impossible to publish 

 all the lists together, and indeed no useful purpose 

 would be served in doing so, as in manv cases the 

 same plants occur through nearly all the lists. 



In the meantime, we have chosen four repre- 

 senting the north, south, east and midlands. 

 No list was received from a. really v/estern garden, 

 but some indication oi the conditions there was 

 yiven by Mr. ^Murray Hornibrook in his notes on 

 the gardens of Ballynahinch Castle, Co. Galway, 

 in out" August issue. 



With reference to the four lists published this 

 month, that from Sir John Ross of Bladensbnrg 

 may be taken as typical of a mild locality in the 

 north of Ireland. Favoured by a well-wooded 

 hill giving great shelter. Sir John has fori tied at 

 Rostrevor House a veritable gallery of rare and 

 beautiful trees and shrubs, and has ventured out 

 many plants usually grown in greenhouses, and 

 some of them rare even there. The results will be 

 seen in the lists he kindly sends. 



Fota in the south may be regarded as corre- 



sponding in some degree to Rostrevor in the north. 

 Long famous as one of the finest collections in 

 Ireland, it will be seen that the past winter took 

 its toll, yet the damage does not seem irretrievable; 



In the colder climate and heavier soil of County 

 Meath, Lord Headfort has for some years been 

 building up a fine arboretum at Headfort House. 

 This list may be taken as a fair indication of the 

 hardiness of many trees and shrubs in the colder 

 inland counties. 



The list compiled by Sir Frederick Moore from 

 the national collection at Glasnevin indicates the 

 results in what may be called intermediate 

 climatic conditions. Normally Glasnevin is not so 

 mild in winter as Fota or Rostrevor, but is 

 warmer than Meath and some of the more inland 

 counties, so that plants which have proved hardy 

 at Glasnevin may be considered fairly safe for 

 average conditions in most parts of Ireland. To 

 be strictly correct, we ought, doubtless, to state 

 the height above sea level, nature of the soil, 

 exposure, &c., in each case, but, as it is, intending 

 plantei\s may now or in the future be able to gain 

 an idea of " which plants can be depended on for 

 permanent effect and which are to be avoided." 

 In beginning a collection of trees and shrtibs and 

 other plants it will be possible, with the help of 

 the lists, to lay the foundation with reliable plants, 

 experimenting later with those doubtfully hardy, 

 but which might flourish and give much pleasure 

 for many years, let us hope, ere again we are 

 subjected to svich a disastrous winter and spring 

 as that of 1910-17. 



In addition to the lists published in the present 

 number we have to acknowledge, with very many 

 thanks, others from the following : — 



E. H. Walpole, Esq., Mount Usher, Co. Wick- 

 low ; Murray Hornibrook, Esq., Knapton, Abbey- 

 leix. Queen's Co. ; A. V. Montgomery, Esq., Trim, 

 Co. Meath ; Mr. Patrick Schofield, gardener to 

 W. B. Purefoy, Esq., Greenfields, Tipperary ; 

 Mr. S. E. Colvin, gardener to Mr. Pack Beresford, 

 Fenagh House, Co. Carlow ; H. Leslie Ellis, Esq., 

 Magherymore, Wicklow ; Robert Anderson, Esq., 

 Supt., Phcenix Park, Dublin ; Mr. Henry Hall, 

 Shankill Castle Gardens, Co. Kilkenny ; Miss F. E. 

 Butler, Lavistown House, Kilkenny ; ^Ir. Garner, 

 head gardener, Castletown, Carrick-on-Sviir, per 

 G. E. Villiers Stuart, Esq. : Messrs. Wm. Watson 

 & Sons, Clontarf Nurseries, Dublin, and Walter 

 Willoughby, Esq., Haddon, Dartmouth Row, 

 Blackheath. S.E. 



REPORT RECEIVED FROM THE MARQUIS OF 

 HEADFORT, HEADFORT HOUSE, CO. MEATH. 



Gardener — Mr. W. E. TREViTniCK. 



Ix his report to Lord Headfort, Mr. Trevithick says : — 

 " It is very difficult to convey a true idea of the damage 

 done by the frost and cold winds succeeding it, for some 

 of the same kinds of plants in different situations have not 

 suffered alike. ... In the plantation of C'uprcssus lusi- 

 tanica,-out of 4.5 plants, 5 are dead, 5 are injured, while the 

 others do nft show the slightest trace of injury. Again, 

 2 plants of (ieni.sta maderense by the Heath House are 

 killed, while one plant on the south coi-ncr of the same 

 island is uninjured. Many of the trees that show signs of 

 distress now were to all appearance only slightly injured 

 by the mid-winter frosts, but the frosts in late March and 



