IRISH GARDENING. 



165 



away any strong fibreless roots; then with a 

 garden fork remove the ball of earth, working 

 towards the stem, until the ball is sufficiently 

 reduced, and all roots severed to allow of the 

 tree being taken out of its bed. Shorten 

 severely strong fibreless roots that have a 

 tendency to grow straight downwards ; those 

 growng horizontally need not be cut back so 

 haixl. Clean all jagged ends of roots, level and 

 well trample the site for the tree, and replant 

 very firmly. Spread out all roots evenly, and 

 with a slight inclination upwards. These trees 

 so treated must be staked and subsequently 

 pruned, as advised for new planted trees. This 

 operation s'hould be caiTied out as soon as 

 |X)ssible after leaves show signs of falling. 

 Some varieties — for instance, Bramley's 

 Seedling, Scarlet Bramley, Charles Ross, 

 Newton Wonder, Norfolk Beauty — do not fruit 

 freely until they attain three or four years' 

 more growth. Such varieties need not be 

 lifted unless the growth is particularly gross. 

 Hard and fast rules for future pruning can 

 hardly be presented here. The vigour and 

 habits of different varieties must be a guide to 

 subsequent pruning. Infertility is often 

 brought about by too severe pruning : in such 

 cases the method of pruning must be altered, 

 and over-luxuriant growth checked by liftinc 

 young trees, up to, say, ten or twelve years' 

 old, and root pruning of older trees. Roots of 

 trees having penetrated to a bad subsoil will 

 cause the same failing ; in these cases the above 

 remedy must also be applied. The foregoing 

 r-^marks as to preparation of ground may be 

 similarly applied in the formation of orchards. 

 A field, or part of a field, that has been under 

 good cultivation for two or three years growing 

 potatoes, &e., may forthwith be cleaned and 

 levelled, and the trees planted at once; or a 

 good, sound plot of grazing land may be deeply 

 ploughed and planted in the spring. Orchard 

 trees are, of course, planted in lines, at a dis- 

 tance apart t'hat must be recnlated by the kind 

 of trees planted, and subsequent intended 

 cidtivation of land under and between trees. 

 Orchards may be profitably formed of bush 

 trees on Paradise stocks, though more fre- 

 quently standard or half standard trees on Crab 

 stocks are employed ; but whether it is intended 

 to ultimately form a grass orchard or to con- 

 tinue cropping between trees with small fruits 

 or farm and garden crops, it is most important 

 to future welfare of trees that a space 4 or 5 

 feet in diameter round each tree should be kept 

 free from weeds and resularly cidtivated with 

 an annual application of farmyard or chemical 

 manure after trees commence to mature crops 

 of fruit. If young orchard trees are left to 



become overgrown with weeds and rubbish, the 

 result is inevitably stunted, diseased, and 

 profitless trees. 



The matter of grass or cultivated orchards 

 is a debateable subject. Many affirm that the 

 Apples in grass orchards compare favourably 

 or equal in size to those from cultivated orchards. 

 My experience is that only on exceptionally 

 favoured soils grass orchard Apples hold their 

 own with cultivated orchards, except in the 

 matter of fine colouring, which constitutes a 

 strong point in dessei't apples. It is much less 

 trouble to maintain the trees in grass in a good 

 fruiting condition by annual applications of 

 liquid manure drained from farm buildings, 

 &c. ; a good mulching of farmyard manure, or 

 some well recognised artificial mamu-e, than to 

 restore them after being run down, and pro- 

 ducing only second or third-rate fruit. 



For orchards I would recommend the follow- 

 ing varieties, named in the order of their fit- 

 ness for market, &c. : — Dessert varieties — Mr. 

 Gladstone, Irish Peach, Beauty of Bath, Lady 

 Sudeley, Worcester Pearmain, Jas. Grieve, 

 Ben's Red, Wealthy, Chas. Ross, Ribston 

 Pippin, Cox's Orange Pippin, Allington Pippin, 

 Blenheim Orange, Rival, Christmas, Pearmain, 

 Belle de Boskoop, Braddick's Nonpareil, Bar- 

 mack Beauty, King's Acre Pippin, Duke of 

 Devonshire. Culinary Apples — Early Victoria, 

 Grenadier, Emperor Alexander, Peasgood's 

 Nonsuch, Norfolk Beauty, Stirling Castle, The 

 Queen, Lord Derby, Royal Jubilee, Beauty 

 of Kent, Bismarck, Bramley's Seedling, 

 Hambling's Seedling, Newton Wonder, Annie 

 Elizabeth, Lane's Prince Albert, Alfriston, 

 Wellington, Encore This last-named variety 

 is a comparatively new variety, but I find it a 

 free cropper, large, and a very good keeper. 

 We have had it here (stored under ordinary 

 conditions) quite firm and fresh in June, almost 

 to the time when Early Victoria is available, 

 to commence the new season. For ordinary 

 garden culture the following varieties are all 

 good , desirable kind : 



Dessert varieties, to the preceding list add 

 Langley Pippin, Coronation, Mother (Ameri- 

 can), St. Everard, Beauman's Reinette, 

 Adam's Pearmain, Gascoyne's Scarlet, King 

 of Tomkins Co., The Houblon. 



To the culinary Apples — Lord Grosvenor, 

 Red Victoria, Loddington, Hoary Morning, 

 Hector MacDonald, Lady Hemicker, INIere de 

 Menage, Baron Wolsley, Edward the Seventh, 

 Rev. W. Wilks. The last-named Apple is 

 spoken well of as a promising market Apple by 

 various authorities, but I consider it too large 

 and soft for market purposes, as also that fine 

 apple. Baron Wolsley. 



