IRISH GARDENING. 



185 



grey berries with a l)looni on them like a grape, 

 which will eventually turn bhiek. As a flowering 

 species in a garden it is not of nuich interest, but 

 it a show of berries, sucli as we have this year, 

 could be counted on, it would be well worih 

 having. 



L. alpigena.— This is called the " Cherry Wood- 

 bine," and it apparently gets its name from the 

 fruit, which is shining red hanging on a stalk 

 just like a cherry. 



L. deflexicalyx is a Chinese species with rather 

 a spreading habit. The flowers were in pairs at 

 the axils of the opposite leaves, and these flowers 

 are now replaced with two or four bright orange 

 red berries. 



L. trichosantha, another native of China, with 

 bright red berries in pairs on the long slender 

 branches. 



L. iberica. — Here again the fruits are red at the 

 ends of the shoots and appear to be resting in a 

 cup formed by two leaves. 



L. prostrata, as its name implies, is low grow- 

 ing and, like trichosantha, its berries are in pairs 

 along the spreading branches. 



L. orientalis has black berries on very short 

 stalks, and L. translucens has transparent white 

 berries. It is a free growing bush some ten feet 

 high, in habit and general appearance like deflexi- 

 calyx, but the white berries make it very dis- 

 tinct. 



Some of the Barberries too are exceptionally 

 free in fruiting this year, especially Berberis 

 vulgaris, with its hanging, scarltt, egg-shaped 

 berries, which being bitter to taste are not being 

 touched by the birds. 



B. aquifolium, what used to be known as 

 Mahonia, and its many varieties are now covered 

 with clusters of deep blue berries with a plum 

 like bloom on them. These will hang on the plants 

 well on into the winter, and make a good contrast 

 with the deep red, shiny colour which the leaves 

 turn. 



Many of the Cotoneasters, too, are in good fruit, 

 most of those known in gardens have red berries. 

 C. microphylla, with its neat growing habit and 

 small leaves, and C. buxifolia, and have bright 

 red berries. C. frigida, a very different habit, 

 forming almost a tree in height, with long, broad 

 leaves, shed in the autumn, leaving hanging 

 clusters of scarlet berries, which in hard winters 

 are soon attacked by the birds. C. horizontalis 

 too has orange red fruits. Here again the leaves 

 are small and many of them turn scarlet, and at 

 a distance it is sometimes impossible to distin- 

 guish between berries and leaves. 



C. bacillaris is a native of the Himalayas and 

 has hanging, dark purple, almost black, fruits, 

 and C. moupinensis, a native of China, where it is 

 a common plant, has also black fruits. Perhaps 

 the most remarkable of all the fruiting shrubs at 

 this season is Euonynuis latifolius. In appear- 

 ance like the common Spindle Tree or Pegwood, E. 

 europaeus, but the leaves are larger and longer. 

 The fruits are hanging on slender stalks, and 

 when ripe burst open, showing a scarlet inside 

 on which are attached the orange red berries. 

 Nothing could be more attractive than to stand 

 under a large shrub of E. latifolius or E. 

 europaeus and admire those brilliant berries. 



R, M. Pollock. 



Suburban and Allotment Gardens. 



General Note. — The work v.hich has been sug- 

 gested lor lUL month ui iNOvcinoer snouict oe con- 

 iniued and compieied. By the New Year most of 

 the ground should have been dug over or trenched 

 as tlie case may be, only leaving such ground as 

 may be occupied by Cabbages, Onions and late 

 Celery, Leeks, &c., until the crops are cleared. 



i'ORCiNG Khubaeb. — Tliis esculent will not be 

 in keen demand next spring unless sugar be- 

 comes more plentiful (although it might be worth 

 while trying it with sugar beet or ordinary gar- 

 den beet, taking care, of course, not to use the 

 leaf part of the Khubarb). 



If warm sheds or other structures are available, 

 they can be utilised for forcing the Rhubarb pre- 

 viously lifted. Put the roots into deep boxes, or 

 large pots, with the crown or bud end uppermost, 

 then fill in and around them some sandy soil, so 

 as to just cover the roots, then give the soil a 

 good watering, afterwards storing the boxes or 

 pots in a v/arm corner, with other boxes or pots 

 inverted over them, so as to keep the light and 

 dust away from the steins as they begin to de- 

 velop. 



Potatoes. — The Potatoes which have been 

 stored in pits or boxes should be examined in order 

 to see whether there are any diseased or sprout- 

 ing specimens. If diseased such specimens should 

 be thrown away, and if sprouts are developing 

 these should be removed. While Potatoes for 

 seed purposes, if not previously selected, can be 

 sorted out and placed ready for sprouting. This 

 should be done by placing them in shallow boxes 

 with the bud ends (" Rise ends," Eye ends, &c.) 

 upwards, putting in single layers only. The boxes 

 can be kept in the dark until sprouting has actu- 

 ally begun (stems lengthen quicker in the dark 

 than in the light) and then placing them where 

 they will get full light and air, without extremes 

 of cold or heat, so as to develop short, sturdy 

 shoots, which give the best results wdien trials are 

 carried out to test the efficiencies of sprouters or 

 otherwise, &c. In putting back the Potatoes 

 which have been picked over, make sure that they 

 are suitably housed or stored, taking care in the 

 case of clamps or pits to prevent entrance of rain 

 and to do all that is necessary to prevent over- 

 heating or cooling either in the pit or house as 

 the case may be. 



Flower Border. — In suburban gardens, where 

 the flower and shrubbery borders occupy too much 

 space, for present day gardening, proceed to re- 

 move first of all useless specimens, or overlarge 

 shrubs, such as Cherry Laurels, and trees, if any, 

 which are more fitted for the forest than some 

 of the places one sees them growing in. Then re- 

 duce the size of over-grown clumps, and perhaps 

 also the numbers of clumps of similar or like 

 kinds, so that space can be obtained for other 

 desired plants, whether vegetables or fruits, 

 without diminishing the general efficiency of the 

 garclen. Certain weedy lawns can be treated 

 similarly, either reducing the size of or remov- 

 ing the grass patch altogether. Ground of this 

 kind should be dug deeply, leaving the sub-soil 

 at the bottom, and putting in plenty of leafy re- 

 fuse at the bottom, placing cow or horse 

 manure at about nine inches from the surface 

 (cow manure for the sandy or porous_ soils and 

 horse manure for the more retentive soils). While 

 those wishing to improve the quality of their 



