62 



IRISH GARDENING 



Trees and their Varieties. 



The Month^s Work. 



Professor A. Henry, M.A., F.L.S., of the Hoyal 

 College of Science, delivered a lecture, entitled 

 " Trees and tlieii' X'arieties," in the theatre of the 

 Royal Dublin Society recently. The Austrian 

 pine differs from the Corsican pine in retaining 

 its leaves a year longer, and is thus enabled by 

 its dense and copious foliage to keep some 

 moisture in the dry limestone rock on which 

 it grows naturally in Servia. The lecturer 

 described the nature of sports, each of which 

 arises as a solitary and often inexplicable pheno- 

 menon, either as a rare seedling or as a single 

 branch, with some strange peculiarity on an other- 

 wise normal individual. Such sports when once 

 found are habitually propagated by layering or 

 grafts. Numerous slides showed different kinds 

 of sports in trees, weeping and erect forms, 

 varieties with bizarre foliage (coloured, puckered, 

 deeply-cut leaves), dwarfs, trees, with all their 

 branches curved and twisted. Some of these 

 varieties, as the simple-leaf ash and the Irish 

 yew, can be explained as individuals that have 

 retained the features of the young seedling, and 

 have never taken on the adult form, which, as a 

 rule, differs materially from that of early 

 youth. 



A good specimen of the fine Irish yew at Seaford, 

 Co. Down, was contrasted with the wide-spreading 

 conmion yew at Crom Castle, Fermanagh, under 

 whose shade two hundred people had sat together 

 at dinner. This famous yew, which is probably 

 the oldest tree in Ireland, dating back to pre- 

 Christian times, is said in the " Contention of the 

 Bards " to have been discovered on the day 

 when Con of the Hundred Fights was born 

 (A.D. 127) and is, perhaps, an ancient sacred 

 tree dedicated to the worship of the idol Crom 

 Cruach. 



Professor Henry next dealt with another class 

 of trees, those which originated by hybridisation, 

 and he showed how the two classes of sports and 

 hybrids can be clearly distinguished. Hybrids, 

 especially those of the iirst generation, iisually 

 show exceptional vigour. In the United States 

 when two kinds of maize, one producing 42 

 bushels and other 17 bushels per acre, had been 

 crossed their progeny gave no less than 127 

 bushels. First-cross trees had hitherto only been 

 obtained by accident, as when two allied species 

 stood together in the forest or in the nursery and 

 had given rise to a chance hybrid seedling. To 

 such haphazard seedlings, picked up by observant 

 nurserymen, we owe many valuable trees, such as 

 the Huntingdon elm, the black Italian poplar, the 

 cricket bat willow, and the common lime. One 

 of them, Populus robusta, found in a nursery at 

 Metz, has actually attained in fourteen years on 

 the poor soil at Glasnevin a height of 45 

 feet. 



Professor Henry has during the last three years 

 been making crosses of ash, alder, and poplar, 

 some of which are of remarkable vigour and 

 beauty. The manner in which the different 

 characters of each parent combined in the 

 offspring was well exemplified in the case of the 

 seedlings of the Huntingdon elm, raised by 

 Professor Henry, which followed the laws dis'- 

 covered by Mendel. The lecture was illustrated 

 by numerous plain and coloured slides. 



The Flower Garden. 



By Wm. G. Wadge, Gardener to Lady O'Neill, 

 Shane's Castle, Antrim. 



Sprixc; bedding is at its best this month. Th® 

 weather, the Iirst half of March, was not kindly 

 in this district to young growths and opening 

 flowers. A few days of bright sunshine, however, 

 makes a wonderful change. Look over the beds 

 of seedling Polyanthus and mark any ]jlants of 

 inferior habit or carrying blooms of poor size or 

 colour ; these can be destroyed later when lifting 

 the plants after flowering. If seed is wanted, the 

 largest and brightest trusses can be marked at 

 the same tinae by tying a small piece of raffia 

 round them. 



Lawns. — Mowing will now need constant 

 attention. No time is saved by letting the grass 

 get too long between the mowings. Any places 

 that ai'e to be sown with grass seed — the soil 

 having been dug during the winter — should now 

 be finally levelled and raked over on a dry day. 

 Sow the seed at the rate of 1 lb. for 20 square 

 yards, or the same quantity for 70 square yards 

 when renovating pati'hes where the grass is thin. 

 If birds are numerous it may be necessary to use 

 some precaution against them picking up the 

 seeds. 



Roses. — All Rose pruning should be finished 

 early in April. Full instructions were given in 

 Irish Gardening last month. After pruning is 

 finished, and the rubbish gathered and burnt, 

 give the beds a top-dressing of cow manure and 

 a siH'inkling of bone meal, and fork it into the 

 surface When the soil has dried somewhat and 

 can be raked down Violas may be planted an a 

 groundwork for the Roses. Probably no exhibi- 

 tor would think of growing Violas or any other 

 plant beside the Roses in his beds, but for garden 

 decoration it answers well. The Violas show to 

 advantage massed one variety to a bed, and if 

 the soil is manured liberally the Roses will not 

 suffer. As soon as growth begins look out for 

 caterpillars, a curled leaf will apjjrise us of the 

 whereabouts of the enemy. Handpicking is the 

 only remedy. 



Shrubs. — Planting is practically linished now, 

 although many things may still be planted ; large 

 bamboos and hollies can be transplanted with 

 more certainty of success on a showery day in 

 April, than at any other time. All shrubs recently 

 planted should be examined to see they are not 

 being shaken unduly at the base by wind, and if 

 drying weather prevails it may be necessary to 

 water them, after which a mulching of manure 

 should be placed around them Sluiibberies that 

 were dug and left rough early in the year will 

 rake down well now after drying winds. The 

 raking will leave a finished ajipearance, and the 

 line surface soil will prevent rapid evaj) oration ; 

 besides, it will be easier for subsequent hoeings. 



Box-EDGiNCJ nuiy be put in order now. Where 

 it is in good condition, a cutting over with a 

 scythe or the garden shears will be all that is 

 needed. Should there be any blank spaces in 

 the lines, make these up Iirst. If^the plants 

 are aged and very bushy lift the whole and 

 replant, using the younger rooted pieces. 



