158 



IRISH GARDENING 



The Month's Work, 



The Flower Garden. 



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

 Shane's Castle, Antrim. 



At.though the siimmer bedding may still be gay, 

 it is now time to commence clearing the beds, if 

 these are to be refurnished with spring-flowering 

 plants. Many plants are of no further use, and 

 can be consigned to the rubbish heap. Trained 

 plants, that will be needed again, should have the 

 roots cut off from the pots, the pots washed, and 

 the growth cut back to the old wood. A cool 

 house will then he the place for them. Tuberous 

 Begonias .should be spread thinly under lights; 

 when dry they can be stored away in a shed that 

 is frost and drip proof. Some good plants of 

 Geraniunis, if potted up, will develop into fine 

 specimens for furnishing vases next year ; a 

 number should also be saved for propagating in 

 spring if the .stock of cuttings is not large enough. 

 Dahlias will continue flowering so long as frost 

 keeps away, but a slight snap will blacken them ; 

 they should then be cut down, and the tubers 

 stored away vinder potting benches or in similar 

 ■jilaces. Cannas require the same winter treat- 

 ment as Dahlias. Lift Gladioli with the foliage 

 intact. Spread thena on the floor of a fruit house 

 until the stems turn yellow, when they should be 

 removed. The corms will keep well in a fruit 

 room. If the boxes of Geraniuni cuttings are 

 still out of doors, they must now be moved. 

 Brick pits, with a hot-water pipe running round 

 them, suit these admirably ; but, oftener than not, 

 they have to be kept in fruit houses. Remove 

 any rubbish from amongst the cuttings, and .stir 

 the surface soil with a pointed stick. Give air 

 liberally, and afford a little heat in the pipes 

 diiring damp weather. 



J^awns and walks will need frequent .sweeping 

 now. All pieces of .sticks, also the woody stems 

 of any plants cut down, should be placed together 

 and burnt when opportunity occurs. The fallen 

 leaves will, of course, be stored in heaps for 

 making hot beds later, or for use as leaf-mould 

 when decayed. Get in the stock of mats deemed 

 neces.sary. The ends may be neatly tied during 

 bad weather. Bracken should be cut and dried, 

 and stored in a shed for use as protection against 

 frost. 



Choose a dry day to secure any .seeds wanted 

 of Asters, Stocks, Pentstemons. There may be a 

 scarcityjof some kinds of flower seeds next spring ; 

 it will be good policy therefore for those who do 

 not usually save any seeds to make an excei)tion 

 this year. Cut the seed pods or heads off, and lay 

 them thinly on papers on warm dry shelves. 



Re-label the plants in the borders if the labels 

 are weatherworn, especially if it is intended to 

 dig and replant this season. 



Sweet Peas. — To get the finest flowers of these 

 sow the seeds now in pots. Four-inch or six-inch 

 pots are a useful size, and four to six seeds may 

 be .sown in each. Place the pots in a cold frame, 

 on a hard bottom of cinders. Keep the frame 

 freely ventilated at all times. The growth 



cannot be too slow during the winter. Take the 

 precaution of excluding mice, as these will spoil 

 a valuable lot of seeds or seedlings in a niglit 

 or two. 



The Fruit Garden. 



By Peter Brock, Horticultural Instructor for 

 Co. Fermanagh. 



The gale on the 1 ith inst. which tossed stooks 

 and hand-stacks of grain was also un.s])aring in 

 its ravages on the apple crop, early sorts 

 especially being severely thinned. Ijate kinds, 

 however, such as Bramley and Newtown Wonder, 

 although losing a few, have not fared so badly as 

 might have been expected, and, where they had 

 a short fall on to soft ground or coming in contact 

 with grass, may be kept till the glut of softer- 

 .skinned apples have been disposed of. 



Storing Fruit. — The gathering of apples and 

 pears as they become fit must get first attention. 

 Handle carefully so as to avoid brui.sing, and, as 

 far as ])ossible, store when quite dry. The best 

 time to store fruit is when it has reached the stage 

 of maturity that it parts freely from the tree by 

 lifting it gently upwards, or one or two fruits may 

 be cut through, and if the pips are turning to a 

 brown colour, the crop may be con.sidered fit to 

 store. Choice dessert apples and pears should be 

 laid out in single layers on clean .shelves ; hard- 

 skinned and long-keeping apples may be stored 

 several tiers in depth. Commerical .sorts like 

 Bramley, Lane's Prince Albert and Newtown 

 Wonder should be carefully graded into selects, 

 firsts, seconds, and culls as the gathering ])roceeds, 

 and then placed in clean egg cases. The advan- 

 tages of grading at the time of gathering are that 

 the selects are generally first in demand, and the 

 smaller grades are longer keepers and can be kept 

 till later in the season. The cases should be filled 

 nearly water-mea,sure full, then lay a sheet of 

 paper on top of the fruit ; the grade of the 

 contents should be marked on the outside face of 

 each case. The different grades may then be tiered 

 up .seiiarately, jjlacing blocks or stri])s of wood of 

 uniform size between the cases for the purpose 

 of ventilation and in.spection. The cases may 

 then be stored in barns, coach-houses, or cart 

 shed with good doors, preferably facing north, 

 and where an even temi^erature of about 40 

 degrees can be maintained, free from draughts, 

 but sufficiently ventilated to prevent over- 

 sweating of the fruit for the first fortnight after 

 storing. It is of the utmost imi>ortance that the 

 walls and floors of such fniit stores should be 

 clean. Jjimewashing the walls, and if on an 

 earthen floor a little dry lime brushed over it will 

 generally ensure a sweet atmosphere. The lids 

 of the egg cases should be tied in bundles, and, 

 if it is not convenient to store the cases for 

 another year, they may be disi)osed of to egg 

 merchants, imniediately they are cleared of apples, 

 at first cost if kept clean. 



Grease Banding. ^The females of the winter 

 moth may be expected to begin to ascend the 

 trees to deposit their eggs after the middle of this 

 m(jnth, so that to ensure an effective catch the 

 sticky bands should be put on immediately. A 

 stri]) of grease-proof paper should lir.st be tied 



