IRISH GARDENING 



159 



on well up the main stem of the tree, two or three 

 teet from the ground, if possible. Then, with a 

 thin flat piece of wood, smear on a coat of tangle- 

 foot, now well known to be one of the most 

 lasting and effective moth catchers on the 

 market. Some advise that it may be applied 

 direct on the bark of trees over live years old. 

 While one application may not affect the outer 

 skin of the bark to any api)reciable extent, I am 

 of opinion that annual grease- banding direct on 

 to the bark is injurious, and as the grease-proof 

 bands svipplied by the vendors of tanglefoot are 

 so cheap I would strongly advi.se their use. 



Root Pruning. — Towards the end of this 

 month trees restricted to a given space and that 

 are showing a tendency to make too much wood 

 at the expense of fruit, or those which may 

 have been planted in too rich and loose garden 

 .soil and making too much rank growth without 

 fruit buds, .should be corrected by shortening the 

 long, bare anchor or taproots, which produce this 

 over luxuriant and unfruitful condition. No hard 

 and fast rule can be applied to the extent to 

 which the roots may be shortened, but care should 

 be taken not to reduce the roots to the extent of 

 enfeebling the tree so that no wood growth niight 

 be ])roduced the following year. Cordons and 

 other small trees nxay be lifted and replanted 

 with very little curtailment cf the roots to 

 ])roduce the desired effect. The same care is 

 necessary in pruning roots as in pruning 

 branches — i.e., all cuts should be made with a 

 shari) knife or sharp secateur. The wounds 

 made in this way heal quickly, and a better 

 system of fine or fibrous roots is formed from the 

 Itoint where a clean cut is made than if cut 

 roughly with a spade. Trees too large to be 

 lifted and growing too luxuriantly may be 

 corrected ))y a partial root ])runing from one side, 

 and if not quite enough at first the roots on the 

 o]iposite side may be dealt witli the following year. 

 Trans])lanting trees for the i)urpose of re- 

 arranging nxay begin towards the end of this 

 month and be carried on next month — subject 

 1() soil and weather conditions — better than 

 (luring mid-winter or spring, as the wounded roots 

 heal quickly while there is still a little of the 

 summer's warnxth in the groxxnd and an upward 

 tendency in the sap. If the work is carefully 

 done the trees should not receive any appreciable 

 chec'k. Newly ])lanted trees should be secixred 

 against rocking with the wind either to one 

 sufficient stake, or, if large trees, to three stout 

 ■jiegs with gxxy ropes. 



Tying Young Tkees. — All ties on young trees 

 requiring further sxipport should be renewed this 

 month, as some may be getting too tight and 

 others decaying, and if the ties give way the tree 

 is liable to injxiry fronx rapping against the .stake. 

 If trees are not ])ro]>ei'ly staked they are better 

 without stakes. Half standard young trees of 

 Bramley suffer more fronx wind for the tii'st three 

 years after planting thaix nxost other sorts, their 

 large leaves and stiff" branches giving the wind 

 a greater grip of them. The tie should be placed 

 at the top of the stake, which should stand 

 approximate to the height of the stenx and be 

 clear of the branches, exce])t in the case of 

 pyramids or bush trees. The })est quality cocoa- 

 nut lil)i'e coir yarn makes an excellent tying 

 material, as it does not contract, or exx»and witlx 

 changes of the weather. In tying, first place a 



band of cloth or sacking round the tree to protect 

 the bark ; wind the cord for tying two or three 

 tiixxes round the stake to form a pad for the tree 

 to rest against, and cross the cord between the 

 ti'ee and the stake, clasping in the tree and tying 

 behind the stake. For heavy trees several ply 

 of the cord should be applied crossing between 

 the tree and the stake. 



Ordering Fruit Trees. — Intending planters 

 should place their orders with their nurserymen 

 this month, as they genei'ally begin to execute 

 orders in Novenxber, and in the rotation in which 

 they are received. The rule of " first come first 

 served " not only holds good, buo the first served 

 are invariably best served. 



Cultivation. — This part of the fruit grower's 

 work is hardly ever out of season. Many bits of 

 spare groxxnd between fruit ti-ees should be turned 

 to good account in growing cabbage for spring 

 use, to meet a likely scarcity of food .stuffs in 

 spring owing to the war. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



By Arthur Horton, Gardener to Colonel Claude 

 Cane, St. Wolstan's, Celbridge. 



The principal work in the vegetable garden is 

 generally considered to be practically over for 

 the season. Certainly very little can be done in 

 the way of ])lanting or sowing seed, yet many 

 other things will require immediate attention if 

 good results are expected. 



A sharp lookoxit should be kept for any signs 

 of early frost, and i)rotecting material got ready 

 for tender subjects. 



During this month frost may put in an a])pear- 

 ance for one night and do considerable damage, 

 then not reappear for a nxonth or six weeks. 

 French and runner beans are very tender and 

 ea.sily daixxaged by frost. Measures .should be 

 taken to protect them with any suitable material 

 convenient. It is .suri)rising how little is .sufficient 

 to ward off a few degrees. 



Since the "|)resent war in Euro])e began much 

 has been written both in the daily and weekly 

 Press on the necessity and importance of in- 

 creasing the area xinder cultivation, and also on 

 preserving the various cro])s already or about 

 to be harvested, vegetables included. It is xin- 

 necessary for me to go over the .same ground, and 

 it would be difticult to add much to what has been 

 so exhaxistively treated by able writers on the 

 various .subjects. Having read several articles 

 on the ways and nxeans of preserving fruits and 

 vegetables, I have not so far noticed the simple 

 process of preserving French and runner beans 

 with conxixxon siilt. All that is required is a water- 

 tight vessel, a crock or pi]»kin answei-s the 

 purpose admirably. Slice the beans in the same 

 manner as ])repared for cooking, then ]ilace a 

 layer of salt and beans time abovit. Care nuist 

 always be taken to add sufficient salt or the result 

 will not be satisfactory, neither is it advisable 

 to use beans that ari^ in anv^^vay hard or stringy. 

 The preserving can be done anytiixxe at intervals 

 from the tinxe the plants comnxence bearing in 

 August until they are cut down with frost, and 

 will keep in perfect condition until the new .suyiply 

 is ready f«)r use the following year. Tlie advan- 

 tage of this process is that there is practically no 



