i66 



IRISH GARDENING 



as John DoAVnie, Dcartnioufcli, Transcendent, 

 &c., which frequently load, themselves with red 

 and 3'ellow fruits, which look very pretty on 

 a clear autumn or Avinter dciy. 



Pmis decaisneana, which is of a different type, 

 is extremely handsome in fruit. The fruits are 

 produced in dense clusters, and, though in- 

 dividually small, are of such a brilliant red as 

 to be quite cojispicuous from a distance. There 

 are many other ornamental fruiting trees, but 

 it is unnecessary to present an entire catalogue 

 of names here. It is worth recording, however, 

 that the red-fruited variety of the Sycamore — 

 viz., Acer pseudo-platanus erythrocarpum — is 

 perhaps the most ornamental fruited of all our 

 large forest trees. 



Chionanthus virginica. 



Very seldom do we see the fruits uf the Frint;e 

 Tree in this country, but Mr. Walpole kindly sends 

 us from Mount Usher. Co. Wicklow, a s])ray, from 

 which our iUustration (p. 165) is taken, and he 

 wi'ites: — " Toe berries on this spray are green, but 

 turn i)urple afterwards ; as soon as they do so the 

 birds eat them. Tlie bush is about .six years old 

 and about five feet high : it is i)lanted in the part 

 we call the new ground — that is, where the 

 Eucalypti are planted. It has flowered well for 

 some years i)ast, but never fruited before. 

 Another bush planted close to it flowered this 

 year nearly as well, but did not fruit." 



Tlie single fruits are oval, about half an inch 

 long, and in ai)])earance like small olives ; in fact 

 Chionanthus is closely related to Olea, and differs 

 principally in the segments of the corolla being 

 barely united at the base. 



The scented flowers are snow white : they 

 open in May, and hang in long bunches : from the 

 corolla being divided into narrow segments the 

 name Fringe Tree is given. 



The leaves are oval, from four to eight inches 

 long. 



In this country, it is only seen as a bush, but 

 in America reaches thirty feet high. 



Chionanthus virginica is a distinct and beautiful 

 shrub when in flower, and grows well in any 

 ordinary good soil, i)rovided it is not too dry, and 

 prefers a sheltered place froni winds. It is not 

 an easy plant to root from cuttings, but American 

 seed germinates freely, or it may be budded on 

 the ash — a practice not to be generally recom- 

 mended. 



An Appeal to Garden Lovers. 



His Ma.jesty the Kixo is setting a worthy 

 exami)le to horticulturists and arboriculturists, 

 and intends to carry out a considerable scheme 

 of i)lanting on the Sandringham estates to provide 

 a large amount of emiiioyment. We also note 

 that a ])ortion of the Sandringham estate will be 

 placed at the disposal of the Cambridge Schor)l of 

 Forestry for use as an exi>erimental and den^on- 

 stration area in connection with afforestation. 



We are also pleased to hear that several people 

 are following the King's lead by planting new 

 Rose beds, making a general planting, or renovat- 

 ing glasshouses so as to give employment 



Of course with the heavy war cloud hanging 

 over us all it is a time for general economy, but 

 those who have the money, and can afl"ord it, 

 should not be too stringent in their gardens, 

 but bear in mind the numerous dependants on the 

 gardening industry, both ]irivate and conimercial. 

 Many nurserymen have large wage bills to ■|)ay 

 weekly, and have expended mu(;h capital in 

 raising stocks, maybe of roses, shrubs, fruit trees, 

 plants or bulbs, and imless these are cleared to 

 pay the employees' wages, it may lead to more 

 unemployment. It is a case where the small 

 garden owner can hel]) to a certain extent as well 

 as the owner of a large garden, each according 

 to his purse. 



[We all look forward to the time when the war 

 is over and peace is declai-ed, so in gardening we 

 know that we always have to look forward, and 

 not forget that autunm is the time to ])lant in 

 order to have a liright and fruitful garden f(jr the 

 following year. — Ed.] 



Chrysanthemums. 



Dear Sir, — I enclose you ]»hoto of that flne 

 old, but still useful, variety of Chrysanthemum 

 Vivian Morel, as I thought it may be of interest 

 to readers of Irish Gardenincj. There are few 

 varieties that have stood the test of time with 

 Vivian Morel ; its colour is a ])leasing mauve, 

 and its freedom of growth specially adai)ts it for 

 a sj^ecinien plant. The above specimen is a two 

 year old plant in a twelve-inch i)ot carrying one 

 hundred and twelve good blooms. — W. H. G. 



The glorious sunamer of 1914 has once more 

 demonstrated the value of sunshine to plant life, 

 especially the Chrysanthemum, which is one of 

 those plants that require a good, long sunny 

 season to encourage short-jointed, well-ripened 

 growth to produce blooms of good quality either 

 for exhibition or greenhouse decoration ; for the 

 latter purpose the Chrysanthemum has no rival. 

 There is no plant that gives us the amovint of 

 bloom in such delightful variety of colour and 

 lasting qualities when cut for vases or arranged 

 in the conservatory at comparatively little 

 expense of growing. For either of these |)urposes 

 we can divide them into two sections — the large 

 handsome exhibition blooms and the useful 

 decorative section, which consists of the ordinary 

 bush. Japanese and singles. The former do not 

 pay to grow only for the one pur])ose, as they do 

 not last long enough to rei)ay for the aniount of 

 trouble expended on them. Moreover, we have 

 such a delightful selection of Japanese bush 

 varieties and singles that they have almost 

 ousted the large blooms from many places 

 altogether. 



Culture is most simi)le and within the reach of 

 any amateur with small greenhouse and cold 

 frames. Select cuttings in the month of 

 February, insert three round the sides of three- 

 inch pots filled with light sandy soil, well watered 

 befcu'e putting the cuttings in. When finished 

 ])lace in a cold frame on an ash bottom facing 

 south. Keej) close till they are rooted, only 

 giving water when necessary, as they are very 

 subject to damp at this stage. Once they are 

 rooted a little air should be given, which can be 

 increased on fine davs. As root action and growth 



