IRISH GARDENING 



VOLUME XVI 

 No, 189 



EDITOR -J- W. BESANT 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE 



ADVANCEMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



NOVEMBER 

 1921 





Orchard Planting 



Fruit-growing as a paying proposition has been 

 criticised from time to time. Uncertainty of 

 cropping, diseases and pests, spring frosts, high 

 freightage, and foreign competition are a few of 

 the causes advanced to discourage fruit-growers. 

 But surely similar causes can be advanced against 

 almost every other farm crop. It is true the fruit- 

 grower has a great deal to contend with. His 

 work, if intensely interesting, is hard work. He 

 nuist bear disappointment and be prepared to 

 wait, sometimes eight to ten years, before a satis- 

 factory return for his outlay is forthcoming. 



Pears and Plums, except for very sheltered and 

 early situations, cannot be recommended for 

 orchard planting in this country. The apple, how- 

 ever, can be grown, and very successfully, too, 

 judging from the beautifiil fruit exhibited at the 

 recent Show of the Royal Horticultural and 

 Arboricultural Society at Dul)lin. Intending fruit- 

 growers must guard against over-confidence, and 

 must not leave anything to chance. No 

 branch of husbandry demands more foresight and 

 intelligence than fruit-growing. Partaking of the 

 nature of a permanent cro]j which may occupy 

 the land for thirty, forty, or sixty years, success 

 largely depends on doing things rightly at first. 

 Expert advice should be" obtained, and the ques- 

 tions of site, rainfall, shelter, market require- 

 ments, labour, varieties, &c., must be gone into 

 thoroughly before any expense is incurred in 

 planting. Soil influences the colour of fruit — for 

 example, in the Suir valley, Kilkenny and Tip- 

 perary, the most beautiful coloured fruit is grown. 

 Much may be learned from visits to gardens in 

 the district, not so much with the object of grow- 

 ing similar varieties, but with a view to noting 

 the health of the trees, fi'eedom from diseases, 

 &c. If the orchard be at a distance from 

 markets, proximity to a railway is an important 

 factor; so, too, is labour suT)ply. A district where 

 labour is plentiful is to be preferred to a thinly- 

 populated area. 



Shelter and Situation. 

 Protection for the orchard is most essential— a 

 n;itiiral one already established for preference; 

 l)ut if this does not exist, a shelter belt of spruce, 

 larch, Austrian pine, or othei- suitable trees nnist 

 be provided. Plant the shelter belt at a distance 

 of 50 to 100 yards from the fruit trees on the wind- 

 ward side. Damsons planted on the side of the 

 boundary fence will give an additional protection. 

 A good situation for the tr.>es is one having a 

 south-westerly or south-easterly aspect, with a 



gradual rise in the ground. Flat, low land is 

 subject to mists, and should be avoided if possible. 

 High, exposed sites are not suitable, nor is low- 

 lying, damp ground nor peat. Trees are some- 

 times grown quite successfully on what would 

 appear unfavourable sites, but in such cases 

 shelter and soil are all that can be desired. 



Soil Preparation. 



If the ground is inclined to be clayey and wet, 

 it should be drained. There is less tendency for 

 trees to canker or fruit to become spotted where the 

 drainage system is perfect. A good medium loam, 

 rather inclined to be heavy on a clay subsoil, is ex- 

 cellent for fruit trees. Good wheat land is good fruit 

 land. The best preparation of the ground is a 

 crop of potatoes which will leave the surface clean 

 and almost ready for planting in the autumn, say 

 November and December. To facilitate the plant- 

 ing, the ground should be marked out beforehand 

 by placing stakes thirty feet apart around the sides. 

 If a plough be run lightly upwards and across, 

 in line with the stakes, the ground will be neatly 

 and quickly marked. 



What Varieties to Plant. 

 The large grower, who has to market in quan- 

 tity, prefers a few varieties. The fewer the better 

 in his opinion. Bramley Seedling and Newton 

 Wonder are two standard varieties which have 

 given satisfaction in the past. The former is most 

 extensively grown in this covuitry, and is a heavy 

 cropper. Newton Wonder has not alwtiys done 

 so well. Nevertheless it is an excellent apple, and 

 where it is known to do well should be planted 

 in preference to the Biamley. Bismarck is a good 

 January apple which in certain districts colours 

 well — a valuable asset for marketing. Lane's 

 Prince Albert comes into use in February and 

 March, and is an excellent late cooking fruit. 

 Like Bismarck, it will not do in every district. The 

 tree is a dwarf grower, very fruitful, and is gene- 

 rally planted between larger growing varieties. 

 Early cooking apples should not be touched, but 

 Worcester Pearmain, a good col6ured dessert, 

 sells well. King Edward is well worth a trial. A 

 late keeper like Bramley, it appears to be a 

 coming apple. In the Armagh districts, two 

 varieties — Royal Jubilee and Royal Codlin — have 

 been extensively planted by the fruit-growers. 

 Both are late blooming trees, heavy croppers, and 

 the yellow-coloured poor quality fruit comes into 

 market in October and November. 



