3d 



IRISH (^ARDKNMNG, 



FKHIU'ARV 



1'Ik- Month's Work. 

 FlowtT ( Jaidcii .iiui Plcasuic ( Jrouiuls. 



U\ W. IMii K, Tlu- (...I. dons. HriMi.iH^lown. *. ..l.inir.lx . 

 C\.. Dublin. 



tovU 



i:i5R r 



nionlli 

 ^lioiikl 



lor llio siini'! 



imi^i-iativo Ih 



\ U V is an inipoil.im 



.IS lo till- work thai 



Ih- iloni- ill pii-paialioii 



nUT nuMilhs. It will 1)1- 



laU.'liu- pl.inls lor 



siininu-r l)f(.liliii_y in lianils durinj;- lliis 



montli if wo arc to have good strong 



niatorial to work with. 1 1 is necessary 



to piH up eultinys struck last autumn 



into lour. Ihe, ov .six inch pots accord- 



LyJ lo tlu- amount of house room wc ha\i- 

 _ l>« '"^^ grow Ihcm on in. Such subji'cts 



.IS fuchsias, Swainsonias, Streptosolcn 

 jamesoni, Plumbago capcnsis. ai)ii- 

 tilon, &c., if" grown on now, niaki' a 

 \ cry fine siiow when planted *.mii during 

 the summer months. If there be house- 

 room to winter old specimen plants 

 from }ear to \ear the)- bloom much 

 more freely than younger plains 

 will do. If time or space will not 

 permit to pot the bedding geraniums, 

 then they should be " mossed," that is 

 tying some moss around the roots 

 and re-boxing them ; plants treated in 

 this way will move very well to their 

 summer quarters. 



Propagate early-flowering chrysanthemums, grow on 

 ill a cold frame, and give plenty of air on fine days, so 

 tiiat they may be strong, sturdy plants to place in the 

 borders in April or Alay. Nothing gives a finer display 

 than a border of early-flowering chrysanthemums during 

 end of August and September. 



Place old dahlia stools in heat to get cuttings from ; 

 the largest flowers are to be had off well-grown cuttings. 

 Pentstemon, auricula, pansy, antirrhinum, and calceo- 

 laria cuttings put in frames last September or October 

 should now be rooting, and may have the points 

 removed to induce bushy growth ; admit air on all 

 favourable occasions, but still protect from frosts. 



Sow seed of East Lothian stock for autumn blooming, 

 also sweet pea in pots, three seeds in a four-inch pol, 

 place in heat until they germinate, and then remove to 

 a cold frame, giving plenty of air on fine days ; they 

 should be near the glass to induce sturdy growth. 

 Towards the end of the month sow half-hardy annuals 

 in heat. 



Pot up gladioli corms and place in a gentle heat lor 

 early flowering. 



Propagate verbascums ami ancluisas by root -cut- 

 tings, finish ail alterations on herbaceous borders, and 

 keep everything as neat as possible. Pruning should 

 be completed and wall plants tied in after all de.ul or 

 superfluous wood has been removed. 



.;arden should be thoroughly gone over 

 .iiid the siriin.ii;-gii>wing plants restiicteil, si> thai lliey 

 iii.iy not overiuii their more lU-licali- nei};hbouis. 

 Aljiiiu's winti-n-d in iV.imi-s should be thoroughly ex- 

 posed on every occasion that Ihe weather is at all suit- 

 .ibli-, ,ind il the cliiii.iiic conditions an' favoiM'able may 

 1)1' I eriun et.1 to theii- .diotti'ii sp.ice in tin- garden towai ils 

 ilie cikI of till- month. Topdress with loam, leaf mouki, 

 .iiid a gooil sprinkling of lime ruljbU- all the plants partial 

 to lime; pi-.d-Kn ing plaiiis shoiikl have a corner to 

 themselves, and hi' lopiln-sseil with peat. Look oiii 

 \'o\- sn.iils anil slugs. Little heaps ot bian are excelk-iil 

 traps for them ; they colled arounil the bran, and max 

 be easilv destroxed. 



The Fruit (jarden. 



i;y Ci. Dooi.AN. 



C^1:M:R.\1. RI:.MARKS. TIu- planting ol' fruit 

 Jf trees is often conlinuetl well into the month oi' 

 .March, and, where iill the conditions are fa\our- 

 able, with e\ery chance of success. It is not advisable, 

 however, to delay this work later than the lirst of 

 iMarch, esjiecially in the south of Ireland, where the 

 season is fully two weeks earlier than in the northern 

 counties. Intending purchasers of fruit trees shoukl 

 stipulate that the trees they order are free from disease, 

 ami any trees attacked by canker or American blight 

 (woolly aphis) should be returned to the sender imme- 

 diately. Nurserymen of repute will not send out bad 

 lii'es, but when ordering late in the season it is always 

 well to ensure having good trees to plant. Fruit trees 

 already planted should be examined, and any found to 

 be loose in the ground made ipiite firm by pressing the 

 soil around the stem of the tree with the feet. When 

 trees are carefully staked this will not be necessary. 

 The labelling of young trees should not be neglected. If 

 permanent labels are not used a list of the different 

 kinds and varieties should be made in a notebook. 

 Each row of trees should be numbered, and the mimber 

 of each variety be given. It is useful and interesting to 

 have the names when the trees are in bearing. 



Renov.\ting Orch.\rd Trees. — This subject demands 

 attention, for in the majority of cases it is left over till 

 late in the season, if not entirely neglected. Where the 

 branches of old trees are overcrowding, and moss and 

 lichen thrive, profitable crops of fruit cannot be obtained. 

 There is a temptation when observing neglected orchards 

 to adxise the u]-)rootiiig of the lot and make a new 

 ]ilantation. This, of course, is onh" necessary where 

 the trei's are very old and deca}ing, but where the trees 

 ;ire sound they may be brought into a healthy and 

 profitable condition by proper treatment. The pruning 

 should first be attended to, and where the branches are 

 thickly placed all the weakest should be cut away, 

 leaving only the best placed. Every leading branch 

 -should have sufficient space to develop and perfect its 

 fruit, and this caimot be attained if neighbouring shoots 

 are .lUowed to encroach. In some trees the pruning 

 necessary may he very little. The habit of certain old 

 \arieties is to make short annual growths, and in such 

 cases a single branch loo near the ground, or in the 



