Jll.V 



IRISH GARDENING 



n 



tium, Sweet William, candytuft, wallflowers, &.c. 

 Almost all spring flowering plants may now be rooted 

 from cuttings placed in a cool frame, and kept close in 

 shade for some time. Several Alpines may be propa- 

 gated in like manner, especially the mossy section of 

 saxifragas, violas, androsaces, &c. 



Where budding of roses is practised this is the best 

 month, choosing a dull, showery time, when the bark 

 parts easily from the wood. When taking off" buds they 

 should be as little as possible exposed to the air ; they 

 should be dropped into a bowl of water immediately 

 they are removed from the bush and while being trans- 

 ferred to the stock. 



Shrubs, as they go out of bloom, should be carefully 

 pruned and trimmed into shapely bushes ; frequently 

 hoe and rake the surfaces of the soil around shrubs ; it 

 gives a tidy appearance and keeps the ground from 

 cracking during dry weather. Remove all seed vessels 

 from rhododendrons, azalias, &c.. immediately they go 

 out of bloom. Keep lawns regularly mown, edges of 

 walks neatly trimmed, and every place as tidy as pos- 

 sible. 



The Fruit Garden. 



By G. DOOLAN. 



LV Y E R I N G S T R A W B E R R I E S.— To ensure 

 J strong, sturdy plants for new plantations, 

 runners should be layered immediately they 

 appear. The first growth on the runner only should 

 be selected, as this always produces the strongest plant ; 

 any growth beyond this must be stopped. Runners 

 root very readily if pegged into the ground surrounding 

 the old plants. Many gioweis place the runners in 

 small pots of prepared soil, and in this they root 

 very quickly. Another method is to peg the runners 

 on sods ; the sods, however, need to be placed in a 

 heap for several months so that the grass may be fully 

 decayed ; they are then cut into squares of four inches 

 and the under side used for pegging the runners on 

 It is surprising how the plantlets will root into these 

 sods, and in a very short time may be separated from 

 the parent plants and placed close together, where 

 watering can be done with more facility, and where 

 they may be allowed to remain until required for 

 permanent planting, whether layered in pots, sods, 

 or on the ground ; watering is necessary every 

 evening except when the weather is wet. When 

 layering different varieties care must be taken not to 

 mix the sorts, each variety should be kept apart and 

 labelled. 



Oi.n Stk.wvkkrrv Plantations. — As soon as fruit- 

 ing is finished and sufficient runners secured the old 

 plants should be dug up and burnt with weeds or other 

 rubbish, and the ashes spread on the surface. If the 

 soil is of a heavy nature, a better plan is to trench the 

 soil tv.'o feet deep, and place the old strawberry around 

 at the bottom. This will be found to greatly improve 

 the soil and benefit future crops. Strawberries, how- 

 eser, must not he again planted in the ground for some 

 years. 



Figs. —These usually make superfluous growth, and 

 with abundant foliage provide rather too much shade for 



the maturing of the wood and ripening of the fruit. 

 All weak and overcrowding shoots should therefore be 

 cut away, and those required for next year's fruiting 

 carefully tied in. If dry weather continues occasional 

 waterings to trees in fruit will be of great benefit. 

 Figs as a rule fruit best in rather poor soil, dry 

 summers also favour them in this respect. 



American Gooseberry Mildew. -This disease, 

 which was first observed in this country about eleven 

 years ago, infects the fruit and tips of the soft young 

 growths. It is of a whitish, powdery appearance, 

 changing to a chocolate colour in the course of nine or 

 ten days. It is an extremely virulent type of fungus, 

 and in the case of an outbreak the most practical 

 measure to adopt is to burn the infected bushes, which 

 can be done by saturating the bushes with paraffin oil 

 and then setting them on fire. Spraying with a strong- 

 solution of pure copper sulphate is equally satisfactory, 

 as it kills the bush. These methods are more 

 satisfactory than digging up the bushes, as the spores 

 of the disease spread when the infected bushes are 

 disturbed. Of course where all the bushes are diseased 

 the lot may be dug up, placed in a heap and set on fire. 



Gooseberry Glister Cups. — This disease is well 

 known and easily recognised, as it attacks the berries 

 in the form of a rust or scab of a bright yellow colour. 

 Though familiar to growers for many years, it 

 has ivever been looked upon as a serious pest. 

 During recent years, however, it appears to have 

 become more common, and this year, when the crop of 

 gooseberries is not extra large, it is more plentiful than 

 ever. To check the sources of infection all affected 

 berries and leaves should be collected and burned ; 

 another stage of this fungus is found on the sedge. 



General Remarks. — Careful watch should be kept 

 [ov aphides attacking fruit trees, and if noticed, the 

 trees or bushes should be sprayed at once. The black 

 aphis does a lot of injury to the fruit and foliage of 

 Morello and other cherries. Quassia Extract, as 

 advised in a previous issue, should be used to destroy 

 these pests. Where the points of the shoots are badly 

 attacked it will be necessary to dip the tips of the 

 shoots in a small portion of the spraying mixture. The 

 ground between fruit trees should be kept stirred 

 frequently with the Dutch hoe ; the month of May, and 

 up to the present time, Mid-June, the weather has been 

 ideal foi- working this invaluable littU' implement. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



By J. (i. Toner. 



LATE PE.AS. — The germinative qualities of many 

 . varieties of late peas have not reached a ver}- 

 high standard this season, due in all probability 

 to their not being well ripened last autumn. To many, 

 however, this will prove a blessing in disguise, for few 

 gardeners sow them sufficiently thin. Indeed, it is the 

 practice of some of our leading horticulturists to sow 

 rather on the thick side, but those eminent persons take 

 very particular care to have them thinned out to a 

 proper distance at a fitting time. For the purpose of 



