1-4 



IRISH GARDENING 



ALGL'ST 



Fruit Oop (Ireland), 191 i. 



Ri'poii by \\ . s. Ikvim;. Cliiol Iiispoi lor. wiih n-sp.ni 

 to Fruil-v;io\viii>; iiiuiiT iln' IVpartiiuiit of .\>;rii-iillurf 

 tor Irolaiul. 



T\IkI\(,. the tVuit iiop o\ Kill as a wliok- 

 ii c.mnol be called a ijood one. The bush 

 fruits in most cases have been g-ood, and 

 lairlv i^ood returns have been received for the 

 produce. The prospects o\ the larj^e fruits, 

 however, are not at all promisint;. Apples are 

 in .i,'-eneral less than an average crop, and in 

 many cases will not be so good as last year. 

 Plums are also poor, and pears are a bad crop 

 almost everywhere. Clood Irish apples should 

 bring a good price this year. 



The weather during last winter, and especially 

 in February, was all that could be desired by 

 the fruit-grower to have the work of pruning 

 and spraying the trees, and digging, cleaning 

 and manuring of the ground accomplished. 

 Ci rowers in general are now taking: more interest 

 in these operations than formerly. Trees in 

 orchards which had been well treated during 

 the winter broke away stronger in the spring, 

 and presented a much healthier appearance in 

 June than where the trees were neglected. 



The spring opened favourably, there being 

 very little frost; and as almost all kinds of fruit 

 flowered well there was e\ery indication of 

 heavy crops of all fruits. The harsh dry weather, 

 however, which followed caused the crop to be 

 very disappointing. The period between the 

 middle of May and the end of June was of a 

 trying nature, there being practically no rainfall, 

 the days very hot and the nights very cold. 

 There were a few heavy local showers, but we 

 had very little of the soft, mild and good grow- 

 ing w-eather so beneficial to fruit blossoms at 

 the time of setting. The continued drought and 

 hot, parching winds had a very telling effect 

 upon most fruits. It prevented many of the 

 fruits from setting, and caused many of those 

 fruits which had set to drop later on. 



This has been one of the hottest and driest 

 seasons ori record, and has been favourable to 

 the spread of insect pests. It has, however, 

 been much against the crop of bush fruits, the 

 bushes not having a suflficient supply of w^ater 

 to swell their fruits properly. 



Hail and thunderstorms in May and June 

 ruined many of the gardens in the south and 

 west. Orchards throughout the country 



having an easterly aspc.t \\ere most exposed 

 to the dry winds, and these have sutVered 

 most. 



.XlMM.KS ill 1,'inoral arc from In-low avoraj^i- to a j^ood 

 irop. TluMf aro few \it)- ^ooil crops in tlu- country 

 this ycai-. tl)oiii;^ii tlicv arc better in the south than in 

 ilu- north. Thcic was a fair show of flowers ; many trees 

 iliil not flower anythinj;^ like so freely as last year, and 

 liici c was a nice si't of fruit, thouj^h nolhiii}^ like so jfood 

 as was expected. Cirowers fully expected to ha\i' a 

 \ery j^'ood crop, when the tiees passed tlirouj^'h the 

 flowcrinjj stajje without eiicounterini;^ very severe frost. 

 Their expectations. howc\ei, were not realised, for 

 with \eiy hot, dry days, antl the j^roiind hard and dry, 

 combined with the attacks of apple sucker and 

 caterpillars, many of the trusses of flower failed to set 

 a sinyle fruit, and many of those which did set have 

 since dropped off" because of the continuous heal and 

 drought. Apples continued droppinjf till the first week 

 in Jul}-. Trees on cultivated ground, and where they 

 are well pruned and sprayed, are bearing better crops 

 than those which are not well attended. Unless we gel 

 a moist autumn apples will be small in size. Trees in 

 old orchards are bearing about a third of a crop. The 

 following varieties are bearing from a fair to a good 

 crop : — Lane's Prince Albert, Lord Gro.svenor, Keswick, 

 Codling, Bramley, Lord Derby, Grenadier, Early 

 Victoria, Newton Wonder, Worcester Pearmain, Cox's 

 Orange Pippin, Irish Peach and Lady Sudley. 



Pk.VRS flowered very well in most cases, and growers 

 were delighted at the show of blossom and the absence 

 of frost during the flowering period. A very heavy 

 crop was anticipated. Though we had a few severe 

 hailstorms at that time, the fruit should have set much 

 belter than it did. and many of those which did set 

 have since dropped, owing to the hot, dry, scorching 

 winds. All varieties appear to have suffered in the 

 same way, and there will be a poor crop of pears 

 this year. 



Plums are, in general, a poor crop. The trees 

 flowered earl}- and were a mass of bloom. It is some 

 time since I saw so much flower on plum trees. The 

 flowers set very well almost everywhere, and up till the 

 time they were as big as peas there was every prospect 

 of a very heavy crop. The very hot, dry weather of 

 May caused many of the fruits to drop in some 

 plantations ; in others, almost all the fruit turned 

 yellow, and dropped off at this stage. The variety 

 Victoria is bearing better than the others this year, and 

 young trees are bearing better than old trees. 



Damsons, though they flowered very well, are also a 

 poor crop, the fruits having dropped shortly after they 

 were set. 



Cherries are an average crop in general. They are 

 good in Leinsler ; in the north, however, Ihey are not 

 so good. They flowered freely, but failed to set the 

 fruits as well as they ought to have done. The Morellos 

 are fruiting ever so much better than the sweet 

 cherries, and they are also more free from insect 

 pests. Black fly was very severe on the points of the 

 young shoots of sweet cherries. Good crops have, in 

 general, been obtained from wall trees. 



