HO 



IRISH GARDENING 



SKI'TKMHER 



The Month's W\)rk. 



I-'Unver CJiirdcn .iiui Plciisurc (Jrouiuis 



My W. rsiU-K, riu- l".;i,iii-ns. l>i iMi.uistown. Cal)inleoly, 

 To. niihliii. 



SKPTK.MHKK, s.ivs an old writer. 

 sluniKl be pictured wiili a merry 

 and cheerful countenance and in a 

 purple robe, siijnifying the abundance 

 which crowns the year in this month of 

 maturity and, I think, the pleasantest 

 month of the year. All our bustle is over, 

 .inil an observinij man will have learned 

 many lessons, some from his own failures 

 and successes or those of his friends and 

 neighbours, but chiefly from our old 

 mother Nature ; she has so many moods 

 ,^ - -« to treat us to that we cannot very well 

 jAT- i-.'i Wa be prepared for them all. 

 ^— -*» ■■ The shrubberies ought to look well this 



autumn. The foliage on trees and shrubs 

 is very apt to begin to turn colour early, 

 owing to the dry season, and the colours 

 ^^ ought to be good. As the month advances 

 I fi ^Q the darker foliage of the evergreens will 

 J * nl assume more importance, and be shown 

 up by the change of colour going on 

 around. The colours which distinguish 

 ".V^l the foliage of the different trees and 

 shrubs in autumn are amongst the most 

 striking phenomena of the vegetable 

 world, for it is observable that one dis- 

 tinct tone of colour is common to the autumnal leaves 

 of all of the same species. In the flower garden, if the 

 full measure of colour remains, the fragrance of the 

 summer is gone. 



Most of the flowers of August continue to bloom 

 through September, but their number is gradually less 

 as the month advances. The scentless hollyhocks, 

 dahlias, China asters, and other autumn-blooming 

 plants take the place of the fragrant pinks, carnations, 

 honeysuckles, violets, &c. 



Having thus arranged and enjoyed the highest 

 amount of beauty which the garden is capable of 

 producing, we turn our attention to next year's display 

 by commencing to propagate in quantity such plants as 

 pelargoniums, pentstemon, calceolarias, pansies, carna- 

 tions, pinks, and, almost without exception, all our 

 flowering and foliage shrubs. For cuttings of most 

 garden plants, at this time of the year no place is so 

 good as a cool frame kept shaded and close ; the 

 cuttings of hardy shrubs may be inserted in rows in the 

 frame, and will remain there all winter ; the tenderer 

 flowering plants will require that the cuttings be 

 inserted in boxes or pans of light sandy soil, well 

 drained, and cuttings which have to remain in the 

 box or pan all winter will require more space than 

 those which are potted off when rooted ; they will 

 require but little water, but they should be carefully 

 attended to, and no dead or deca}ing leaves left on 



i>r lU'.ir the young pl.iiils ; dec.iyed le.ives will cause 

 the cuttings to rot oi d.imp. 



Dahlias will well rcp.iy ,i liln-r.il supply of liquid 

 manure, as will also the laie anchusas. verbascums, and 

 delphiniums. Save seed and sow it from good varieties 

 of herbaceous plants ; no cutting is ever as vigorous as 

 a seedling. 



Carnations layered dining end of July and early 

 August will now be rooted, and may be either potted 

 and grown during the winter in cold frames or trans- 

 ferred to their permanent quarters ; they will repay 

 planting, so that tlu'\- may become establisheti bifore 

 the frosts set in. 



Plant out early rooted pansies, insert more cuttings, 

 and prick off seedlings into open ground. 



A sowing of hardy amiuals to stand the winter in the 

 open air ought now be made. 



Pot off pieces of Alpine plants about which there may 

 beany doubt of their ability to stand the winter frosts 

 and dampness. 



The Fruit Garden. 



By G. DoOLAN. 



GATHKRLNG AND MARKETING APPLKS.— 

 This work will now demand the fruit grower's 

 attention, as many of the early apples, chiefly 

 cooking varieties, will be fit to gather during the 

 present month. Amongst these are Early Victoria, 

 Grenadier, Lord Sufiield, Lord Grosvenor, Ecklinville 

 Seedling, &c. The fruit of such varieties, being of a soft 

 nature, is best m.arketed directly from the trees, or as scon 

 after picking as possible. Storing tends to soften the 

 flesh of the fruit. Care should be taken during picking 

 that the fruit is not injured, as the slightest bruise 

 causes a blemish and affects its market value. All 

 small and injured fruit should be used for home pur- 

 poses. It is most important also to grade the fruit — 

 that is, to have each pack of uniform size and quality. 

 Fruit divided into three grades — viz.. firsts, seconds, 

 and thirds — should be packed separately in barrels or 

 boxes, as the case may be. Fruit packed in this way 

 will realise better prices than if packed indiscriminately, 

 as they very often are. There is much to be learned 

 from the foreigner, who is an adept at grading and 

 packing fruit ; however, during recent years there has 

 been a great improvement in the method of packing 

 practised by the home grower, and this improvement is 

 likely to continue. 



The Apple Crop. — Judging from the reports of the 

 fruit crops, published in last month's Irish Gardening, 

 pp. 122-3, it is gratifying to learn that this important 

 crop promises to be good in many districts. In Ulster, 

 however, where more fruit is grown than in the other 

 three provinces, the crop is poor in places, and on the 

 whole below the average. Much of the fruit dropped at 

 an early stage of its growth, and such fruit that 

 developed will, as a result of the very dry season, be 

 light and smaller in size than usual. 



Raspberries.— All the old fruiting canes should be 

 cut away close to the ground, and any of the present 

 season's growth not required for fruiting next year 

 may also be removed ; this will permit the more 



