1-6 



IRISH GARDENING. 



NOVEMBKR 



lo he loiii'il aiv pl.iiitod tliiikh' in any liijlit malorial 

 llial will hold plenty of nuMstuie, and ininuhued from 

 litne to time to rorcin>;- qiiarteo in iVaines oi heated 

 hoiiMs. Pots of nine-inch size oi- small iianily hoxes 

 answer well when tiiey are to bi- forwardetl in sni.ill 

 lots. llu' lirst produee, of oonise, will not he ol ilu' 

 hest quality very likely, but beini; scarce and earl) will 

 linil a ready acceptance. The outside beds now require 

 cleaninij up. .mil the covering;- material —ashes, sand, 

 or turf-moukl —placed over the crowns. Tree leaves 

 when i^-.itheii-il may be mixed with stahK- manure, ami 

 will add to its hulk, while .it the same lime i,^ivins4 .i 

 miklcraiul more l.isliiiii heal - just what is requireil l"oi- 

 outiloor Corcini;-. it is, of course, too soon fov such 

 work just now, hut fcwh.iM-.-i surplus of sinii usil'ul 

 in.iteri.'il uhen rcipiired. 



(."ki.i;kv. — Many a fme row of celery is ruined duriuj; 

 winter by the action of rain or frost, and particularly 

 w hen the final touches have not been given to the work 

 of moulding-. At the first favourable opportunity the 

 earth might be brought up to as fine a point as possible 

 so that rain may be thrown off and the leaf-stalks 

 brought tightly together. Provision is often made, too, 

 for further protection from heavy frost, especially by 

 leaving convenient rough straw mats, about two feet 

 wide, which are placed like ridge tiles over the top 

 tluring the prevalence of extra bad weather. Another 

 handy way is to drive into soil along the row light, 

 upright supports at either side. On these boards of 

 any kind, six or nine inches w-ide, are placed, and form 

 a complete protection. A few stones laid on will secure 

 them. Where the grouiul is naturally heavy or not 

 thoroughly drained, a trench cut away at the base of 

 the ridge will carr\- awa%- a quantitj' of water thai 

 proves so injurious during winter. Trenches can now 

 be prepared too, leaving the bottom depth of soil out 

 altogether. Too often it is with this, the subsoil, that 

 the manure is incorporated — a graxe mistake. 



RhuharI!. Like the seakale. the rhubarb when 

 forced, especially if very early, is appreciated, therelore 

 some roots shoukl be lifted for this purpose. It is In 

 no means a difficult matter to forward rhubarb, for 

 almost any place where a snug temperature is to be 

 found may be availed of. The main crop kinds are not 

 so well fitted as the small growers. Most of the latter, 

 too, possess an uncommonly good colour, which makes 

 a great difference. Large boxes may be planted with 

 the crowns and placed in darkness to encourage length 

 of stem at the expense of the leaf. Plenty of moisture 

 at the root is essential, and complete darkness over- 

 head. Any other place besides a greenhouse where 

 these conditions can be maintained will do nicely for 

 forcing rhubarb. The roots or crowns may be packed 

 as tightly as possible together, but the spaces should 

 be filled up with fine material. The outside plantation 

 will be the better of a loosening of the surface soil and 

 a liberal top-dressing of dung. Here the very rankest 

 may be used with safety, for only leaf and stalk growth 

 is aimed at. As in the case of seakale, hot manure and 

 leaves in abundance will come in handy later for the 

 forcing operations in the open. 



Not 



es. 



IISS 



Ol K 



IN l'"oi.!.\l.K 



I'KIJS i>ccasionally sullet Irvun l.ick of i-hlorophyll. 

 They lose lo a greali'r or li's>, i-xlent their normal 

 greemuss. This particular condition of ill-health is 

 calleil i/ildidsis, anil it influences growtli adversely 

 .iccording to the extent of the trouble. The immediati- 

 effect is a reduction in the amount of starch manufac- 

 tured in a given time, anil this of course means a partial 

 starvation of huiis ;ukI rootlets. The failure to produce 

 a sulticienc) of green colouring matter is usually asso- 

 ciati'd with too low a percentage of iron salts in the 

 sap. Recent expi'riments in France have corroborated 

 previous trials with iron sulphate as a medicine to trees 

 suffering in this way. The method of application is 

 by injection. A solution of this salt is injected beneath 

 the hark. It IhcTi enters the ciiculation by soakage 

 or osmosis. It has been found, however, that in order 

 io secure a complete cure each branch must be sepa- 

 rately treated. 



Feeding Chrysanthemums. 



.\ FrIlNCII writer records some interesting results 

 ohiained in manurial trials with chrjsanthcmums. 

 Without going into all the iletails the lesson apparently 

 to be learned from the experiments is that the applica- 

 tion of a nitrogenous manure to a soil already' contain- 

 ing a normal supply is distinctly harmful to these plants. 

 Care should, therefore, be exercised in our manurial 

 treatments of chrysanthemums, so as not to overdose 

 with nitrogenous food. Treatment with liquid manure 

 may be not only useless but detrimental to their best 

 development. I'otash and phosphoric acid, on the other 

 hand, are not only useful but absolutely needful in 

 successful chrysanthemum culture. These foods may be 

 supplied in the form of sulphate of potash and bone 

 meal, applied as a top-dressing not later than the 

 middle of August. 



Nt>\i:Mi?i:R Propagation ov HAi-tnv Plants. 



I 1 is iioi too late to propagate certain subjects in the 

 open g^round. The following are among the many use- 

 ful plants that may be increased during the present 

 month: — \'itis (Ampelopsis) quinquefolia ; Alnus is 

 often difficult, but success may be attained by selecting 

 a moist soil for insertion of cutting ; Buxus (make 

 cuttings short and insert in shady place), Cornus 

 species, Coronilla emerus, Elxagnus argentea, Euony- 

 mus sempervirens. Ivy, Kerria, Privet, Honeysuckle, 

 Currants, Willows, Elder, Spirreas, Staphylea, Syringa, 

 and Viburnum Opulus. 



In some cases better results are obtained by making 

 the cuttings from previous year's wood ; in other cases 

 it is better to use the points of the present year's 

 growth. The cutting may be from nine to twelve 

 inches long, but not more than two buds should appear 

 above the soil level. The propagating soil should 

 be sweet and healthy, rich in vegetable mould and sand. 

 The site selected should be sheltered from cold winds. 

 The cuttings should be firmly inserted. 



