IRISH GARDENING 



VOLUME X 



No, 107 



Edited by C- F. Ball. 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE 



ADVANCEMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



JANUARY 

 '9' 5 



The Present Condition of Horticulture in Ireland. 



By Sir F. W. Moore, M.A., M.Pv.I.A., F.L.S., V.M.H. 



This iinportaut suljject has been reviewed by me 

 in Irish Gardening in the opening number, 

 and again in January, 1910. In both these 

 articles I took a hopeful view of the then position 

 of horticulture and of its future prospects, so 

 much so that many readers expressed the 

 opinion that my views were optimistic — too 

 much so — and that events would in the near 

 future demonstrate this. Have they ? On 

 making a critical survey of what has been written 

 in Ireland and of what has been done in Ireland 

 in all that concerns horticulture, it must be 

 admitted that the forecast was fairly accurate, 

 and that there has been a steady advance along 

 fixed, pojnilar, and democratic lines. 



Readers will kindly be lenient, and not 

 ejaculate disgustedly '" what a platitude " when 

 I state that in this month of January, 1915, we 

 are in a critical and eventful period in our 

 national history, and I am guilty of this plati- 

 tude simply because there is no more suitable 

 way of calling attention to the fact and also to 

 its possible influence on horticulture in Ireland. 

 Our causes for anxiety are twofold — first, pro- 

 spective changes in the government of our 

 country, and second, the result of the war. Both 

 these causes are likely to have a retarding effect 

 on advances in horticulture for some years. 

 The first cause will be temporary and transient, 

 and will be the natural consequence of disturb- 

 ance of existing fixed conditions and of the 

 excitement and general distraction which uuist 

 necessarily accompany great changes, such 

 disturbance of mind and of method gradually 

 disappearing as order is evolved and the 

 exj)erimental stage passes. The second cause 

 will be more serious and lasting. No matter 

 how this sad war may end, the bill will have to 

 be footed, and the extent of that bill is beyond 

 the concei^tion of ordinary folk who arc not 



accustomed to talk lightly and familiarly of 

 millions and hundreds of millions of pounds 

 sterling. There is also the appalling loss of life, 

 and the sorrow and uiisery which it entails — 

 sorrow and sadness which will penetrate to the 

 remotest parts of our country. It is some 

 satisfaction to think that many will turn to their 

 gardens and jolants for consolation, and that in 

 them they will find steadfast and unfailing 

 friends and companions. 



It is now five years since the last review of 

 horticulture in Ireland was written in the pages 

 of this journal, ai^I, therefore, a new review 

 may with advantage be taken. The main 

 points dealt with in 1910 may be said to have 

 become emphasised and consolidated. This 

 is especially the case in indoor gardening. 

 Collections continue to disappear, and useful 

 decorative subjects take the place of curiosities 

 and of plants which were of minor decorative 

 value or which were chiefly of interest to their 

 owners and to students or collectors ; in other 

 words, utilitarianism is gaining ground. Stove 

 plants have almost disappeared, and are now 

 only to be found in comparatively few gardens. 

 Hard-wooded plants, such as Boronia, Diosma, 

 Erica, Epacris, Adenandra, Eriostemon, Gene- 

 tyllis, are no longer to be found in gardens, and 

 an enthusiast who still gives up valuable indoor 

 space to a collection of Cactaceae is regarded 

 with grave sus]>icion as to his or her sanit}^ 

 True, occasionally here and there a specimen 

 of some of these may survive, and is pointed 

 out as a curiosity, the name of which is probably 

 unknown. It is questionable if many young 

 gardeners even know the ajDpearance of several 

 of these, although at one time many houses 

 were filled with them, and the splendid specimens 

 which were exhibited at the principal shows 

 were nuirvels of skilful cultivation an*l of 



