IRISH GARDENING 



27 



made this month to put everything "ship shape " 

 before it is too late for the various subjects to 

 derive the benefit following on attention to the 

 routine needs of trees, bushes, Are. (even thovigh 

 somewhat deferred), such as the thorough clearing 

 of strawberry beds of weeds aTid suiplus runners, 

 pruning out gross and overcrowded giowths from 

 currant and goosebe-rry bushes, especially to well 

 clean out the centres of these bushes to allow of 

 sun and air having the free access so necessary 

 to ])roper rijjening of wood, with subsequent 

 niaturity of buds for another year's crop of fruit. 

 Cut away old fruiting canes ivom raspberries, and 

 where suckers are growing abvmdantly, thin 

 these out freely, only leaving a sufficiency for 

 carrying next year's cro]), or any canes needed 

 for making new plantations or making up 

 vacancies or weak spots in old beds. It will be 

 sufficient to leave five or six canes to each stool ; 

 this will allow for accidental breakages or mishaps 

 of any kind. These canes should be loosely secured 

 to wires or stakes to prevent them being broken 

 out by higli winds. Frequently there is not 

 sviflRcient imj)ortance attached to the foregoing 

 operations, and with one inevitable result — i.e., 

 small and infei'ior quality fruit is prodviced, and 

 the true cause is at times improperly located. 



Summer ])runing should now be generally 

 proceeded witli, taking wall trees first, as the 

 shoots on such trees are more nearly completing 

 their annual growth than trees in the open ; cut 

 away tiie breastwood or side shoots at five or six 

 leaves from the base of shoot, leaving unpruned 

 such shoots as are needed for extending branches 

 or forming new branches in centres of unfinished 

 trees ; the latter shoots must be neatly nailed or 

 tied in to form a i)roperly balanced and well 

 trained tree. Large, old trees should be pruned 

 fronx top downwards, and lower half of tree left 

 unpruned for a couple of days before being 

 finished, thereby avoiding too severe and sudden 

 a check to flow of sap, with a corresponding 

 check to root action. At this ])runing, over 

 elongated or too dense s])urs may be cut out or 

 thinned on any trees that are not carrying 

 fruits ; overcrowding is n\uch more readily 

 detected now than at winter jrvming ; or tliese 

 afore-named sjnirs may be dealt with after fruit 

 is gathered, and while foliage is still on them. 

 After wall trees, Espaliers, or trees trained on 

 wires, take trees in the open of whatever sh.ape 

 they may be grown in, especially young and 

 extending trees, ]jruning the shoots on these 

 similar to wall trees ; large old trees may be left 

 for winter |)runing unless they are ]iroducing 

 great quantities of young growths ; any such 

 trees shimld be pruned, even if only to the extent 

 of giving liberty for light and sun to colour ur» 

 fruit and facilitate the rii)ening of fruit buds. 

 Peaches, especially, need careful training and 

 tying from commencenient of growth of young 

 shoots to ensure tlie comiilete ripening of wood 

 so essential in producing plunx]), well -matured 

 buds for next year's cro]) ; avoid overcrowding 

 of shoots, and do not let the trees suffer for want 

 of abundant moisture at roots. Bed spider is 

 frequently very troublesome on '^j)each trees 

 after periods such as we have experienced this 

 year, and if left unchecked quickly makes havoc 

 amongst foliage with very undesirable result, 

 though it is a pest not difficult of eradication ; 

 if undue dryness at roots has tended to induce an 

 attack, make sur«' that the roots are ))roi)erly 

 moistened either through rainfall <»r artificial 

 waterings of either clear or manvire water, 



afterwards giving a liberal nuilch of rich manure, 

 and drench the foliage with syringings of clear 

 rain water, or with the addition of enough soot 

 water to discolour the syringing water ; continue 

 tlie syringings in the evening after sun is off the 

 trees until the spider is cleared. Do not add the 

 soot water if fruits are approaching ripeness ; the 

 clear water may be used until the fruit is fully 

 swelled if absolutely required to keep down the 

 spider. 



Where woolly aphis is troublesome on apjile 

 trees (this seems to have been quite an agreeable 

 season, as it has flourished amazingly), this pest 

 needs to be frequently attacked, if it is to be 

 eradicated completely or kept from overrunning 

 the trees. On small trees it can be destroyed 

 by brushing over with methylated spirits, the 

 spirits to be applied with a small paint brush, 

 and to ensure the destruction of insects must be 

 forcibly rubbed over the clusters of a]>his ; on 

 large trees where this niethod is not applicable 

 a reu'edy at all times readily to hand is paraffin 

 oil, and this used at the rate of a wineglass of 

 paraffin to one gallon of water, properly applied, 

 quickly destroys this pest. Place in a bucket or 

 tub as many gallons of water as may be needed, 

 and measure in the oil ; take a narrow strip of 

 board and give the water a good clnirning round 

 so that the oil is thoroughly mixed with the water ; 

 this can be ayjplied with a garden syringe. Sec, 

 but however sprayed, the water must be kept 

 continually stirred to prevent the oil collecting 

 on top of water, otherwise the mixture would be 

 harmJul, and fail to destroy the aphis. Extra 

 force should be used in applying, so that the 

 woolly covering of a])his clusters may be dis- 

 ])laced and allow of oil reaching the insects. 

 That most troublesome fungoidt comm.only styled 

 "' black spot," seenis to be also very prevalent 

 again amongst apples and pears ; indeed 1 

 believe a dry season allows of more rapid spread 

 of this ])est, as in a wet or showery season many 

 of the spores are washed off the foliage before 

 they have time to establish themselves. It may 

 be a useful reminder to here note that I am 

 highly gratified with tlie result of spraying some 

 large pear trees with Sulphate of Copper this 

 season. Owing to the almost incessant wet and 

 windy weather during the winter of 1913-11, these 

 trees were not sprayed as it was intended, and 

 during last summer a considerable projxirtion of 

 the fruit was rendered valueless by " scab." 

 Jjast February the trees were sprayed with 

 Sulphate of Copi)er, 1 lb. of sulphate to 10 gallons 

 of water, followed u]) in sjtring with Bordeaux 

 mixture spraying (as advised in uiy Fruit Notes). 

 The trees are now almost completely free of the 

 fungus, and the fruit is thoroughly clean and 

 pleasing to look at. 



Do not delay looking u]) wasps' nests until you 

 see the wasps devouring your fruit, but look up 

 the nests and destroy them promj)tly. A ready 

 means of destroying wasps' nests is in the use of 

 Cyanide of Potassium. A small teaspoonful 

 droi)ped just at mouth of entrance to nest in the 

 dvisk of evening is certain destruction t<» the nests. 

 This poison must be carefully kept so that no 

 accidents may arise from use of it (1 lind the 

 crushed Cyanide most destructive). 



(«as tar poured into (he entrance or hole where 

 the nest is located also readily d.-stroys them. A 

 quantity of the tar could be carried in an t)ld 

 watering can or similar vessel, and about a i)int 

 or more of the tar poured into hole just before 

 dark. 



