IRISH GARDENING 



175 



by gently swaying the tree to and fi\),(.r a gentle 

 shaking "of the tree causes the fine soil to lill m 

 between the roots. Trample the soil very firmly 

 as planting proceeds, trample from outside of 

 hole towards the tree. Standard trees must all 

 be staked as planted, using a good stout stake, 

 and tying the trees so that they may not be dam- 

 aged ))y dialing against the stake in windy weather; 

 twist a piece of canvas or hay-band around the 

 steni of ti'ee before tying with string. Bush trees 

 need not be staked unless |i1;ui1.m1 in iilaccs much 

 exposed to wind, or ha\iiig cMcpt ionally heavy 

 heads; such should be staked to prevent any 

 Joosenmg by winds. Standard trees shovild be 

 |)lanted about the same depth or slightly deeper 

 than they have been grown in the nursery, and 

 bush trees should be planted with the jimction of 

 stock and tree 2 or 3 inches below the surface. As 

 the trees are finished i)lanting, slightly loosen the 

 trampled surface with a digging fork or Bucco 

 cultivator ; this allows of proper aeration of the 

 soil. For kitchen or enclosed gardens the 

 precedmg instructions as to planting new trees 

 are applicable, though it is most advisable to 

 jilant in such gardens, in lines or borders only, 

 pyramid or bush trees, apples that are worked on 

 Paradise stocks, pears on Quince stocks ; such 

 trees bear abundant crops, but make slower and 

 less rampant growth than trees on Crab stocks ; 

 they also bear crops of fruit earlier. When 

 l)lanthig single trees for tilling empty spaces, 

 repla<ing old worn out trees, &c., I would strongly 

 advise planting good, strong fruiting trees that 

 will come into bearing the second season after 

 j)lanting, though for a season or two the cro]) 

 should be limited to such an extent that it may 

 not unduly retard growth oi trees, and don't by 

 any means ])lant them in poor, impoverished 

 gi'ovmd ; if the ground is not in really good 

 condition, it must be improved by the addition 

 of well-rotted manure or a conqiost of new loam, 

 leaf-mould and a little manure ; on heavy 

 retentive land any addition that will somewhat 

 lighten the land, svich as old mortar rubble, fire- 

 lieap ashes, road scrapings, &c., are all beneficial ; 

 this applies also when i)lanting trained trees 

 against walls, espaliers, &c. Bush trees in lines 

 or borders should not be planted less than 

 12 feet apart, except where it is intended to 

 ultimately transi)lant alternate trees for filling 

 gaps, itc'. Pyramid trees should be staked as 

 jilanted, though bushes need not be staked unless 

 Jiaving imusually bulky heads. Permanent 

 liorizontal and fan-trained trees should be 

 planted from 15 to 20 or more feet apart, the 

 former distance for fan-trained trees, the latter 

 is none too niuch for horizontal-trained trees, 

 as these well grown will readily cover 25 feet or 

 more of wall space before being fully matured. 

 Cordon-trained trees may profitably be |)lantecl 

 2 feet apart in the intervening spaces imtil 

 crowded out. 



Bush Fruits. — New plantations of all these 

 may be |)lanted this month and onward. Bush 

 fruits all need good rich ground — gooseberries, 

 red and white currants at (5 feet apart, black 

 currants rieed S feet ajjart each way. liaspberries 

 may be ]>lante(l this month ; for these a well- 

 (li'aiued warm situation should be chosen, and as 

 with strawl)erries they need specially well 

 pi-epared ground, with subsecpient liberal feeding 

 to enable them ])roduce satisfactory crops of line 

 fruits. The sur])lus young canes froui friu ting- 

 plantations may be used for ])lanting new s(piares. 



if sufTicient are available ; if planted in lines and 

 tied to wires, the lines should be 6 feet apart, the 

 canes a foot or eighteen inches apart ; wires need 

 not necessarily be fixed at planting time, as the 

 new planted canes must be cut down to a foot 

 from ground before new growth commences, and 

 the subseqvient suckers or canes seldom need 

 su])])orting the first siuumer : if the ground for 

 these is not in first rate condition, if woidd be 

 better to have the ground trenched or deeply dug 

 and literally maniu*ed, leavmg the canes to be 

 planted in February or March. 



Winter pruning of fruit trees and bushes may 

 be commenced at any time after the foliage has 

 fallen from the trees or bushes, and where a con- 

 siderable amount of pruning is to be carried out 

 advantage should be taken of all possible oppor- 

 tunities for getting this work well advanced during 

 this month and early part of next, while reason- 

 ably good weather conditions may be expected ; 

 this advice specially applies where by reason of 

 fungoid or insect attacks the necessity for s]iray- 

 ing is apparent, as if the frees are i>runed early 

 in the season, a more extended ])eriod in whicii 

 sjiraying may be carried out is assured. If 

 liruning is unduly delayed probably favourable 

 opportunities for sjoraying properly may not 

 occur, and the season pass away with high winds 

 and rainy weather, rendering spraying almost 

 impossible ; and with spraying (as with many 

 other things), " well done is as good as twice 

 done," thus reasoning it follows that the larger 

 fruits should be first pruned, and precedence given 

 to such as are to be sprayed. Where apple and 

 ]3earscab have been much in evidence this season 

 all i)runings and fallen leaves from affected 

 trees should be cleaned up and burned as soon 

 as the trees are pruned, thereby destroying 

 quantitie.s of the dormant spores ; diseased 

 fruits also form a lurking place for the spores, 

 and should be destroyed. 



The prvming o* young and extending fruit trees 

 must be governed by the ultimate results aimed 

 at. and to a great extent by the varying 

 characteristics of different varieties ; the results 

 of previous prunings should also be closely 

 observed. The iirincipal aim with trees jil anted 

 in open grounds last year, or a few years planted, 

 should be to secure the foimdation of a sturdy well- 

 balanced head of branches and future develop- 

 ment of large profitable trees. If the tree is i>ro- 

 ductng a sufficiency of shoots proportionate to its 

 age, select a suitable number of shoots for 

 forming leading branches, and cut away a third 

 or more of the shoot in strong erect-growing 

 varieties, cutting back all other shoots to :? or \ 

 buds from the base ; with weaker growing 

 varieties cut away half or more of the leading 

 shoots, and with trees of more or less pendulous 

 habit chose the most erect and strongest shoots. 

 In all cases cut the leading shoots at a bud 

 pointing in the direction it is desired that the 

 branch should grow in. With trees of more 

 advanced growth and bearing crops of fruit, the 

 aim should be to kee]i the branches sturdy and 

 well fui'uished with fruiting spurs, which should 

 be foruunl year by year as the tree advances in 

 size. To this end cut away all side shoots, leaving 

 from 3 to 5 buds at base of shoots, and cut away 

 from a tliird to half or more of the terminal or 

 leading shoot. Too severe pruning of side shoots 

 will result in a jimgle of young growths witliout 

 any fruiting si)urs being formed. Where fruiting 

 spur's may hav(^ become long and ov(>rgrown, or 



