IRISH GARDENING. 



the error timely rectified. And, surely, there 

 is nothing infra dig. to men who aim at justice 

 pure and simple when we occasionally see the 

 most erudite decision of the Bench reversed on 

 appeal. Several times recently has it been 

 dinned into our ears that there is no difficulty 

 in getting judges. .\s to that, I more than 

 " Hae ma doots," and should not be at all sur- 

 prised if, sooner or later, the matter becomes 

 sufficiently serious as to warrant the Royal 

 Horticultural Society of England taking it up, 

 mapping the United Kingdom into sections, 

 and having a list of experts willing to act as 

 such under the Royal Horticultural Society's 

 rules at a fixed fee. .-Xpart from all this, 

 however, the horticultural exhibition is a power 

 in the land ; it is the very salt of life to many a 

 man pursuing his quiet way, shut in as it were 

 by a little world of his own, whilst the educa- 

 tional value of the show is a force that is felt 

 over the length and breadth of the great 

 gardening world. 



II. — Flowering Trees and Shrubs for 

 P'xhibition. 



By .\. Campbell, The Gardens, St. .\n.R-'s, Clontarf. 



FLOWERIN'G trees and shrubs are now looked upon 

 as indispensable in the furnishinsj of a large or 

 small garden, and it is interesting to note that a 

 succession of bloom is obtained from a well chosen 

 collection almost the whole year round. 



Many are evergreen, and most of the deciduous sorts 

 have beautifully tinted foliage in the autumn. During 

 the short, dark days of December and January we are 

 cheered by the fragrant blooms of Chiinonanfhus 

 fraorans, Loiiicera fragran/issima. Daphne hybrida, 

 Jasniiiium iiudiflontm, Rhododendron nobleanum, &c. 

 Then will follow in succession the beautiful spring 

 flowering trees and shrubs, from which a selection 

 could be made which would form a most interesting and 

 instructive class at our spring shows 



.\mongst the many which would suit this purpose are — 

 Berberis aquifoliiim, 

 Berberis stenophylla coral- 



lina, 

 Daphne Blagayana, 

 Magnolia conspicua, 

 Magnolia stellata, 

 Pyrus mains florabunda, 

 Grevilla sulphurea and 



rosemarinfolia, 

 Erica hybrida and E. 

 carnia. 



Corchorus (Kerria) Jap- 



Pyrus (Cydonia) japonica, 

 Pyrus simonii, 

 Forsythia suspensa, 

 Ribes sangineum, 

 Prunus triloba, 

 Prunus incana, 

 Prunus orientalis, 

 Hamamelis zuccariniana 



and arborea, 

 .Amelanchier canadensis. 



There are still ample varieties for which a class could 

 be furnished at each successive show during the year. 



Flowering shrubs would appear to belter advantage 



staged in a class to themselves than in conjunction 

 with herbaceous flowers, as we usually see them at our 

 spring shows. In arranging flowering shrubs the 

 natural habit and growth should be considered, avoid 

 crowding, and use good specimens of each in suitable 

 vases with the correct name attached to each. It 

 would not be difficult to set up a class of 18 varieties 

 at an .April show, and for an autumn exhibition I would 

 advise including plants with berries and tinted foliage. 



III. — Growing Roses for Exhibition. 



By ODoNEL Brow.ve, M.D. 



JUNE is alwajs given as the month of roses by all 

 poets. Why, I am sure, I do not know ; still, wall 

 roses are generally at their best during the end of 

 the month, but dwarfs in beds are not really into their 

 stride, as racy folk say, until July. June, however, s a 

 verv busv month for all of us ; laziness during June 

 causes many a lament in July. Exhibitors who intend 

 showing should look over all their boxes, replace all 

 leaky tubes, and get their boxes cleaned and painted in 

 due time. Rose shades should be got, with their 

 stakes, to be in readiness when shading time comes 

 round. A sufficient amount of stakes to tie slender 

 shoots carrying heavy blooms— c.f., Marie Baumann — 

 must also be had at a moment's notice. Some exhibitors 

 go to the length of staking every flower to be shaded ; 

 this is, no doubt, very necessary in a situation exposed 

 to high winds, but it is a very troublesome procedure. A 

 point not sufficiently understood by many amateurs is 

 the thinning of shoots and flower buds in their infancy. 

 The thinning of shoots is very necessary for both the 

 tree's sake and also for the grower's. A rose tree can 

 only nourish a certain amount of flowers \ it is not fair 

 to expect manv flowers, perfect blooms I mean, from a 

 given tree. The only way this can lie done is by 

 thinning your rose trees during May and early June. 

 But, like many other tricks, this thinning can only come 

 with years of experience, and must be done tentatively. 

 Suppose you have a tree that can only honestly carry 

 five good flowers. I-ook at that tree carefully, and 

 see how many weak and superfluous shoots it has. 

 Begin by taking off all in-looking shoots close to 

 the old wood with a clean shave of a sharp knife. 

 This prevents the centre of the tree from being over- 

 crowded. Now, study the remaining out-looking eyes 

 that have pushed into growth. Generally on a pruned 

 plant the top out-looking eye has got away into long 

 growth, and down lower there is also a shoot in fair 

 growth also. If you have many rods carrying shoots such 

 as these it is clear that some must go, but when you 

 have hardened your heart and commence to remove 

 the superfluous shoots, do not leave all of the same age. 

 Rather leave some young and some older shoots that 

 your flowering season may be prolonged. Remember 

 not to do all the thinning at the one sitting ; the tree 

 will receive a check if you do it thus. Now, you are 

 left with a tree on which are five or six shoots, some 

 just carrying or showing the tiny flower-buds and 

 some not so far advanced. By the side of these crown 

 or middle buds you will notice smaller buds, except in a 

 few examples, such as Mildred Grant. The crown bud 

 should be an even, globular or pointed bud, not showing 



