JULY 



IRISH GARDENING. 



99 



check germination. Place the pan in a moist atmos- 

 phere with a temperature of 75 degrees, and cover with 

 glass till germination takes place. 



Pricking Off. — When the plants are big enough to 

 get hold of they should be pricked otf into shallow 

 boxes with rough, fibrous matter for drainage, and a 

 compost of one-third loam, oiie-thiid leaf soil, and one- 

 third peal, sifted finely, with sand added. The plants 

 should be lifted out with the point of a label, and pressed 

 into the soil two inches apart, and grown at a tempera- 

 ture of 70 degrees. 



H.VRPENING Off.— When '.he plants have grown a 

 fair size, and the weather is suitable, the boxes should 

 be taken out of doors to harden off the plants, but a 

 sheltered place should be chosen so that the fiercest 

 rays of the sun are kept off, as the leaves are apt to 

 scald. When watering never wet the leaves. This will 

 be at the beginning of June. 



Planting Olt. — When the plants are sufficiently 

 hardened off the beds should be prepared, a rather 

 moist soil should be chosen, and the position of the beds 

 should be such that the sun is kept off during the 

 hottest part of the day. If peat moss litter is procui- 

 able a dressing should be given and dug in. Put the 

 plants out 9 inches apart, pressing firmly and leaving a 

 hollow round each for watering purposes. 



W.VTERING, &c. — The begonia requires a great deal of 

 w.Hter during its growing season, and this must be well 

 looked after or the plants will shrivel up, but great care 

 must be taken not to wet the foliage, as this is often 

 disastrous. 



Hoeing should be slightly done just to prevent the 

 soil from capping, but very fleet as the roots lie near 

 the surface. 



Liquid Manure. — When the first bud is seen, liquid 

 manure should be given every other watering, but 

 diluted to a weak state. Soot w^ater is very good, but 

 good results are got from guano water. 



Flowering Period.— Blooms should be picked off the 

 soil occasionally, as they present an untidy appearance. 

 The blooming season will keep on till the frost cuts 

 them off, but light frosts can be kept off by sheets of 

 newspaper thrown over the beds where possible. 



Lifting the Bulbs.— When the frost takes them the 

 tops should be cut off, and the bulbs lifted and laid in 

 boxes and dried on sunny days gradually. When dry, 

 the bulbs should be covered with sand, as this keeps 

 them from shrinking and prevents dry rot. Keep the 

 boxes at a temperature of 45 degree till spring. 



Starting the Bulbs.— The bulbs, till March, should 

 be looked over once or twice to make sure everything is 

 going on all right with them. About the middle of 

 March the boxes should be taken out, and the bulbs 

 placed in boxes in cocoa-nut fibre on a rather loose soil, 

 but do not water them to any extent, just sprinkling 

 them and keeping them damp so that they may absorb 

 the water and start their growth. Keep at a moderate 

 temperature, as strong, sturdy growth is required, 

 avoiding great heat, as they are apt to become drawn. 



Hardeni.ng Off. -About the third week in May 

 place them outdoors to harden their foliage, but keep 



them in a rather shady place, or at least from the fierce 

 rays of the sun. Gradually get them used to the sun 

 so they may not feel the effects so keenly when they are 

 planted out in the beds. 



Planting Out. — Plant out in the same manner as for 

 seedlings, but allowing more room, about 15 inches 

 apart being a good distance. 



General Culture. — As begonias are gross feeders 

 the beds should be annually made up. The best 

 manure will, in most soils, be found to be peat-moss 

 litter from the stable, as the roots seem to be very 

 partial to peat. One great point to be observed in the 

 culture of this plant is the great amount of water it 

 requires if it is to be well grown. 



Even in showery weather it is often advisable to 

 water the plants, especially if the beds are full, as their 

 large leaves shoot the water off. 



The Reader. 



The Insects and Other Allied Pests of Orchard, 

 Bush, and Hot-house Fruits, and their Prevention 

 AND Treatment. By Fred. V. Theobald, M.A. Pp. 

 xvi-l-550, with 326 figures. Wye: The Author, 1909. 

 Price, 30/- net. 



Mr. Theobald's reputation among entomologists and 

 cultivators of the soil is deservedly so high that this 

 important work, giving in handy form the results of 

 many years observation and research, is sure to receive 

 a hearty welcome. Readers of Irish Gardening who 

 were impressed by Mr. Theobald's recent admirable 

 article on The Apple Sucker will turn eagerly to the 

 pages of this volume for further information about 

 that noxious, albeit interesting, creature, and for the 

 life histories of many other pests in garden and 

 orchard. 



The plan of the book is excellent for reference, the 

 various fruits being arranged alphabetically, and the 

 insects which feed on each fruit being described in 

 systematic order. There is, in every case, a good 

 account of the life-history, and a discussion of the 

 methods for preventing damage to our crops, which 

 may be safely consulted, since the author is at once a 

 zoologist and a practical cultivator. The systematic and 

 descriptive account of the various insects are usually full 

 enough for purposes of identification, and are especially 

 valuable in the case of certain aphida; — such as those 

 that infest strawberries, the typhlocybids of the plum 

 and apple, and other species of which Mr. Theobald 

 has made a special study, But even in the case of 

 common and well-known insects that have been again 

 and again described, the author has some valuable 

 original observation to give us. The appendix on 

 insecticides will be particularly welcome to the practical 

 man. 



On the whole, the illustrations are praiseworthy. Mr. 

 Knight's drawings and many of the magnified photo- 

 graphs are admirable ; but a rather large minority of 

 the photographs are useless for purposes of indent! fica- 

 tion. There is a full bibliography at the end of the 

 account of each species, and no economic zoologist nor 

 intelligent gardener can afford to do without this 

 excellent volume. G. H. C. 



