no 



IRISH GARDENING. 



JULY 



grow plants three feet in diameter. The soil should be 

 roug:h fibry loam and peat, with the fine mould shaken 

 out of it ; broken charcoal and crocks, some sand and 

 chopped up sphag"num moss, about equal parts. This 

 makes an excellent mixture, being free and open, and 

 the begonia roots cling- to the rough parts, and there is 

 also no danger of the soil turning sour. A nice grow- 

 ing temperature is 50 to 55 degrees F. , and during the 

 hottest part of the day the plants should have a slight 

 shade, but it may not be continuous, and when Septem- 

 ber comes in the plants will be better without it. A 

 light position near the glass with ample room are 

 necessary from the start. 



S.\LVIAS Among useful bedding plants, are the com- 

 paratively new dwarf salvias, fireball and Glory of 

 Zurich. The latter variety is specially fine, having a 

 bright scarlet inflorence which is quite as equal in 

 colour to some of the best scarlet pelargoniums. The 

 height does not exceed a foot, and they flower profusely 

 all the season till cut down with frost. .At the Chief 

 Secretary's Garden, Phoenix Park, where summer bed- 

 ding is remarkably well done, Mr, Sayers puis a high 

 value on the usefulness of the above dwarf salvias. He 

 strikes the plants in boxes placed in a cold frame at 

 the end of .August, and kept growing all winter in a 

 temperature with just the frost excluded. Potted up in 

 spring, fine plants are ready for planting out by the 

 end of May. They will suit most positions, except a 

 very dry one, as then red spider is liable to attack the 

 plants. 



AN.vfALs. —This month annuals want special atten- 

 tion, and it cannot be too much impressed upon 

 growers that thinning annuals is an important point in 

 their culture very little attended to, with the result 

 that the flowering period is short and their cultivation 

 discouraged. They are sown thickly, and ofttimes 

 allowed to run up into flower without ever being thinned 

 at all, and the result is, to say the least, disappointing. 

 What would be the result if the farmer treated his 

 turnip and mangold crop so ? To get the best returns, 

 annuals must be thinned as soon as they can be handled 

 easily, and thus allow each plant to develop itself 

 properly. This should not be done all at once, but at 

 two thinnings at least. Another point which helps the 

 prolongation of their season of bloom is to remove all 

 decaying blossoms and so preventing seed-pods from 

 being formed. When this is attended to, the energies 

 of plants are directed towards the production of flowers, 

 and these are produced much finer than if the plants are 

 allowed to grow seeds in the ordinary way. 



Window Plants. — In the long drought we have had 

 lately I have noticed many window plants filthy with 

 dust and insects. As clean water and fresh air is pro- 

 motive of health in the animal kingdom, it seems not to 

 strike a great many people, fond of house-plants, that 

 these also must have a clean skin and fresh air. What- 

 ever plants we cultivate, the more healthy they will be 

 in proportion to the state of cleanness and fresh air 

 they receive. Many plants are a disgrace to windows 

 because the owners never try to keep them clean. 

 Nimble fingers would soon make all the filth disappear 

 Take the plant and spread the fingers and palm of the 

 left hand over the surface of the soil in the pot, and turn 



the head of the plant into a pail of water wherein a 

 small piece of soap has been dissolved, moving it briskly 

 several times through it, then sponge every leaf, upper 

 and lower side, and again plunge it in clean water, and 

 the result will be pleasing to the plant and its owner. 

 If fresh air and washing with water is attended to, 

 insects will seldom trouble them. When one under- 

 stands the functions performed by the leaves of plants, 

 the importance of giving them fresh air in rooms will at 

 once be recognised. Window plants thrive best that 

 have not been enervated by confinement, and can 

 hardly have too much pure air got from an open window. 

 -Avoid, of course, draughts or frosty air, and begin by a 

 little opening, which soon changes the atmosphere, and 

 increase it as the room gets warmer. 



The Fruit Grounds. 



By William R. Spencer, Manor House Gardens, 

 Loughgall, Co. Armagh. 



CHERRIES. — To preserve the fruit of these from 

 birds, nets will have to be employed. Where 

 grown on walls, as is usual, this can easily be 

 done, .IS the nets may be secured to the top of the wall 

 and allowed to fall over to the ground, using forked 

 sticks to keep them clear of the foliage, otherwise the 

 birds would alight on the net and pick fruit through its 

 meshes. It is advisable where several trees are grown 

 continuously against walls to have the whole netted 

 over with one-inch mesh wire netting, fixed to poles let 

 into the ground three feet from base of the wall and 

 resting against its top, and closed at both ends, and so 

 fixed that it can be opened at both ends or fastened 

 without difficulty. Trees in open places require to be 

 entirely enveloped in nets if fruit is to be preser\ed. It 

 is a costly and tedious business, consequently not much 

 grown where small birds are plentiful, except for orna- 

 mental purposes, for which'thej- are admirably adopted ; 

 few trees surpass them in beauty when in full flower. 

 Nail up shoots before they get too long or they mav get 

 broken. .After fruit is all gathered syringe the trees 

 thoroughly, as dirt accumulates about them during 

 growth If Blackfly has been troublesome, a good 

 strong insecticide may be used for this purpose, other- 

 wise clean water is sufficient. 



Str.WVBERRIES.— The fruit of these are now (June 

 19) commencing to show colour, and by the time this is 

 in print will be fully ripe in most places. They will 

 require daily attention, gathering fruit, &c. When 

 being gathered, those for dessert purposes are to have 

 about one inch of stalk attached, and for preser\ing be 

 picked without the bush, so that too much handling of 

 fruit will not take place. 



When all are gathered, the whole plantation should 

 be thoroughly cleaned, weeds and runners being 

 removed and the soil hoed or slightly pricked over with 

 forks, as it will have got hard and caked consequent on 

 gathering of fruit. If runners are required for making 

 fresh plantations they must be secured early, lightly 

 fork ground about the runners and peg them into it. .A 

 hooked peg or a stone will keep them in position until 

 rooted ; from this they may be transferred to ground 



