IRISH GARDENING. 



121 



wliii-h Ls very important to the market grower. The 

 crop was much reduced bv many of the canes being; 

 killed in winter and failintf to break awaj' in spring. 



Str.wvberries have been from an average to a g^ood 

 crop in most districts, though one feats the area under 

 cultivation is gradually decreasirigf. Owing to the 

 lateness of the season and cold frosty nights killing 

 many of the early flowers, the crop was late in ripening ; 

 this allowed the cross-Channel and French growers to 

 get good prices for their fruit before ours was placed 

 on tlie market, though good home-grown fruit brought 

 the highest price. The crop in the South has been a 

 very g-ood one, much better than in the Nojtli, but in 

 general not so good perhaps as last year. 



Fiing'oid diseases appear to be on the increase. 

 .Apple canker and American g'oosel^erry-mildew 

 are doing- most damage, as these are reported 

 from almost every county. 

 .Apple and pear scab is also 

 very prevalent, and nothing as 

 yet has been discovered as a 

 remedy for it. .Apple-mildew 

 is fairly plentiful in some 

 places, and silver-leaf in plums 

 appears to be increasini;. 

 Canker is returned by 22 per 

 cent, of the correspondents, 

 gooseberry-mildew by 24 per 

 cent., and scab by 15 per cent, 

 as being the " worst pests." 



Insects in general have not 

 been so plentiful as in recent 

 years. This state of affairs is 

 undoubtedly due to the timely 

 action of growers — by spray- 

 ing with caustic-wash in the 

 winter, and with suitable in- 

 secticides during the growing season. The 

 winter spraying keeps the bark of the trees 

 clean, and the further seasonal sprayings kill 

 the insects before tliey lia\e time to do much 

 damage. 



Greenfly has been most troublesome this 

 year, and there are very few plants that have 

 escaped from its ravages, even where repeated 

 spra)'ing has been carried out. Their spread 

 v^s much favoured by the continued harsh, 

 dry weather of May and June. Pltmis, apples, 

 currants and gooseberries suffered most. Winter 

 and Tortrix moths (leaf rollers), American 

 blight on apples, and sawfly caterpillars on 

 gooseberries were the worst offenders, but 

 growers who used arsenate of lead as a spray 

 had comparatively little trouble with them. 

 Greenfly is reported b)' 36 per cent., sawfly by 



Tui; Lati-; Patrick Gray. 



35 per cent., and winter moth by 20 per cent, of 

 our correspondents. Apple-sucker is much 

 more prevalent in the North than in other parts 

 of Ireland. 



It is with deep regret that we record the death of 

 Mr. Patrick Gray at his residence in Dublin on Tuesday, 

 the 20th of July last. Mr. Gray was well known as the 

 Horticultural Superintendent at the "Albert Model 

 Farm," Glasnevin, and afterwards when the institution 

 was taken over by the Department of .Agriculture and 

 re-named the ".Albert Agricultural College" Mr. Gray 

 continued as head of the gardening staff until his 

 retirement two years ago. Mr. Gray was an experi- 

 enced gardener and a conscientious teacher, who 

 did much good work in his time for the cause of 

 gardening in Ireland. His family 

 will have the sincere sympathy of 

 all who knew him either as a 

 teacher or a friend — and they must 

 be many and widely scattered 

 throughout Ireland. Mr. Gray was 

 an occasional contributor to the 

 pages oi' this iournal. 



Thosk of our readers who visited 

 the spring show of the Royal 

 Horticultural Society of Ireland 

 will remember the fine exhibit of 

 Himalayan rhododendrons staged 

 by Mr. R. Gill of Tremough 

 Gardens, Penryn. On sending a 

 request to Mr. Gill for the favour 

 of an article for the g-uidauce 01 

 exhibitors he very kindly arranged 

 that his foreman (Mr. Herbert H. 

 Kidd) would prepare one for Irish 

 Gardening. This article appears 

 in the present issue. Mr. Kidd is 

 an old Kewite, whose knowledge of the subject he 

 writes upon is " extensive and peculiar," and his con- 

 tribution will be read with interest by all gardeners. 



Irish roses this season have not only sustained their 

 already high reputation but actually enhanced it. At 

 the English shows they have taken all the premier 

 honours and prizes. We sincerely congratulate the 

 three firms that have met with such extraordinary 

 success wherever they have exhibited— Messrs. Alex. 

 Dickson & Sons, Hugh Dickson, and Messrs. McGredy 

 & Son. 



One of the most important shows, and certainly the 

 most remarkable and successful one in Ireland, will be 

 re-held during the present month at .\thlone. Last year 

 there were over 2,000 entries, including horticultural, in- 

 dustrial, and other exhibit.s. It is a great event in the 

 midlands, and we wish it its usual success. Intending 

 visitors can obtain full particulars from the secretary, 

 Mr. Harold Smith, Athlone. 



