158 



IRISH GARDENING. 



OCTOBER 



mixing Lobelia amlhiiilcs. Queen Victoria, and the blue 

 Salvia patens, and very pretty it looks. The yearly 

 plan of striking phloxes in autumn tends to keep them 

 dwarf, and fine lines were to be seen of choice sorts 

 that stood from a foot to two feet high, with handsome 

 heads of flower. Extra fine sorts are Plilo.x selma, Mrs. 

 Oliver, Gen. Van Heretsz, Tapis Blanc, Spirite, 

 Rheingaut, Gen. Giovanelli, Henry Regnault, and 

 Countess de Jarnac. This last variety has variegated 

 while and green foliage, and even without flower would 

 make a pretty and interesting bed. Cuttings inserted 

 in cold frames now should be dewed over every second 

 morning so as to prevent flagging. 



Violets. — Plants intended for winter flowering in 

 cold frames should now be lifted with good balls and 

 planted about a foot apart in soil made up from old 

 cucumber frames, leaf soil, and good heavy loam. 

 Keep them close to the glass, with plenty of air, as 

 dampness causes great trouble among violets in winter. 



The Fruit Grounds- 



By William R. Spencer, Manor House Gardens, 

 Loughgall, Co. Armagh. 



THE gathering of apples and pears demands almost 

 daily attention throughout this month. Gather 

 as it is found the fruit parts readily from the 

 trees. On examination it will be found that many fruits 

 on a particular tree may part readily, while the remainder 

 still holds firm. This clearly points out that trees should 

 not be cleared of all its fruit at the same time, but should 

 be systematically done, only those parting readily being 

 taken, and the remainder allowed a few days longer, 

 when they should be again examined, and if ready 

 gathered. This applies to all kinds of pears and apples, 

 but more particularly to choice varieties and those 

 requiring to be stored for a length of time. The longer 

 they are allowed to hang on the trees the better they 

 will keep and the full flavour be preserved. The utmost 

 care must be exercised in collecting fruit that they be 

 not bruised ; rough, careless handling being disastrous 

 to the keeping powers of any fruit. Collect onl^- when 

 quite dry, and place in shallow baskets, in which they 

 are to be carried to the store-house. A note here as 

 regards the fruit-house may not be out of place. A 

 house with a northern exposure is to be preferred, or one 

 shaded from direct sunlight for the greater portion of 

 the day. In such a position, if quite damp and frost- 

 proof, with ventilation sufficient to carry off' any damp- 

 ness which may arise through sweating of fruit, apples 

 and pears will keep perfectly for many months, provided 

 they have been handled with care. Fire heat is not 

 required no matter how cold the weather, in fact is 

 most injurious — at such times sacks or mats hung over 

 windows and against doors, &e., being quite sufficient. 

 Shelves should be fitted up all round the inside ; these 

 may be from ly, to 3 feet wide, and 15 inches apart. If 

 the house is sufficiently large a centre stand could be 

 erected with shelves similarly placed, but may be 

 wider if room permits, as this can be worked on from 

 either side. .\ large quantity of fruit could be stored in 

 quite a small house if fitted up properly. If such a 

 house be not attached to the fruit grounds any outhouse 



may be selected to do duty for it, but it must be clean 

 and sweet, and used for no other purpose while so 

 employed. A good way to store in such places would 

 be to fill boxes, such as are used for sprouting potatoes, 

 or other shallow boxes, and pile them one on top of the 

 other. In this w-ay a considerable quantity might be 

 kept in quite a small house, or they may be spread over 

 the floor. Good keeping varieties keep well in this 

 way. I have known Bramley keep until March, piled 

 almost two feet deep on the floor of an outhouse, and 

 sold them at a very handsome figure. The trouble 

 about keeping them in this way is that it is very difficult 

 to get at them to examine. The storing of apples is a 

 most important matter for the fruit grower. If he is to 

 make the most of his fruit and get the highest price 

 possible he must store and put on the market at a time 

 when high prices are obtainable. During late autumn, 

 iind up to December, our fruit markets are generally' 

 very plentifully supplied, and good prices are difficult to 

 get unless for very finest fruit. .\t the present time in 

 Portadown and Belfast markets the price of the best 

 Grenadier apples ranges from 6s. to los. per barrel, 

 iiccording to quality. Our markets at llie present time 

 are pretty full of a lot of very inferior quality. Apples, 

 indeed ! No wonder the prices are not high. Many 

 barrels are sold iov little more than that usualU' paid 

 for boiling fruit, and to put good quality late keeping 

 varieties on the market at such a time, as is often done, 

 would be a very great mistake. In the first place, it lends 

 to keep down prices of fruit now in season, besides 

 selling such for perhaps less than half their value. 



The Winter Moth. — Perhaps the most destructive 

 of all insects in our orchards is the caterpillar of this 

 moth. They attack apples in particular. They often 

 quite clear the trees of leaves early in summer ; in fact, 

 their attack is worse when leaves are just unfolding. 

 The moth emerges from its pupal stage during October 

 and on till the end of year. The females, being wingless, 

 have to crawl up the stems of trees, the}- usually lay 

 their eggs in cracks or crevices in the branches and at 

 the base of buds. To catch the females as they ascend 

 the trees is one of the most effectual modes of de- 

 struction, and where they have been troublesome last 

 season this should de done at once. Take some sti'ips 

 of stout brown paper about six inches wide and fasten to 

 trunk of tree just below the bottom branches, and 

 smear over with good cart grease, or one of the many 

 preparations sold for the purpose. This must be kept 

 fresh by being renewed when it gets dry ; if this be 

 persevered with for three months many hundreds of the 

 females will be destroyed. The trees should also be 

 sprayed with caustic spray during the resting period. 

 This removes many of their hiding places, and possibly 

 destroys many of their eggs. Arsenical spraying ju.'t 

 as the leaves begin to expand, when the caterpillars are 

 fading, is a sure means of destroying them. Trees 

 having stakes as supports must have the stakes grease- 

 banded too, as many of them ascend by this means. 



Gener.\l Remarks. — Preparations should now be 

 made for fresh plantations of fruit trees and bushes. 

 The better way to get the ground ready for these is by 

 deeply digging the whole site, or deep ploughing if 

 digging be out of the question, as it is in many places 

 owing to the scarcity of labour. The fruit grower who 



