IRISH GARDENING 



l-"aslidious as is llu- tribe llioy will not only luH obji-cl, 

 wlu'tluM- plaiitoil in loam or poat. lo sonu- i^ooil, lu'a\ y. 

 well-ilecayt'd iiiamiro. but thoroiij^til)' enjoy it. W'lieio 

 liaflodils, crocuses and other bulbous subjects are 

 naturalised in tlie grass one scytlie-niowinj;- at or al'ti-r 

 mid-summer is sufficient for all purposes. This in 

 allusion to the ple.isurc jjrounds, which must not lose 

 their character lor smartness and good keeping, at the 

 same time the bugbear of tidyness and trim ways need 

 not ogle one at every turn ; yet here, as elsewhere, a 

 clean walk covers a multitude of sins, and we cannot 

 but think that the gardener who was born in the age of 

 efficient weed-killers has reason to congratulate himself 

 on escaping one. at least, of the worries of life which 

 his forebears were afflicted with. Smart men, however, 

 recognise this and other things too, sparing no pains to 

 have their avenues and walks walkable in all wraiiiers, 

 and it pays, for by their walks ye shall know iheni. 



The Fruit Grounds. 



By A. Hakkkk, Carrigoran, Newmarket-on-Fergus, 

 Co. Clare. 



MARCH, " the month of many weathers," is fast 

 passing awa\-, and fortunately this year there 

 has not been any very striking variations in 

 the weather of March, and such weather as we have 

 experienced has given very favourable opportunities 

 to clear off arrears of routine work of the late season, 

 and getting through such work as was advised for the 

 month ; consequently the month of April should find all 

 fruit quarters quite " spick and span " and ready for 

 " the April showers that bring forth May flowers." 

 Well, there seems to be a very pleasing quantity of 

 flowers to " bring forth " in both April and May, so I 

 hope they may blossom out under very propitious 

 weather conditions and give us a bountiful crop of fruit. 

 However, it is very advisable to make the best possible 

 preparations to protect wall trees from the spring frosts 

 which we rarely escape altogether. Lengths of wall 

 trees may be protected from frost in various ways, 

 more or less elaborate and costly, but a ready and 

 economical means of protection may be provided by 

 using the nets employed for protecting strawberries, 

 &c., from birds. Larch, or any other light poles, should 

 be laid slanting against the wall lop at intervals of three 

 or four yards between each pole ; secure the top of pole 

 lo the wall with a tie of wire or strong siring, sink the 

 bottom of pole a few inches in the ground, about six 

 feet from base of wall, then run a line or wire from pole 

 to pole, giving the line a twist around the [lole at wall 

 top, also a second line parallel with the top one, and 

 about four feet down the pole ; then spread three or 

 four thickness of netting and tie at intervals to lines 

 and poles (light canvas is also a suitable protecting 

 material); this covering may remain as fixed until danger 

 from frosts is past. I have seen wire netting used 

 instead of string netting and light spruce branches tied 

 along the netting. Trees coming into flower at end of 

 March or early in April are very deserving of protection, 

 even if only poles are fixed and ready to stretch a couple 

 of garden mats or any available protecting material 

 across on the appearance of a frosty night. This cover- 

 ing will almost certainly result in a crop of fruit on the 



trees, where.is if the trees ;ire not protecteil a single 

 nights I'rost may completely destroy all prospects of ;i 

 crop of fruit. 



If permanent raspberries are not .ilread)- shortened 

 lo the desired height, gel them cut back at once ; also 

 cut back any that may have the tops injured by frost 

 down to a living bud. Newly planted raspberry canes 

 should be cut down to six inches from the ground ; use 

 a sharp secateur for this cutting, ov if a knife is used, 

 place the toe at base of cane to prevent an}- loosening 

 of the roots by the pull of the knife. 



Keep an eye on late plum blossoms where bullfinches 

 abound, as they frequently attack these buds early in 

 April ; apple blossoms are also attacked by bullfinches 

 in some seasons, and they quickly destro\' great 

 quantities of blossoms if not detected and stopped. As 

 the foliage on gooseberries ;ind currants expands, 

 keep a look out for caterpillars, and on the first appear- 

 ance of caterpillars spray the whole of the trees with 

 arsenate of lead at the rate of i lb. of Svvifte's arsenate 

 of lead in 50 gallons of water, using a very fine spray, 

 and cover the whole oi the foliage with a spray. 



Be careful to have all newly planted fruit trees 

 mulched, and especially so in case of late planted trees. 

 On the first appearance of weeds hoe the ground well to 

 keep them down, and where ground under fruit trees 

 that was dug early in the season has become caked and 

 hardened on the surface use the hoe freely to break up 

 the surface ; a Bucco cultivator is an excellent tool 

 for this purpose, being quicker and more effective than 

 an ordinary hoe. In orchards and fruit plots, if not 

 already done, make a special effort to get all fences, 

 roads and walks, &c. , put into good order; all rubbish 

 or weeds burned or cleared away to give a smart and 

 tidy appearance and prevent the harbour of various 

 enemies which find an agreeable refuge amongst such 

 materials. Where grafting is to be carried out and the 

 preparatory cutting back of trees, the storing away of 

 scions has been duly performed, take the first favourable 

 opportunity for completing this operation. During the 

 early days of April the stocks are generally found to be 

 in proper condition for grafting, so if not already in 

 hand procure grafting wax or clay in such quantities as 

 may be required. If good adhesive clay is at hand this 

 forms an effective and economical medium for closing 

 up the grafts ; the preparation of the clay must be the 

 first preliminary when grafting is to commence. First, 

 chop up the clay and beat it out on some hard floor, 

 removing any stones that may be found ; thoroughly' mix 

 with the clay about a third of horse-droppings that have 

 previously been rubbed through a fine sieve, damping 

 the whole more or less to bring into proper consistency 

 (the clay must be of about same consistency as glazing 

 putty when fit to use). Give the clay plenty of kneading, 

 and it will not split or crack in dry weather. By using 

 grafting wax the work may be got through much more 

 expeditiously, and if the wax is of good quality is easily 

 applied and a certain protection to the grafts while the 

 union is completed. 



Crown grafting (see Fig. i) is a simple and effective 

 method for renovating trees or introducing more de- 

 sirable varieties of fruit, to replace indiff"erent kinds, 

 and a most generally adopted method at this season of 

 the year. When a favourable day presents try one or 



