86 



IRISH GARDENING 



Jl'KF. 



some uloa will Ik- rormi'ii o\ its I'xtionu' liiu'iu-ss of 

 structure. The microscopioiil jcrjiins lie so elosel)' to- 

 i^ether as to almost reduce its porosity to nothinjjness. 

 That is why it is so stiff, so plastic when wet, so hard 

 when dry. It holds up water because the water cannot 

 pass throu,^h. It contains very little air. Added 

 manures are well retained in its inconceivably narrow 

 pores. But as in sands little grains themselves can g-ive 

 nothing in the way of food to plants. They are insoluble, 

 it has, however, as we have just said, a strong power of 

 holding what ever food is already present in it. The 

 natural vegetation on such soil has thick roots with 

 stout, coarse branches, and relatively few librils. They 

 have adapted themselves to a condition of soil in which 

 there is an extreme poverty of contained air. We are 

 now in a position to understand the physical character 

 of loam and appreciate its utility as a soil. It combines 

 the properties of both sand and clay. It moderates the 

 obvious disadvantage of both, and secures a mellowness 

 of texture that renders it a filter medium for the all rouml 

 \Tork of gardening 



But we have seen that pure sand and fiure clay con- 

 tributes nothing to the food supply of our plants ; 

 they are simply the physical basis of a soil, and only act 

 as absorbers and retainers of plant-food. Where then 

 does the plant-food come from that exists in all fertile 

 soils ? Chiefly from two sources. First, from the original 

 rocks from which the sand and clay themselves were 

 derived, and, second, from the decay of vegetable 

 residues and animal excreta that exist in the soil. 

 Rocks and rock fragments by their disintegration 

 yield the minerals, while the organic matter or humus 

 supply the nitrogen compounds required by crops. 

 The latter, through the action of soil bacteria, give off 

 ammonia which in turn gets changed to nitrate. All these 

 released food stuffs — the potash, phosphoric acid, &c., 

 and the nitrates — are more or less firmly held by the sand 

 and clay until the roots of the plant absorb them in 

 solution. But in addition to yielding food the organic 

 matter helps to keep the loamy earth open, and, further, 

 it increases the power of the soil to hold water. 



We must not, however, forget to mention the part 

 played by lime in soils. Lime tends to cause these 

 minute particles of clay to run together into tiny groups, 

 and therefore improves its texture. It corrects any 

 tendency to acidity in soils, and is useful as a carrier 

 of nitrogen into the plant. So far as vegetation as a 

 whole is concerned, its presence in the soil is very 

 beneficial. Some wild plants only grow in soils contaiti- 

 ing lime (such as clematis and rock roses), while others, 

 like heaths and foxglove, dislike it so much that 

 they invariably avoid them. All of which goes to show 

 that if we wish to grow things successfully in our 

 gardens we must study their natural requirements. 

 When one considers the various requirements as to 

 soil of the v'ast numbers of kinds of plants introduced 

 into gardens, one sees the necessity of artificially 

 making up the right kind of scil for each subject. The 

 kind of soil, for example, that would suit the coarse 

 roots of a pelargonium would be entirely unsuited for 

 the finer root system of a heath. A knowledge of how- 

 to prepare soils for the different classes of plants is 

 essential to intelligent culture, and with this article as a 

 preliminary we propose to follow up the subject in 

 succeeding articles. 



Current '1 



>pics. 



By C. F. Hai.i.. Royal Botanic (".ardcTis, C'.lasnevin. 



As w;is only natural the loss of King Fdward \'H. 

 ^/\^ came as a great blow, ;ind sorrow is expresseil 

 on every hand. lie was well nametl Fdwaril 

 the Peacemaker, for his rule has knitted the ICmpire 

 together in closer bonds. Many acts of kinilness, ilone 

 secretly ;uk1 unostentatiously, will never be known, but 

 what we know of his deeds show us that his w;is a 

 rule of love. His diplomacy was saitl to bi> truth and 

 frankness. 



In spite of inan\- duties and interests. King Kdward 

 cherished a liking for gardening. The gardens at 

 Windsor and Sandringham were overhauled on his 

 accession, and have been maintained as model estab- 

 lishments befitting a king. 



In 1904 King Edward \TI., accompanied by Queen 

 .Alexandra, publicly opened the English Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society's Hall in X'incent Square, and his 

 presence at the annual exhibition or Temple Show in 

 May was evidence of his love for flowers. Every 

 sympathy will be felt for Queen Alexandra ; but while 

 the Empire is cast into mourning we have the consola- 

 tion that King George is full}- qualified to take up the 

 reins of government and to rule us in the same spirit as 

 did his illustrous father. 



The death of Major Enlhoven, who was recently 

 appointed Chief Officer of the London Parks, will recall 

 the indignation of horticulturists throughout Britain at 

 this appointment, after advertising for one well up in the 

 horticultural arts and landscape gardening. The 

 London County Council has now the opportunity to 

 appoint a man who is really well fitted for the post. A 

 really well educated horticulturist should have the first 

 chance. 



The parks of Edinburgh, CJIasgow, and other towns 

 testify to the fact that such an individual not only knows 

 the duties which devolve on these positions, but are as 

 good organisers as will be found in any profession. 



The spring bedding at the People's Gardens was quite 

 a feature, and well worth going a long way to see — in 

 fact a visitor after seeing the Phoenix Park went a round 

 of some of the leading London parks, and came back 

 with the impression that the spring bedding at the 

 Phoenix Park was an easy first. The beds have been 

 a feast cf colour, and some new combinations have 

 been introduced by Mr. Anderson, with very telling 

 effects, and are well worth imitating next year. A note- 

 book is indispensable to a gardener, whether amateur 

 or professional, for many admire and intend to copy 

 beds or colour effects, but often when planting comes 

 some item has probably slipped the memory, and if 

 omitted would mar the whole. 



A new bed which was very praiseworthy consisted of 

 a broad border of the double .Arabis mixed with Sutton's 

 Royal Blue Forget-me-not ; the centre was Blood Red 

 Wallflowers through which Tulip Prince of Austria was 

 planted ; the rich orange flowers of the tulips just rising 

 above the wallflowers made a gorgeous bed. 



In another bed were four similar kinds of plants with 

 the variety of wallflower changed from Blood Red to 

 Eastern Queen, but this one change nvakes a bed far 

 inferior to the former. 



