130 



hokliiii^s. 1 boliovo, the pii^' is 

 factor. It can be partly led 

 tables, aiul, in some cases, is t 



IRISH GARDENING. 



a \er\ important 



on waste veg^e- 



lie chief source of 



more at tent it. 

 shows me ih; 

 is seldom lac 



SF.PTKMBF.R 



n to the latter, as a wide experience 

 it a trimly kept j^arden or holdiiii^- 

 <in>4 in uualit' 



Despise him who will, yet in 

 a plot owes its feitililx to his 

 Hence I iiass the hint on to anv 



manure supply 

 Kng-Jand many 

 valuable aid I 

 who need it. 



Being: specially interested in fruit culture 1 

 was pleased to note that attention was bcint; 

 g-iven it in several places visited. That i^ood 

 apples can be g-rown in Ireland 

 is evident, but g^rowers must 

 remember that these, like other 

 crops, need cultivation. It is 

 not enoug-h to plant g^ood trees, 

 and because they are called 

 trees to leave them to fig-ht their 

 own way in the world ! As in 

 England, surface cultivation 

 round the trees needs to be 

 kept prominently in mind. 

 Reasonable pruning- means 

 much, especially in the form of 

 thinning-s of branches, in order 

 to admit the all-important sun- 

 light. Spraying at the right 

 moment is also of vital im- 

 portance. 



I must regard the trials oS. 

 varieties of fruits as of special 

 value to the country. Owing" 

 to the difference of climate it 

 seems evident that many of our 

 useful varieties are not at home 

 in Ireland. Hence the value 

 of experiments before exten- 

 sive planting is undertaken. It 

 was a pleasure to hear such 

 a good report of Bramley's Seedling apple. It 

 is fast becoming a favourite in England also. 



I feel confident that the good work done at 

 such centres as the Glasnevin Agricultural and 

 Horticultural College will be found to bear 

 excellent fruit, as the imformation there gained 

 is spread throughout the country. The work 

 of travelling instructors is also evidently 

 making itself felt. 



Finally, can some one tell me why so much 

 labour has been expended on such monumental 

 gate-posts, or, rather stone pillars, in many 

 places ! These will evidently last a good while 

 yet, but the adjoining fences often seemed to 

 lack lasting properties. I must suggest a little 



Ma<2:i{()tv 



y or cri-tps. 



Apples. 



I 



Magc;ots of the Codlin Moi 



(Slightly enlarged.) 



icns, as nuist pciiple know, that 

 lioni tlic tree before thcv are 

 cutting sncii apples through 

 h is fi-ceiuently to be seen at, ox 

 in tlie \icinit\ iil, the core. 

 "Worm-eaten" or "maggotv" 

 is tile popniar description o'i 

 sncli fruit. What is the nature 

 ^•^'i the grub, and how did it get 

 there? There is no apparent 

 opening li\ which the "worm" 

 could get in from the outside. 

 It is true that some apples show 

 a hole or opening to a tunnel 

 leading into the core, but such 

 specimens have no contained 

 grub. The little creature has 

 disappeared, and the passage 

 seen is a way it cut out for 

 itself to escape. As a matter 

 of fact it never entered the 

 formed apple. It was born 

 there, born near the very heart 

 <'s'[ the young fruit. The Q^g 

 from which it was produced 

 was laid by a small moth 

 known to science as Carpocapsa 

 pomonella, but to fruit growers 

 as the codlin moth. A photo- 

 graph of the mother (natural 

 size) is shown in fig. 2. Those 

 who can recognise it at sight 

 it flitting about the orchard in 

 of June, when the petals are 

 fertilised blossoms of the 

 is engaged in important 



may often see 

 the early days 

 falling from the 

 apple trees. It 

 business— the business of egg-laying. It settles 

 down on a flower truss, and lays an ^^^g in 

 the " eye " of a recently fertilised flower, care- 

 fully glueing it to the base of the calyx to 

 prevent any chance of a mishap. It pursues this 

 work industriously all day. In about a week 

 the eggs hatch out into tiny grubs that eat their 

 way into the developing flesh of the young 

 fruit. The tiny grubling lies in the juicy flesh, 

 feeding upon it, and eventually works its way 

 into the core. Arriving there when the fruit is 



