134 



IRISH GARDENING. 



SKPlKMliKR 



that tlK> covoriiij,' of tlu> Iiisli Ih\<s with tur j;io\vlli 

 mig-ht do a yreal deal towards improviiijj tlie local laiul- 

 scape and climate of many districts. Tiic dreary 

 monotony of largfe bojj areas niijfht be broken by 

 screens and belts, and the dryintf of the surface which 

 would accompany the jjrowth of trees would probably 

 g-ive rise to a drier and warmer climate than now pre- 

 vails. Mountain and maritime pines and other species 

 already mentioned might be used for such work as the 

 planting- of hedg^es and belts along roads running 

 through or adjoining bog areas, which are at present 

 absolutely treeless, and in this way the appearance of 

 the country might be greatly improved at comparatively 

 little expense." 



As an illustration Mr. Forbes gives a photograph 

 (which we here reproduce) of a handsome belt of Scots 

 pine planted 

 along a road 

 skirting a 

 high bog near 

 Ballymena in 

 the County of 

 Antrim. The 

 success of 

 these trees 

 also illus- 

 trates what 

 drainage and 

 the presence 

 of a suffici- 

 ency of min- 

 erals(derived 

 from the dis- 

 integrated 

 road metal) 

 can do for 

 tree growth 

 in high bog 

 land. The 

 rest of the 

 article deals 

 with the prac- 

 tical methods 

 ofplantingon 



mountain peat, observing that the operation is compara- 

 tively costly and uncertain in its results, and should 

 never be undertaken unless the planter is prepared to 

 carry out the work in a thorough and systematic 

 manner. 



Violets for Early Spring. 



In order to secure flowers in earl)- spring a start should 

 be made at once, as the planting should be completed 

 early in September. Of course they must be grown under 

 the protection of a frame. The first and chief thing to 

 remember is that violets dislike wetness— the soil must 

 be kept moist, but not wet, and the air kept buoyant 

 and not stagnant, so that as far as possible there will 

 be little condensation of moisture within the frame. 

 Protection, therefore, is needed from rain far more than 

 from cold. So long as the temperature of the air is 

 above 35° F. or so no harm will be done if the weather is 

 fine and bright. The bed may be prepared with litter, 

 trodden down quite firmly, making it, say, one foot deep 

 and covering it over with nice loam to about six inches. 



V.Ao 



idding the lo.im the frame should be placed 

 over the litter. The best plants to use are those raised 

 from numers last spring. Plant them out in the frame 

 at about six inches apart, and have them as near as 

 vou conveniently can to the glass ; when planteil, water 

 them in. Should the weather be bright and sunny they 

 may be lightly watered overhead during the next few 

 days with a fine rose. The cover or lights should be 

 not put on luiless the days are rainy. 



R 



Scots Pine on Partly Cut-awav Boc; 



About ten feet of peat below trees. Countj^ Tippcrary. 



The Smoke Tree, 

 IL'S COTINUS, a European plant, is one of the 

 many interesting shrubs at Glasnevin, and is 

 now a mass of delicate red feather-like sprays, 

 which almost entirely conceal the foliage of the plant. 



These sprays 

 are not the 

 nowershuUlu' 

 hairy stalks of 

 the fruits, 

 which have 

 become red 

 where fully 

 exposedtothe 

 sunandyellow 

 on the oppo- 

 site side, and 

 it is these 

 that give the 

 plant this all- 

 o \ e r soft 

 feathery ap- 

 p e a r a n c e . 

 Not only does 

 this plant at- 

 tract us at 

 this season of 

 the year, but 

 again later on 

 w hen the 

 leavesturn red 

 in the autumn. 

 The beaten 



track round the plants at Glasnevin prove the interest 

 taken by the public. Those who know the lakes of Nor* 

 thern Italy willrememberseeingthis plant growingthere 

 and hanging over the cliff's, and they will remember the 

 wonderful flame colour of the foliage in the autumn. 

 Most of the species of Rhus possess some poisonous pro- 

 perties, of which R. toxicodendron (the "Poison Ivy") 

 may be mentioned. This plant clings like ivy, and is 

 extremely dangerous for those who are subject to these 

 poisons, as it produces a form of erysipelas which is 

 both painful and troublesome. 



R. vernicifera is the "Lacquer tree" of Japan, and is 

 largely used there for lacquering the various articles. 

 The lacquer is obtained from wounds made in the 

 stems, from which the juice exudes, at first white, but 

 becoming darker when exposed to the air. The 

 Japanese seem to have lost the real art of preparing 

 this, as the present day lacquer is very inferior to the 

 old-fashioned type. R. M. Pollock. 



Royal Botanic G 



ardens. 



