H4 



IRISH GARDENING. 



SKPTF.Mni-.R 



IV.-iis in oitlt'i- as llu-y ripiMi. - Hon t'liiu- il iJi'. 

 JarKonelle. Beacon, Souvenir du Conirios, Clapps 

 Favourite, Williams' Bon Chretien, Miuxuerite Marillat. 

 Conference. Louise Bonne of Jersey. Alexandre Lamtre, 

 Marie Louise. Pilmaston Duchess. Beurre Hardy, 

 Doyenne du Cornice, Ceneral Wauchope, Clout Mi'-r- 

 ceau, Beurrt^ Diel, Bergamot d'Esperen, Kastcr Beurre, 

 Beurrt^ Ranee, Duchess de Bordeaux. 



Apples and pears carryinj; heavy crops (and especially 

 on walls^ must still have abundance of water, and if the 

 rainfall is not ample for their needs, where artificial 

 watering is possible give the trees abundant waterings. 

 Weak manure water will be most serviceable where 

 exhibition fruit is required for local or other shows. 

 Pay particular attention in the way of watering to new 

 planted trees or any that were lifted last season ; the 

 trouble will be amply repaid by future progress of trees. 

 Fruit rooms should be overhauled, thoroughly cleaned 

 out. and walls whitewashed, to be in readiness for 

 storing away the fruit of the season. I am afraid the 

 crop of apples and pears this year is not such as to call 

 for any special provision fcr storing away, but in case 

 of specially-built fruit rooms not being provided, apples 

 and pears may readily and safely be stored avay in 

 trays (such as are sold by various firms), and the trays 

 piled up five or six or more deep in any room, outhouse. 

 or cellar where an even and moderate temperature 

 can be maintained, free from too much moisture, frost, 

 or any great dryness, and where daylight can be 

 excluded at will. I have on different occasions seen 

 potato sprouting boxes used for storing away fruit, and 

 very good receptacles they prove. These boxes may be 

 filled as full as they will hold with apples or pears, and 

 piled away six or eight deep, leaving a very small space 

 between the boxes. Be careful to keep out mice or rats, 

 as these pests make great havoc amongst stored-away 

 fruit wherever they can gain access. 



Do not allow woolly aphis any rest, but persistently 

 destroy it, as advised in last month's calendar. If there 

 remains any untidy weedy places make an effort to get 

 all arrears of hoeing, cleaning, and tidying up got well 

 through while we have long days, and before other 

 pressing work interfeies. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



By William Tvndall, Horticultural Instructor, 

 Co. Kildare. 



CELERY. ^Early in the month earth up the main 

 crop celery, leaving that required for latest use 

 till the end of the month or early in October, if 

 frost keeps off, as by that time the plants will have 

 nearly completed their growth. With all the rain we 

 have had this summer celery has made fine growth, and 

 in most places is very tall and strong, so that before 

 earthing up many side growths and decayed leaves 

 require removing, tieing up each plant with a piece of 

 matting ; then dust between and around the plants with 

 soot and lime, equal parts, to help to prevent slugs and 

 worms injuring the celery before earthing. Earthing 

 should be done on a fine day when the soil is fairly dry, 

 breaking it up well before putting up to the plants, 

 taking care not to cover the heart of the plants. In 

 three weeks after give a final earthing up. 



Cai!H\i;k. — If seed of suitable varieties was sown in 

 July .mil .August as recommenili-d in calendar, j^ood 

 plants shouUl be h.ul fit for pl.inling from the middle of 

 the month, selecting for early planting these varieties 

 noted for their earliness and freedom from bolting. .\s 

 cabbage well pays for high culture the plot should he 

 ileeply dug and well manured with farmy.ird manure, 

 giving to the surface a dressing of soot and lime ; this 

 helps to free the ground of slugs, which often do much 

 damage to the plants when put out. A great mistake 

 often made is planting spring cabbage too late, as once 

 October comes, if planting is not finished, little time is 

 left to give the plants a chance of getting establislud 

 before the hard weather sets in. Varieties like ICllam's 

 Early. Excelsior, Cattell's Reliance, and April may be 

 planted in rows two feet apart and one and a half feet 

 between the plants. White Early Offenham, Flower of 

 Spring, and Meins No. i require two feet every way. 

 Dibble out all the plants left in seed beds closely 

 together, as they stand the winter better when trans- 

 planted. They will be useful for filling where plants 

 fail and for putting out in spring. 



Qnions.— Spring-sown onions should now be fit for 

 harvesting, and. if the weather is fine, the bulbs may 

 remain for a week on the open ground, finishing up the 

 ripening under cover. Always have the onions exposed 

 to the" sun and light to thoroughly dry them before 

 hanking, which is probably the best method of keeping. 

 Autumn-sown onion seed is making good growth, and 

 those sown in July should be fit for planting the last 

 week of this month on well prepared ground made firm, 

 not putting the plants in deeply. 



Lkttlce. — The end of the month put out some of the 

 plants raised from seed sown last month ; these should 

 turn in early in April when vegetables are often scarce. 

 Spinach. - Make another sowing of this useful spring 

 vegetable in ground prepared as recommended last 

 month, thinning to six inches apart. 



POTATOKS. -These should be lifted as the haulm decay, 

 selecting a dry time for the operation, it being a great 

 mistake to delay lifting till October or November, as is 

 so often done. Pits are the best way of storing, but 

 either have air-holes or a foot divide on top of pit for a 

 week or two to prevent the potatoes heating. 



(^ e^ e^ 



At the recent flower show of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society the carnation was a strong rival to the rose, 

 and its beautiful blooms charmingly staged were admired 

 with keen delight by lingering groups of visitors. We 

 were particularlv struck with the difference m art.stic 

 effect between the Dublin exhibits and the London 

 ones, as shown at a recent exhibition in the Horlicul 

 tural Hall at Westminster. Instead of the graceful 

 effect produced by displaying the cut flowers in vases, 

 whereby their natural beauty of free growth and delicate 

 shades of colour were emphasised, the London exhibits 

 were degraded and shorn of all those attractions that 

 flower-lovers really admire by being each put in a paper 

 collar and their stems stuck deep into holes in ugly 

 green boxes set in formal rows, as unsightly as they 

 were silly, and entirely unvv^orthy of a Carnation Society 

 that calls itself " National." 



