OCTOBER 



IRISH GARDENING 



159 



pedite the coming- planting operations, spraying, &c. 

 Old orchard or other trees that are bearing crops of 

 small, poor quality fruits, or trees that are weakly 

 through inattention to their needs, over-cropping &c., 

 may with great advantage be taken in hand as soon as 

 cleared of fruit, with a view to their renovation. Saw- 

 out all dead and very weakly branches, also all branches 

 crossing each other, and overcrowded branches : then 

 give the trees a heavy mulching of rich farmyard manure 

 five or six feet from the stems, all round the trees, or 

 the surface soil may be removed down to the roots ; and 

 if there is any liquid manure available (the stronger the 

 better) give the trees a thorough dressing of the liquid 

 manure, and when this is quite soaked awaj' replace the 

 old exhausted earth with new, rich material filled up to 

 ground level again ; but if it is necessary to use the old 

 earth again, improve it by a liberal addition of good 

 rotten manure. A considerable improvement in the 

 fruits will follow such treatment ; a further improvement 

 in the condition of the trees will be effected by winter 

 spraying with a caustic wash to kill moss, insects, 

 &c. 



fruit trees (old or young) that are growing a super- 

 abundance of gross shoots, and producing little or no 

 fruit, should have this condition checked by root 

 pruning or lifting. Trees too large to lift should be 

 root pruned, but where lifting is at all practicable adopt 

 this course, as by so doing the check to superfluous 

 wood production is at once complete, and good crops 

 of fruit more quickly follow than from root pruning. 

 Root pruning may be commericcd as soon as the foliage 

 on trees shows the least change in colour. It is not 

 necessary to wait until the foliage has fallen from the 

 trees. V'ery large, old trees should be root pruned half 

 way round one year, leaving the other half to be taken 

 in hand the following year. Smaller trees may be 

 root pruned all the way round at once. Conmience by 

 marking a circle round stem of tree at from two to 

 three feet away from stem ; then from the circle out- 

 wards dig a trench wide enough for a man to work in 

 (about two feet wide will do) ; loosen the ground first 

 with a five-pronged fork ; all fibry roots must be pre- 

 served, cutting them at the outside of trench, and turn 

 them back over the ball of earth left round stem oC 

 tree, tying them back if likely to be falling into trench 

 and impeding work, but all roots as thick or thicker 

 than, say, a man's finger should be cut clean away at 

 inner side of trench ; thus keep working round the 

 tree and downwards. When the trench is a foot or 

 more deep commence to gradually undermine the tree, 

 and cut out all roots going downwards. The ball of 

 earth round the tree must only be undermined half way 

 through, and then have a quantity of earth rammed 

 under this half of ball to prevent it tumbling or breaking 

 away, and to keep the tree steady until the other half is 

 undermined. After the undermining of the tree is 

 completed, or it may be apparent that there is no more 

 roots to cut, the trench must be refilled ; but as the 

 earth thrown out of such trenches is almost invariably 

 in a condition unsuited to the needs of the trees, it 

 must be brought into good order by the addition of 

 rich, well-decayed, farmyard manure, or some pre- 

 viously mixed materials, such as new loam, manure, 

 road scrapings and leaf-mould. If the subsoil is clayey, 



pieces of broken bricks, old mortar, &c., at bottom of 

 trench and half way up is a valuable addition. In the 

 course of refilling the trench such fibry roots as were 

 spared for relaying must be placed in suitable positions 

 as the refilling proceeds, taking care that they are 

 placed horizontally or with a tendency upwards rather 

 than downwards. The earth should be w-ell trodden 

 and made firm all through. 



If such root pruning is undertaken early in the 

 autumn — the earth is rarely too wet for performing such 

 work — the trees also much more readily recover from 

 the effects of root pruning than if left until later on in the 

 season. Be careful to leave a clean cut on severed end 

 of roots to encourage more rapid formation of new 

 roots. If a number of trees are to be root pruned it is 

 advisable to mix up a sufficient quantity of good, new 

 material to add to the old earth as filled in around 

 trees again. This root pruning applies equally to all 

 kinds of fruit trees, both in the open grounds and on 

 walls. 



Towards the end of the month is a good time to put 

 in a batch of cuttings of bush fruits according to re- 

 quirements. As soon as the leaves have fallen from 

 the bushes go through the bushes, and with a good 

 sharp knife or secateur cut the requisite number of 

 clean, healthy shoots, tying each variety in bundles 

 with a label bearing the name of the variety. The 

 cuttings, when ready for insertion, should be about 

 twenty inches in length. Red and white currants and 

 gooseberries should have the buds pared off eight or 

 nine inches of the lower end of cutting, also a couple 

 of inches of the top of cutting cut away. Black cur- 

 rants need no further preparation than to cut a couple 

 of inches off the point of the shoot. These cuttings 

 may be inserted in ordinary good garden soil in rows 

 about fourteen or fifteen inches apart, and the cuttings 

 about five inches apart in the rows. When inserting 

 the cuttings cut the side of trench quite straight down, 

 clean and firm, place the cuttings quite perpendicular 

 against the hard side ; fill in the earth and make the 

 cuttings all thoroughly firm by plenty of trampling ; 

 finish the surface of the ground nice and fine, 

 especially round the cuttings. When choosing the 

 black currant cuttings be careful to see that there is 

 no " mity " or "big buds" on the shoots. If such 

 should be met with consign them to the nearest 

 fire, and onl}- put in perfectl}- health}- and clean 

 cuttings. 



Wherever fruit trees are subject to attacks of the 

 caterpillars of "winter moths" steps should now be 

 taken to prevent or check their recurrence by cap- 

 turing the female moths, which commence early this 

 month to deposit their eggs on fruit trees, and con- 

 tinue to do so throughout this month, and early part of 

 November, unless destroyed. The traps or grease 

 bands are prepared for catching the moths as they 

 crawl up the trees, by taking strips of grease proof 

 paper about six inches wide, and tying them tightly 

 around the stems of the trees a couple of feet above 

 the ground ; tie the bands at upper and lower edges, 

 then smear the bands thickly with cart grease. The 

 grease must be kept soft by occasional additions, as 

 the former application hardens, so that the moths may 

 slick fast in the grease and be destrc^yed. 



