NOVEMBER 



IRISH GARDENING 



V75 



to three feet apart, according; to the grossness of the 

 variety planted. Three lines of wires should be strained 

 along- the rows for tying- the new canes to, the first 

 wire one foot from the g-round, the top one five or six 

 feet, according- to height the canes of new variety may 

 grow. It is also advisable to no longer delay cutting 

 out old fruiting canes from existing plantations, and tie 

 the new canes securely to stakes or wires, which ever 

 may be in use. When new plantations of raspberries 

 and bush fruits are being; made, where birds are 

 troublesome, it is a good plan to plant raspbei ries, 

 gooseberries, red and white currants on the one plot 

 or square, and wire them in completely with wire 

 netting to exclude all birds, winter and summer. The 

 initial cost would be recouped in a few years by 

 the increased amount of fruit gathered and the aboli- 

 tion of the trouble and cost of annually covering with 

 string netting, which must be adopted where ripe 

 gooseberries and currants must be provided, and, per- 

 sonally, I do not believe that there is any necessity for 

 admitting tomtits, &c., to the bushes in winter, for they 

 most assuredly do more harm than good in most cases. 



The pruning and training of all kinds of trees in the 

 open and on walls should be proceeded with and 

 pushed on at every favourable opportunity after the 

 leaves are all fallen from the trees. The advice most 

 generally given as to the course of priming is to take 

 bush fruits first, and then proceed with larger fruits ; 

 but where any spraying is contemplated (and this should 

 be in every garden where fungi or insect pests exist) 

 I would recommend pruning the larger fruits first (but 

 do not prune newly planted trees) so that the spraying 

 may be done on the first favourable opportunity, and 

 especially so where apple and pear scab has been pre- 

 valent (and it has been very much in evidence this 

 year). In such cases, where practicable, rake the 

 fallen leaves from about the trees, and either 

 turn them or bury deeply (but by all means burn 

 the prunings). In pruning cut away all and every 

 diseased or weakly spur, and all infected young wood 

 that can possibly be spared, and afterwards well drench 

 the trees with a mixture composed of i lb. of pure 

 sulphate of copper to 25 gallons of water. The sulphate 

 should be tied in a piece of coarse canvas, and suspended 

 in the waterwhile beingdissolved, taking care to keep the 

 solution well stirred up when using. This spraying also 

 applies to wall trees where pear scab has been prevalent. 



If bush fruits were gone through as advised in July 

 number of Irish Gardening, the bushes will not now 

 need so much pruning as where they have been left 

 altogether for winter pruning. All the wood will also 

 be in a much better ripened condition, with stronger 

 and more fruitful buds for another year. 



Black currants should have badly placed and weakly 

 branches cut completely out ; the centres of the bushes 

 should also be well cleared out, leaving- only a fair 

 amount of the best young shoots full length to produce 

 next year's crop. Throw out and burn any bushes 

 infested with mites (or big bud) and fill up their places 

 with clean young- trees. Gooseberries, like black 

 currants, produce the best crop of fruit on the current 

 yter's growth, and may be pruned much the same as 

 black currants, especially if fine fruits are preferred to 

 heavier crops of medium fruit. Gooseberries will also 



produce good crops on old branches with the }oung 

 growths spurred in, or cut back a few buds at base. 

 Red and white currants produce their crops on spurs 

 principally, therefore these should have the young 

 growths cut back to a few buds at the base ; weakly and 

 ill-placed branches must be cut right out. The leading 

 shoot on branches may have half to a third of their 

 length cut away in bushes- that are not fully grown. 

 It is a good plan in fully-grown bushes to leave a few 

 young branches shortened, and when these reach fruit- 

 ing condition they may take the place of old, exhausted 

 branches, which may be cut right away. 



W!ien pruning wall trees that have filled their allotted 

 space, cut away weakly, ill placed, and overgrown spurs, 

 and shorten young shoots to three Or four buds. Trees 

 that are extending should have weakly ppurs cut out, 

 and also the young growths the same as in older trees ; 

 the leading shoots may be cut back to from half to one- 

 third of their length, taking- care to cut at a side bud 

 pointing in the direction that the ensuing- growth should 

 take. Ties and shreds too old to last over another 

 season must be replaced by new ones ; take great care 

 in tying and training of the young branches. Wall 

 trees well trained, fully developed, and carrying good 

 crops of fine well-coloured fruits are very striking 

 objects, and plainly indicate the care and skill that 

 have been expended to attain such results. Morello 

 cherries on walls must have a reasonable amount of 

 their young growths tied in, as the crop is produced on 

 these young shoots ; surplus' growths may be cut clean 

 away. Cherries are subject to attacks of brown rot. 

 which is principally indicated by the presence of dead 

 branches, and the young shoots frequently die away 

 after being pruned the previous year. Where this 

 disease is present the trees should be sprayed after 

 pruning with the following- solution : — Sulphate of iron, 

 25 lbs. ; sulphuric acid, i pint ; water, 50 gals. Mix the 

 spray in a wooden tub. First put in the sulphate of iron, 

 then pour on the acid, and add the water slowly. The 

 trees should also be sprayed as the foliage expands in 

 spring, with weak Bordeaux mixture. 



Peaches on walls, if they have been properly treated 

 during the summer, will only need to have the young 

 fruiting shoots nailed or tied in and old bad ties or 

 shreds renewed. 



The advice regarding pruning of wall trees may be 

 very much the same for trees in the open, such as bush 

 and pyramid trees. In fully grown trees young growths 

 should be gradually brought up, and as these get into 

 good fruiting condition some of the older branches may 

 be sawn out. Standard and half-standard trees should 

 only be moderately pruned, cutting out weakly and 

 interlacing branches. 



Horse Radish.— Ground should be prepared for this 

 by trenching- 2)4 feet deep and placing a layer of rich 

 manure at the bottom, and again at a depth of 18 inches. 

 Propagation is carried out by using root cutting, about 

 3 inches long, including at least two buds or eyes, in 

 order to secure rapid development. These sets should 

 be planted 18 inches apart and 18 inches deep. When 

 the shoots appear above ground next May, hoe the soil 

 over to keep it open and free from weeds. 



