IRISH GARDENING 



53 



llie practical co-operation ol the t,'rowcr.s tlicv 

 uoillii he (utile. The ^'inn.1 i,'ro\\ers are co- 

 operaliiiv; ; patriotic, iiiteliij;enl, iiulnsliious 

 and proj^Tessivc men are takinj,-' possession ot 

 the best truit areas, and their systems ol 

 cultivation are excellent and adaptive. They 

 h.ue much to contend with which we escape. 

 I.abimr is scarce anil \er\ ilear, and niij^htv 

 independent. Insect pests exist on a scale we 

 have no conception cf. .Sun scorch we do not 

 know, ami h,i\ e not to provide against. 

 Winter (Vee/ing has no terrors for us, spring 

 Irosts being what we dread, and our really 

 destructive storms are few .ind far between. 



liood growers scorn the idea o( haphazard or 

 careless planting. 'I"he young trees are care- 

 fully and systematically planted. The type of 

 tree is generally a half standard, on stems 3 to 

 4 feet high, with evenly balanced round head, 

 the permanent apple trees being left 35 to 40 

 teet apart, with stops of such \arieties as 

 " Wealthy " between, to be afterwards renun ed. 

 From the tirst, pruning is carelully attended 

 to, yoinig trees being well shortened back, and 

 the older trees are carefully thinned and 

 regulated. There seems to be no doubt as to 

 the necessity of pruning. It is done, and it 

 costs a lot. Open cultivation is general in all 

 good districts, and gives far better results than 

 grass orchards. The land is kept well culti- 

 vated, manured and drained, and as a result 

 splendid trees are seen often 4(1 feet high, with 

 even, well-balanced heads as much through, 

 and carrying fine crops of sound fruit. -Spray- 

 ing is not only essential, but in many districts 

 it is compulsory. There is the usual winter or 

 spring spray, and sometimes two or three 

 summer sprayings are necessary. The chiel 

 sprays used are — i. Caustic spray; 2. Kerosene 

 emulsion ; 3. poisoned Bordeaux mixture ; 4. 

 lime-sulphur wash, which practic.-illy meet all 

 exigencies. 



This is necessarily only a \ ery lirief summary 

 ci( some of the principal point.s noted bv me, 

 which 1 thought might be of interest to fruit- 

 growers in Ireland. Finally, I mav remark 

 that there is still .imple opening for Ireland as a 

 fruit-growing' country, and so far there seems 

 to be no fear of any serious injury to oiu- trade 

 in good early eating and cooking apples, and 

 in first quality late cooking apples such as 

 Newton Wonder, Lane's Prince Albert, and, 

 above all, Rramley's .Seedling. 



The LaviiiLr-out ol a Garden. 



Willi llie j;rc:il rc\ival i>f popular inti-r.-sl in 

 horlioullure which has taken plat-.- liiirinj; the 

 last few years, the qtieslion of the laying oiil 

 i>t lliu jfartlen has naturally come more .-mil more 10 tlii- 

 fionl, with the result that it is now reeoivinij some of 

 the attention it deserves. 



l^f eoursf, in any case, the plan of .1 garden will show 

 some inilication of its desij^ner's individuality and ■•kill 

 in adapting special requirements to the site, by making 

 the most of any good natural feature, but, as a general 

 rule, garden designing may he roughly divided into two 

 classes, the formal style and the natural style. 



The formal type of garden design lakes largely into 

 account the style of the house ; for instance, if the house 

 be built on iHth century lines, the grounds around it 

 will be laid out more or less after the i8th century style, 

 with formal walks, and any garden buildings will follow 

 the principles of classic arehilerture. 



The natural style gives great scope for the exercise 

 of individual ideas, the design being boiuul by no fixed 

 rules. 



When ,-1 new house is to be built, and a garden made, 

 the ideal thing is for the owner, the architect, and the 

 gartlen designer to meet on the proposed site and con- 

 sult together. It is very rarely that this happens, 

 because t he house is usually built before much considera- 

 lion is given to the grounds around it. Therefore, 

 frequently, the house is not as con\eniently placed upon 

 the site as it might have been, and the probabilities are 

 that a few feet one way or the other would have made 

 u gieat dift'erence to the designer of the garden, and 

 very little 10 the architect. 



Whichever style of laying out the garden is adopted, 

 I Ik whole plan should be made out on paper and given 

 full consideration first before a spadeful of earth is 

 moved, because, as may be imagined, the total cost 

 reaches a far higher figure in the end when a badly 

 arranged plan is changed for an improved one after 

 the work on the ground has been started. 



In dealing with large areas of land, or where it is 

 very hillv and broken up, it is necessary to use a theo- 

 dolite, but on a small piece of ground the difliculty of 

 levels can generally be solved quite satisfactorily with 

 the assistance of a 14 feet straight-edge, a spirit level. 

 and some dozens of wooden pegs. The lines along 

 which to take the levels can be sighlcil by poles if 

 necessary. 



\ garden is intended to be used and enjoyed for 

 many years, therefore all the work should be thoroughly 

 well done, keeping in mind its permanent char.aeter. 

 and " no scamping over " must be allowed. 



Kor instance, when making paths, the earth should 

 be excavated to a good depth, and replaced by brick- 

 bats and clinkers, well rammed down, then a layer of 

 tiner material, and finally a surfacing of gravel. Such 

 paths will be pleasant to walk on at all times of the 

 year, as the rain will run ofl quickly. 



In conclusion, it may be said that there is an immense 

 amount of pleasure and interest to be gained from 

 making a garden, as it combines the practical with the 

 beautiful. H. T. 



