36 



IRISH GARDENING 



erected, a magnificent and compact range of 

 glasshouses has been erected, an excellent 

 plant nursery and propagating department has 

 been constructed, and new conservatories are 

 in course of construction, all of which have 

 cost large sums of money, more money than 

 has been spent on Glasnevin Gardens since it 

 was founded in 1794. Despite this large 

 expenditure the endowment fund attached to 

 the garden now amounts to ^120,000, and a 

 liberal annual appropriation for the support of 

 the garden is given in addition. Happy garden ! 

 The collection of trees and shrubs is arranged 

 in groups and natural orders, occupying most 

 of the garden, and as in all American large 

 gardens it is one of the chief features. There 

 are beds in which the plants are grouped in their 

 natural families, and an interesting feature is a 

 collection of hardy plants used in domestic 

 economy — that is, plants which produce food, 

 fibres, drugs, &c. One of the boggy places has 

 been partly excavated, and forms a suitable place 

 for water lilies and aquatics, of which there is an 

 e.xcellent collection. The large conservatories 

 occupy an elevated site in front of the museum 

 building. They are arranged as three complete 

 sides and part of a fourth side of a quadrilateral, 

 the missing part of the fourth side being an 

 opening to the plot of ground enclosed by the 

 houses, and in this plot there are two large 

 tanks for Nymphfeas. The front face has a 

 circular central portion — the palm house — from 

 which is a wing on each side 100 feet long by 

 33 feet wide and 30 feet high. At the end of 

 each wing is a square house, from which again 

 the lateral houses run, so that there is inter- 

 communication through this great range of 

 houses from end to end. These conservatories 

 are built of iron and are of a type which, in our 

 country, would fill a gardener with dismay and 

 horror were he called on to grow plants in them. 

 The inmates bear testimony to the suitability 

 of these structures for the climate of New York. 

 I can give the highest commendation to the 

 excellent cultivation I saw there, and to the 

 health of the plants. The Orchids, which are 

 grown in one of the large wings, were very 

 healthy ; there were some fine specimens, and 

 a group of Vandas was one of the best bits of 

 plant-growing I saw in America. To my mind 

 the most effective group was one of iMusas, 

 Strelitzias, and .Anthuriums forming a grand, 

 iKallhy aiul imposing mass of tropical vegeta- 



tion, all in perfect condition. Much attention 

 is now being given to the Cactacea;, of which 

 there is a fine collection containing many noble 

 masses. A sum of ^3,000 per annum has been 

 set aside by this garden and allied gardens to 

 enable a thorough survey of this family to be 

 made. Mr. Nash, the Curator, deserves the 

 highest credit and praise for his skilful culti- 

 vation, and for the cleanliness and order which 

 prevails. 



{'I o he conti)nu'iL) 



Pruning tor Apples. 



By C. B. Pike, Baskin Hill Fruit Farm, CloKliran. 



THIS is an article for beginners, who 

 generally start fruit-growing with the 

 idea that pruning is a very difficult 

 operation and only learnt after years of ex- 

 perience. In reality it is extremely easy, and to 

 be understood only requires that the fruit- 

 grower should learn the habit of growth 

 of an apple tree, and the reason why he 

 should prune at all. We will start with a 

 maiden tree (or one year old) on the Paradise 

 stock as purchased from the nursery. If 

 this is planted in good, well-tilled ground, 

 such as is generally found in a garden, and left 

 imtouched, it will teach us a great deal. As 

 received it was, perhaps, three or four feet high 

 and straight, like a whip, with little buds all up 

 the stem. At the end of a year these little buds 

 have changed considerably, Thej'are no longer 

 little buds but nice, plump, grey little fellows, 

 most pleasing to the eye of a fruit-grower, for 

 the)' are fruit buds ; one or two of them have 

 probably sprouted, and our tree has some 

 rather ungainly side branches in consequence, 

 and these side branches have the little pointed 

 leaf buds ; also the whip-like tree has grown a 

 little taller, and on the new growth are also the 

 leaf buds. Now, the fruit buds in the follow- 

 ing summer would, bar accidents, produce 

 fruit, and the leaf buds would produce leaves. 

 In another year the leaf buds on the side 

 branches and other new growths would have 

 changed into fruit buds ; further new growth 

 would be made, and we should have apples 

 every year ; but — and here comes the reason for 

 pruning — the tree would be ungainly and ugly 

 and not fitted for a cultivated garden. There- 

 fore vou will see that we do not, or rather 

 should not. pr\uie a tree to get apples but to 



