IRISH GARDENING 



i Kula'ti on iIk- upper pi)ilion ullli lu-aulilul 

 coppery, yellow-rcii timed llowers. 



E. tiirkestaniciis, from 'rurkestaii, is another 

 of the smaller f,>-ro\vin!; kiiuls, heariiij,'' spikes of 

 rather dull yellow llowers t'roiii amonj,'- narrow 

 i;lauious leaves some twelve inches to filteen 

 inches loiij;. 



Iv. Warei, probably of hyhriil orlj^in, exists in 

 various colours, such as InilV, yellow, lemon and 

 pink, I he leaves beint; narrow anil keeleil, 

 \aiyinij in colour from i^ieen to j^l.iucous on 

 dirt'erent plants. I'he linest collection ol \i. 

 Warei lorms known to the writei is in the 

 posession oi' Mr. Beamish, ol' Glounthane, Co. 

 I. ork, who, with unfailiny ijenerosity, presented 

 a set to the Koyal tianlcns, ('ilasne\in. 



Experiments on the Pollination 

 ol our I lardy Fruits. 



My Cicii. H. lloon:n, M.K.A.C. 



TllROl'tlll the kindness of Mr. W. \i. S. 

 Ilrle-Drax I was able to make some 300 

 trials in his beautiful fiuil j.jardens at 

 Olantiijh 'rowers, Wye, Kent. 



Ihe three (.[uestions 1 wished to try to tjet 

 information on were: — (i) Can fruits set and 

 mature without the visit of hive, bumble, and 

 other wild bees? (2) t'an tVuit set and mature 

 when pollinated with the pollen ol the same 

 variety or tlower? (3) Does fruit set and mature 

 better where the blossoms are pollinated with 

 pollen of another variety? 



GoosEBiiKKiEs .\xi5 Clrr.wts. In the goose- 

 berry and red, white and black currants the 

 pollen is globular and viscid, ani.1 the pollen is 

 unable to be transferred from the anther to the 

 stigma except by some mechanical means, such 

 as the visit of an insect to transport the pollen 

 t'rom the anther to the stigma. Two bags 

 on each bush were placed over unopened blos- 

 soms on several bushes oi' gooseberry, red and 

 while currants. The tirst bag w as lell untouched 

 during the flowering period, the secoiul was 

 opened, and each flower that was opened 

 was dusted with a camel's liair brush, with 

 the result that on Jthe untouched boughs of 

 gooseberr)- and currants very few fruits set, 

 and those apparently only where rubbed by the 

 bag ; whilst in the second bag, where hand pol- 

 linated with their own pollen, in the case of 

 the gooseberry the fruit set almost as plentifull) 



as in the opeti. It wouKI probably have set just 

 as well if the flowers that were open had been 

 pollinated several times instead of only twice, 

 as the gooseberry opens its "(lowers graduall) 

 from base to lip. In the red and white currants 

 bagged, but hand pollinated, Ihe fruil set as 

 well ov rather belter than in the open. This 

 year and last year .Messrs. Little iV .ANery, in the 

 County Council Jvxperiment Hardens in Cumber- 

 laiul, put muslin hoods over bushes of goose 

 berry, reil and black currant, and found the im- 

 prisoneil hushes set very little fruit, and that 

 diminutive in size. Hive and bumble bees do 

 very nearly all the pollination of the gooseberry, 

 retl and black currant ; the lesson to be drawn 

 from the results oi' the various trials is the great 

 importance of having hive or bumble bee^ in the 

 neighbourhood of plantations of gooseberries 

 and currants. Gooseberries, red and black cur- 

 rants are each about four weeks in bloom. 

 These berry fruits set perfectly with pollen oi 

 the same tlower or same variety. 



Str.\wberriiss. — In the case of straw bei ries, 

 the box part of a glass hand-light was placed 

 around a " Royal Sovereign " plant and muslin 

 was tied over the top ; this was done before 

 any of the flowers had opened. Muslin bags 

 were also placed over bunches of blossom buds 

 of several other varieties, but in each case the 

 fruit set as well or nearly as well as in the open ; 

 apparently no insects had entered. The weather 

 was unusually sunny. Apparently the move- 

 ment of the air carries the pollen to some extent 

 from the anthers to the stigma in the same 

 flower in the case of the strawberries in the 

 open air. Strawberries commence to tlower 

 about a month before the fruit is ripe. 



R.xspuKRRiEs .\\p Ix)C..\\h!-:rries. — Several 

 bunches oi' unopened buds oi "Superlative" 

 raspberry and loganberry were enclosed in 

 muslin bags. Fruits set but were not, as a rule, 

 quite so large or well developed in those bagged 

 as in those in the open. IIi\e bees are very 

 fond of raspberry and loganberry flowers, ap- 

 parently preferring them to those of the straw- 

 berry ; the honey made from raspberries is very 

 fine. Raspberries and loganberries set perl'ectly 

 with pollen oi' the same variety, but apparently 

 10 get the best results the blossoms require 

 plentv of bees. One raspberry grower considers 

 he gets better crops by having different varieties 

 in his plantation, as the fruit sets better where 

 varieties are mixed ; but before recommending 



