^A 



IRISH GARDENING 



such a practice we need to test the tact. Rasp- 

 berries remain in flower about six weeks, and 

 take about six weeks between commencing: to 

 flower and fruit bein^ ripe. 



We now come to a i,'roup of fruits which ni 

 general do not set well with their own pollen, 

 and in many varieties will not set at all. These 

 include the cherry, the apple, the pear, and the 

 plum. 



Cherries. — Out of some nine varieties of 

 cherry experimented with, placing three muslin 

 or paper bags on each tree, none set fruit in 

 any of the bags in which the flowers were left 

 untouched ; in the case of those flowers pollinated 

 by a camel's hair brush with pollen of the same 

 variety, onlyMorello set fruit, whereas in those 

 pollinated with pollens of other varieties, they all 

 set fruit. These facts seem to show two im- 

 portant features in cherry cultivation — first, 

 that there should be plenty of bees in the 

 neighbourhood ; second, that it is advantageous 

 to intermix varieties of cherries, as it seems as 

 if Morello is one oi the only cherries that will 

 set fruit with its own pollen ; however, more 

 experiments are needed on this point with 

 cherries, also" certain varieties of cherry may be 

 found to be better poUenizers than others, and 

 therefore better suited for intermixing. The 

 different varieties of cherries flower nearly at 

 the same time, Morello being late in flowering. 

 They seem to be in flower some twenty-two 

 days, and in full flower on the seventh or 

 eighth day. 



Plums. — In the case of plums, trials were 

 made on eleven varieties ; of those flower buds 

 bagged and left untouched, fruit only set and 

 matured on two varieties — viz., X'ictoria and 

 Czar ; but in the Czar only one truit. Of those 

 blossom buds bagged and pollinated with their 

 own pollen five varieties set and matured fruit — 

 viz., Victoria, Czar, Denniston's Superb, 

 Bittern and Rivers' liarly Prolific ; these appear 

 to be more or less self-fertile. Of other varieties 

 that were tried, but did not in these trials set 

 fruit, were Cox's iMnperor, July Greengage, 

 I'ond's Seedling', Jcfterson and Early Orleans. 

 All varieties except V'ictoria seem to set Iruit 

 more plentifully and finer when pollinated wilh 

 another variety ; in the cases where they were 

 cross-pollinated with another variety, nearly all 

 set fruit, (iood fruit was produced on \'ictoria 

 X Czar pollen, \'ictoria x Denniston's Superb 



pollen. Rivers' Early Prolific x Denniston's 

 Superb pollen. Pond's Seedling x Czar pollen, 

 the fruit produced by the cross being generally 

 larger than where pollinated with pollen of the 

 same variety. These pollinations were made 

 without emasculation. According to Mr. VV. 

 Backhouse's very careful experiments on plums 

 at the John Innes' Horticultural Research 

 Station, which he gives me permission to 

 quote, he finds Early Orleans, Late Orange, 

 Sultan, Late Orleans, Kirke's Blue, a "Sloe," 

 Coe's Golden Drop, Early Greengage, Blue 

 Imperatrice, Late Transparent and Washington 

 absolutely self-sterile. Greengage and Reine 

 Claude d'.Mtham apparently self-sterile. His- 

 ton Greengage very nearly self-sterile. Ri\ ers' 

 Early Prolific, though not absolutely self-sterile, 

 is better cross-pollinated, whilst Victoria, Per- 

 shore, Denniston's Superb, Early Transparent, 

 Reine Claude \'iolette or Purple Gage, all set 

 fruit with their own pollen, nearly every flower 

 truss had to be thinned. In Mr. Backhouse's 

 experiments he used very transparent paper 

 bags chiefl)' thirteen inches by seven inches, 

 purchased from Miller, Glasgow, costing nearly 

 ten shillings per hundred. 



Karlv F/tKvcrinn: — Grand Duke, Monarch, 

 Old Greengage, Black Diamond, Cox's Emperor. 



J//V/ FlinDcring. — Cheshire Damson, Bradley's 

 King K^i Damsons, X'ictoria, Cox's Golden Drop, 

 Jeft'erson. 



Lille F/irii'cn'iin: Prince luigelbert, Rivers' 

 liarly Prolific, Sutton, Czar, Cullen's Golden 

 Gage, Pond's Seedling. Plums are in flower 

 about 19 davs, and in full flower on the eighth 

 day. 



( To be coittiiiHcil). 



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NANmXA DOMESTIC.A. 



This is .111 I'li'^anl shrub, sonielliiiig like ;i lianiboo 

 in appearance : llie leaves are evergreen and finely 

 divided. It i? doing very well in some Irish g.irdens, 

 and allhouj^h not considered generally hardy, it has 

 stood out ontside in the south, and also in Co. Dublin. 

 It llowers but docs not bear berries as a rule in Hritain. 



In China it bears quantities of red berries, and takes 

 the place of our English Holly, and is called by the 

 Chinese " Tein-Chok," or Sacred Bamboo. Large 

 quantities are brought in from the country and hawked 

 about the streets. It is used for the decoration of 

 altars, temples, and private dwellings 



To establish it in the garden, buy plants in pots, and 

 pl.inl thcin in sheltered places in spring. 



