176 



IRISH GARDENMNG 



ing satisfactorily next season. With established trt-es 

 it is much better in every respect that pruning- should 

 be done now than to be left until the spring. When 

 pruning various sorts of trees attention must be paid to 

 their different modes of bearing. Some kinds bear 

 almost exclusively on the wood of the previous year, 

 while others bear on spurs attached to the old wood. 



Bl'SH Fritt. — The present is the best time for 

 making new plantations. Select a fresh bed when 

 possible, provided with suitable soil and drainage, and 

 be careful to make the holes wide enough to allow the 

 rjots to be spread out in a horizontal position. Trees 

 large enough to be swayed about with the wind should 

 be staked securely immediately after being planted. 

 Three stakes forming a triangle are better than one 

 stake placed close to the tree. By the former method 

 the injurious hole — which by the swaying of the tree 

 makes the stake worse than useless -is prevented from 

 being formed. 



The Vegetable CJmden. 



By Wm. TynI).\li., Horlicultural Inslruclor, 

 Co. Kildare. 



MrCH lime will now be given to cleaning up 

 fallen leaves, as these, like all garden refuse, 

 as cabbage and cauliflower leaves and stumps, 

 yellow leaves on Brussels sprouts, late pea haulm, &c., 

 should be cleared away or dug deeply into the soil. 

 This raises an important question to good vegetable 

 growers, viz. : — Are all soils bencHled by autumn dig- 

 ging? It is one on which gar'deners oittime differ, and 

 yet all may be right. Some years ago 1 tried to get 

 the views of good vegetable growers in the pages of 

 Irish Gardf.ning on the above subject, and also on 

 the question of manuring sandy soils at this time of 

 year for next season's crops, but failed. 



To do away with injurious grubs and wireworm in 

 soils, the ground shoidd be deeply dug or, better, 

 trenched, leaving the surface rough, and covering the 

 ground lightly with old gas lime. In the spring, before 

 cropping the ground, a dressing of soot and liuie. 

 wood ashes and burnt garden refuse, will be foimd of 

 much benefit, not alone in making the soil impleasant 

 for these pests, but also in encouraging quicker and 

 better growth in such crops as spinach, onions, carrots, 

 in fact all garden crops. 



Celkri.\c. — Where severe frosts may harm this crop, 

 it should be lifted and stored in sand in a cool shed. 

 This is much safer than covering with straw or leaves. 

 This vegetable, like Kohl Rabi, is now being much 

 grown, antl both ave most useful fi"om this time till 

 spring. 



Gl.OBK .Articiiokks. — Where these wore growing 

 strongly the severe frost of the 2nd and ^^rd October 

 did some injury to the strongest shoots, so that the 

 plants should be protected by putting some long ih y 

 litter over them. 



Rl!UH.\RB. — This forces quite easily after the plants 

 have got a few nights' frost. Under the stage of a 

 warm greenhouse, if there is sufficient room for the 

 stalks to grow, is a good place, but light should be ex- 

 cluded and plenty of soil or leaf mould put around the 

 roots of the plants. Many force rhubarb where the 

 plants 5,'row by covering the crowns with barrels or 



boxes, and then covering all with a mixtm'e of stable 

 manure and leaves, mixed and turned a couple of times 

 before placing over the boxes or barrels, putting it at 

 least three feet deep and a couple of feet wider than 

 the box or barrel, and these, if the bottoms are loose 

 and can be easily lifted off, will be found very con- 

 venient for pulling the stalks of rhubarb when grown. 

 Care should be taken not to let the covering get too 

 hot, which often happens when manure alone is used, 

 as then the heat rises quickly, but soon cools. Leaves 

 prevent a very burning heat and make the covering 

 keep the heat much longer. 



Cabbage. — Plants put out during .September and 

 early October have only just begun to grow. If fine 

 weather comes in this month run the hoe occasionally be- 

 tween the lines to help growth and keep down weeds. 



AsiWR.AGl'S. — The growths on asparagus have now 

 ripened and can be cut down, thegroimd being cleanecl 

 and given a good mulch of half decayed manure. 

 During the autumn I have seen many young beds of 

 .'ispjiragus iiijured b\' allowing the wind and rain to 

 lireak the strongest growths through not staking the 

 plants. 



In last mouth's number 1 wrote of this season not 

 being a good one for exhibitors of vegetables, and this 

 opinion was confirmed after seeing the vegetables 

 staged from the si^nny souih at Clonmel Show on 

 3rd October, not one dish being above the average and 

 \ery matiy much below it. The fruil. especially' apples, 

 at this show were magnificent, and I hope to give my 

 impressions of the many fine dishes in the next nimiber. 

 Turnins,' back to vegetables, let me mc what were the 

 best dishes in the cup class in Uubliii. In the first prize 

 exhibit were the finest onions in the show, and seldom 

 have I seen better finished bulbs. C.uiliflov\er, leeks, 

 and carrots were also very fine and beautifully staged. 

 Celery was also good. In the second prize lot wore 

 grand celery, extra strong, clean, and well blanched, a 

 pair of model cucumbers, twelve perfect tomatoes, very 

 nice table potatoes, and some grand cabbage poorly 

 staged, being almost hidden. In the class of six kinds 

 Dr, Bi'owne wjis easily first, his otiions, carrots, and 

 celery being first-rate and well staged. I should like 

 to see at least one head of celery in each collection cut 

 by the judges, as my experience this year has been that 

 very much of the celery staged had started, and often 

 badly, conset|uentl\' received few points when being 

 iudged. 



5^* 8^^ ^^ 



Ciii.viisK Hr.amhi.i:s. 



Bl';c.\lSF. jilants are new there is a disliiu'i iiicliii.-i- 

 tion to pile on undue praise. Such seems to be the 

 case with these new Brambles, and garden owners 

 should be wary in admitting them into the garden. 

 True, .among the newer kinds there are some harm- 

 less and .almost spineless evergreen species, like K. 

 bambusaruni, Henryi, flagelliformis, valuable as 

 climbers for their foliage, and some of the whitc- 

 stennned section, like R. biflorus quinqueflorus, and 

 tiiraldianus, and maybe a few handsome-leaved ones, 

 like R. thibetanus, may be useful for the wild garden, 

 but for horticultural purposes, as a well-known hardy 

 plautsman remarked, "it would have been no loss if 

 the majorilv li:id been left in Chin.i." li. 



