IRISH GARDENING 



185 



Iwonty ffallons of water is quite stronff lmiou^Ii 

 l:iUlioii);li Uio Dopaitmcnt's loaliel on "'llie Apple" 

 reeomineiiils one pound to ten gallons ol walei). 

 Sulphate ot' copper can be had at the rate oi is. 6tl. 

 per Ih. tVoin any drugj^ist. It takes a considerable 

 time to dissolve, so thai it is well to piepare the mix- 

 ture a day or so before il is required. 1 his. as well as 

 mo->t other sprays, are the better for being applied with 

 .1 sprayer. Of these there are several, and the 

 I'lrineiie is ;is satisfactory as an_\'. although it diies 

 not hold .1 very large quantity of liquid at a lime. It is 

 .'i hantl m.acliine, and can be liatl lor J5S. ctwuplelt' 

 wall rubber lube from any of the Dublin seedsmen. 

 This rubber lube is not ;i necessity, but enables the 

 user to spra\" larg'er trees with greater ease. When 

 buying il is advisable to gel some inloi mation as to the 

 working of the machine, as sooner or later il will go 

 wrong ,ind get slopped up, and one then feels rather a 

 fool not 10 know how it works. Remember, 100, not 10 

 leave any liquid in the sprayer alter use, as this cor- 

 rodes Ihe inside, and it is these sm.'iU panicles that 

 Slop np the passages in ihe spr;iyer. When the spra\'- 

 ing is completed toi'k o\er the ground under the trees, 

 as it will have got hard with the tramping. Kork over 

 all borders after planting and give them a tidy appear- 

 ance, but be careful not to injure bulbs, as they will 

 still be below the surface of Itie soil, .-^ny alterations 

 should be put in hands at once and the planting done 

 as soon as possible When planlingremember to allow 

 space for the plants to spread their stems when in lull 

 growth. Overcrowding is disastrous, as then the full 

 value of the plant cannot be obtained. All carting, 

 such as bringing in manure and removing rubbish, 

 should only be done when the ground is dr_v, otherwise 

 the soil lifts, and if frost comes it dries in hai"d ridges 

 and is unsightly. Christmas Roses coming into bloom 

 will do well with a covering either of small hand lights 

 or br.inches of some evergreen. This is simply to 

 keep them clean from mud splashes, and it also tends 

 slighily to draw them up a bit and so make the stalks 

 longer. 



Wet D.w Wc>rk. — In a garden, no matter how small, 

 there are always jobs, ifjobs are wanted, for wet days 

 that is to say, work that can be done under cover, and 

 which if not done during the winter will have to be 

 done on fine days, and so delay more important work. 

 Pegs for layering Carnations can be made. These are 

 always wanted, and can be made either from short 

 birch twigs or from wire. Cut the wire eight inches 

 or so long and turn over one end, so making a hook. 

 Labels — these get lost, buried, or they decay away 

 altogether. .Vny fit to save can be scraped and painted, 

 and it is only necessary to paint one side. Some may 

 even be written on with the names of the first spring 

 sowings, for which labels are sure to be wanted. 

 .Stakes, which aie untidy things to have lying abovit, 

 can be sorted into sizes, 

 scraped and tied up. Long 

 ones that have decayed at 

 the base may have the end 

 removed and be re-pointed. 

 Boxes for cuttings or sei'ds 

 can be looked over, cleaned, 

 and mentled where neces- 

 sary. .A *' handyman " can 

 run these together with very 

 little trouble, which rould 

 also be done during the 

 winter months. 



Gri-;hnhoi'se. — Some 01 

 the Chr\'santhemums will be 

 out t.^^ flower. These should 

 be cut down to within a 

 foot or so of Ihe base and 

 jjut in a bright place, pre- 



HlNTl 



ferably on a shell near the glass, or in a frame, until 

 good, firm growths are made. These growths make 

 tho best cuitings, and should be inserted singly in 

 small pots in a compost of luic loan) .and leal-mould 

 with ,'i small proporiiiin oi" s.'ind. Keep these cuttings 

 close — that is, niider a glass or handlighi — until they 

 are rooted. They will not require heat, and will make 

 linner and more satisfactory pl.ants wilhoiit it. If Lily 

 of the V'alley is wanted for Christmas and ISew Year, 

 the retarded crowns should be ordered at once and 

 potted up. If thi.s plan has not been tried belore, get 

 a few and see how they turn out. Cinerarias will be in 

 lull flower, ;ind the "garden varieties" will require 

 plenty of room owing 10 their large leaves. Those in 

 the habit of g^rowing this variety should see the new 

 colour, a beautiful brick red, under the name of 

 " .Matador," a very distinct and uncommon colour. Il 

 is now in flower at the Hotanic Gardens, Glasnevin, 

 and can be seen there in the large show house, known 

 as the Camellia House. Splash as Mule water as possible 

 in the greenhouse during the dull months, especially 

 where there is no heat, as there is very little di\ing in 

 the air, and more deaths are caused during the winter 

 from damp, both indoors and outside, than Ironi the 

 actual cold. 



.A useful and inexpensive Christmas present is a book 

 called "Saturday in my Garden," by K. H. harihing, 

 price ^^s. 6d. — a most useful book for amateurs with 

 small gardens. 



.A happy Christmas to you all ! 



Bulbs in Bowls. 



Bi LB culture in bowls appears to increase in 

 popularity every year. The reason is not lar to seek, 

 for anyone interested can make a try and olten be 

 successful in their own house. .V greenhouse, garden, 

 or even special knowledge is not requiied. If good 

 flowering sized bulbs of Daft'odils, Tulips, Hyacinths or 

 Crocus, i&c, are purchased these will already have 

 their flowers in an embryo slate in the bulbs; reserve 

 food is stored in the scales of the bulbs, so that all the 

 bulbs require is a supply of moisture, light air, and a 

 porous compost in which the roots may raniifv. 



Messrs. Hunter it Gow, wholesale horticultural 

 snndriesmen, in Liverpool, have designed a new 

 double octagon bowl wilh while body and blue figures. 

 It coiUains an inner bowl with holes in the bottom, 

 resting on the outer one, thus enabling the water to 

 drain into the outer bowl without disturbing the bulbs. 

 This prevents any possibility of the water lodging in the 

 inner bowl with the fibre, a'nd so keeps the "bulbs and 

 fibre in a sweet and healthy condition. 



A novel and cheap way of growing small Hyacinths, 

 Crocuses, or other bulbs is as follows :— Gather a 

 supply of moss from .a tiamp 

 hetigi'row', make a solid ball 

 ot' this about six or eight 

 inches in diameter. Place 

 the bulbs all round the ball, 

 adding moss between and 

 over the bulbs until they are 

 covered, and tie firmly wilh 

 siring or fine wire to keep 

 moss and bulbs in position. 

 Run a strong piece of wire 

 through the ball, fasten one 

 end in the ball, and loop the 

 other so that ihe ball may 

 be hung up in a light 

 place, then an occasional 

 dipping into a bucket of 

 water is all that the bulbs 

 require. 



\: Gow s Bill! Bowi. 



