8 



IRISH GARDENING 



will rooted they should be potted up singly into 

 three-inch pots if varieties are .-rarer ; if plentiful, 

 as a rule we pot the three plan 1 - on into ;i [our 

 or five-inch po1 ; in this way, when the flowering 

 season comes, we can afford to take a smaller 

 number of flowers From each plant, and yet have 

 a well furnished specimen with twelve to fifteen 

 flowers, ami we gel better flower. The compost 

 used at this potting is three parts loam, one pari 

 leaf soil, sand ami lime rubbish, to each barrow 

 load of soil is added a seven-inch po1 of bone 

 ineal ami Thomson's plant manure mixed a1 the 

 rate of two of bone tneal t<> one of Thomson's. 

 The pots should lie well cleaned and crocked In 

 allow ilm water to pass quickly through, lor it' 

 the plants gel in any way waterlogged tie- soil 

 becomes soured, am! the plant gets a cheek 

 from which it never gets over. Pol firmly, bu1 

 do not lam. Alter potting the plants are placed 

 rn-ar the glass in a cool house until such time as 

 they get a. good start, when they are shifted to a 

 cool frame outside. Care should he taken that 

 frosl does not gel at them, and they should lie 



covered lip ev el v night. Ahont the first Week ill 



April they are gone over, and most of 'he varieties 



are -topped, and in ahont a fortnight's time, 

 when they have started to break, they are potted 

 into six or seven-inch pots in tie- same compost 

 as the previous potting. The) are then put hack 

 in the frame ami kept close lor a day or two until 

 they start to grow', when air is gradually given 

 until the lights can he taken off altogether in the 

 dayt line. 



Two or three -hoots having been allowed to 

 come away from the firsl stop about the end of 

 May, they will have to he -due over again and 

 stopped, allowing two or three -hoots to come 



away again. In a Eortnight's time they are then 

 ready for t heir final shift . 



Tie- composl used for this pqtting is rather 

 heavier, it being four part- loam, one of sand. 



leaf soil, horse droppings if they call he got, and 



lime rubbish it procurable : if lime rubbish cannot 

 he got, a good substitute is a live-inch pot of hot 

 lime to the hariow load of soil, and the same 

 quantity of artificial manure a- in the previous 



potting. The pot- should lie Well clocked for 



this [jotting, a- they have to stand the weather 

 outside all summer, ami if it is a wet season it 



they are not well nocked the plants will soon 



get waterlogged. The plants should he Hrmlj 



potted, hut not over-rammed, and should not 



he filled higher than within three inches of the 

 rim. so a- to allow a top-dressing to be given them 

 about the middle or end of August, of good 

 fibrous loam, -ami with some artificial manure 

 mixed throughit; the plant- by this time being 

 well rooted require some stimulant to keep them 

 growing. 



\- soon a- the plant- -tart to mow alter 1 he 



final potting they should he staked, about four 

 Bamboo cane- to a pot. ami laced with raffia to 

 prevent the shoots getting broken with the wind. 

 From the beginning to the middle of September 

 t he plants will be showing buds, when they should 

 he gone over and disbudded, allowing one or more 

 buds to each shoot, according to the variety, this 

 giving a well furnished plant. \.bou1 the first 

 week in October the plants should he housed, as if 



left out after this date Ihev are liable to he 



damaged with early frosts. Before housing them 

 they should he gone over ami given a good 

 spraying on the under side of the leaf with a 

 sol ut ion of lime and sulphur a hoi it a wineglassful 



to the three-gallon can of water. This act- as 



a preventive for mildew and rust, which t he plants 

 are liable to gel when housed. After they are 

 housed they should he given, at regular intervals 

 until they begin to show colour, a fumigating 

 with " X.I.." Fuinigantj tin- help- to kill and 

 keep [down thrip and greenfly. Plenty ol air 

 should he given the plants until they start to 

 show colour, when airing must he more carefullj 

 done, and at this stage a little artificial heat 

 should he t ii rued on t he house at night, ami if the 

 weather is wet and dull in the daytime, to dry 

 up any dampness that may he in the house. 

 They will not require so much watering now. so 

 that the watering pot should he used judiciousl) 

 so as to keep the flowers fresh as long a.- possible. 



The above notes on the cultivation are for general 

 purposes. <>i course, if blooms are required for 

 exhibition, more care and attention is required, 

 as in the case of the Japanese flower. Late 

 varieties will have to he pinched earlier than 

 earlier varieties: then again some varieties give 

 the best and most refined flowers on certain 

 buds, ami this has to he taken into consideration, 

 and it is only by careful watching and attention 

 t hat t his can he at tained. 



The following are some of the best varieties 

 either for cutting or exhibition purposes in their 

 different colours : 



Whiles. /'/'///,-. 



Mensa. Kdit h Pagra m. 



Robert Thorpe. Park's Seedling, 



Florence Robinson. Florrie King. 



I'urit v. Miss May Thorne. 



Mis. ||. Herbert. Metta. 



Snow Make. Caledonia. 



Yellow. 

 Josephine. 

 Celia. 



Mrs. F. C. Hunter. 

 Mrs. T. Fox. 



( ri iiismi . 

 Felix. 



Samlown Radiance. 

 Mrs. \V. I.e.'. 



.1. B. Lowe. 



.1. Gresswolde Williams. Merstham .lewd. 



Bronze. 

 Bronze Pagram. 



( 'low II Jewel I uipri iv ed 



( icil ie \\ hit enia n. 



e^* c^* e^* 



IIvimiy Wintek Flowers i.\ December. 



Those who like to have a hit of white heather 



for Xinas should grow a few plants of the While 

 German Heath (Erica carnea alba); it usuallj 

 opens its flowers before the nevi year, ami some 

 weeks in advance of the pink form. The brightest 

 of all tin- winter flowers i- the com iron Jessamine, 



while the SWeetesI one IS the Winter Sweet 



(Chimonanthus fragrans); to give the maximum 

 amount of flowers, the latter requires a sunny 



wall, not because the shrub is tender, hut to 

 ensure the shoots being Well ripened. 



There are two Winter Honeysuckles known as 

 I , i, nil era I Tag I a nt issi ma and L. Standishii. the 

 former has rounded leaves, and is half evergreen, 

 and i- often recon i n nuded . hut I.. Standishii is 



far more free in flowering ; both are verj fragrant . 

 Garrya elliptica is an evergreen, useful as a hush 

 or for covering a wall: it.- lone ornamental 

 catkins were just at their best for Xinas 

 although they are usually later. 



The lies) of the Witch Hazels is Hamamelis 

 mollis, 'out all of them are bright and curious. 



