12 



IRISH GARDENING 



(lower hud- on the previous year's growth may 

 be also visible. The 1 ree will in fad appear to the 

 uninitiated ;i- a rather tangled mass. 



The ni'\i winter the primer will have other 

 complications t<> deal with, as fruit buds lateral 

 and extension now exist, the lateral growing up- 

 wards, inward- and crossing. These are cut back 

 to at least Four buds from the base, or to about 

 two ami a half inches, [f anj branches are too 

 close rubbing each other one must be removed. 

 Extension shoots are again pruned back to 

 an outward bud facing the direction the branch 

 i- intended t<> lake thus completing the second 

 j ea r's pruning. 



Similar results will follow next summer, flower 

 buds, laterals and extensions developing, and in 



I inn i ding to be pruned back as already 



described and the process repeated annually. 



Flower buds are easilj distinguished, inasmuch 

 as they are round, |dnm|> and short, while the 

 woimI buds are long, thin, flat, and lie close to 

 the branch. 



It is a mistake i<> cut laterals too hard back, as 

 bj doing so more wood is produced. It is much 

 '"•tier iii err on the safe side, leaving four i>r five 

 buds, and these form fruit spurs, which can be 

 simplified or modified when the sap is directed 

 inward- the growing point of the branch. There 

 are exceptions to this rule in some varieties which 

 do nut respond exactly as the pruner desires, and 

 a slight change of tactics is required, yel the 

 principle remains. Certain varieties with a 

 weeping-willowy habit make it advisable, when 



shortening tl ktension, to select upward facing 



buds to encourage upward growth. Other 

 varieties have, a tendencj to fruit always on the 

 tips lit' the young wood, and here the objeel must 

 be the production of short twiggj growths. 

 Different varieties have their peculiarities, and 

 the grower must learn something of these and 

 prune accordingly. 



Tie- above applies to all the forms of trees 

 mentioned. The most important point is the 

 even distribution of the branches around the 

 tree ami the spacing of them so as to allow free 

 access between each branch in order that a man 

 maj not break off fruitful buds. If the space 

 becomes too large, it is easy to lay in a young 



si i. forming a secondarj branch to the main 



one. i»n t he other hand, in trees that are getting 

 older, overcrowding and shading may become 

 apparent Here it is easj to remove a branch in 

 such a position by the aid of a saw. care being 

 t a k'm to paint over the wound. 



standard. Bush, and Pyramids ol Pears and 

 I'm ms respond freelj in the earlj stages to the 

 sane form of pruning, and all that is required in 

 winter is the cutting ou1 of crossing upright 

 laterals and the shortening ot all laterals. 



Gooseberries are for d and pruned in the 



same way, bu1 ii is much easier to prune them, 

 as thej fruil on the young as well as on the old 

 wood. Therefore, .1- an old branch can be cut 



OUt and a young one laid in to lake its place, a 



greater number of branches maj be allowed, and 

 t hey maj l>c closer in 1 he gooseberrj , rf sufficient 

 room is allowed to permit of the hand passing 

 up and down without scratching the bush will 

 he 1 hin enough. 



Red Curr vnts, like apples, bear on t he old 



wood, and the pruning 1- exactly similar in 



principle; the laterals and extensions are cut 



loser in. the centre being kept open to admit 



sunlight . 



Black Ci rrants fruit freelj on the one year 



old wood, and the treatment here consists in 

 cutting the young tree hack severely to get as 

 much growth as possible from the base of the 

 tree, and therebj to establish a succession of 

 young wood annually bj removing the old close 

 to the ground. Thus the tree is constantlj kepi 

 supplied with young wood for the production of 

 fruil. 



Raspberries? are verj easilj pruned, having 

 annual shoots. Immediately the fruit is picked 

 pruning should begin bj cutting out the one- 

 Near old canes thai have borne a crop. Again in 

 winter all weak canes and surplus -hoots oughl 

 to he cut out . leaving the line or clump moderately 

 thin to admit sunlighl and air. The points of 

 1 he remaining ones are shortened back to the 

 desired height. 



Working of the Soil. 



Bj Andrew K. Pearson, K.IMI.s.. l.ota Lodge, 

 < ■ Ian mire. Co. ( !ork. 



The deep working of the soil is ol such importance 

 as an aid to the production of high-class garden 

 produce that a short article on the ,-uhtect at 

 this season may he ><\' some value to readers of 

 Irish Gardening. 



We ale II -ed to seeinu t he soil W o! ked so hadl V 



in the general run of gardens thai the wonder i- 



how plants grow at all. I am aware that the 

 common plea. " want of labour," ha- a lot to do 

 with the matter, and many large gardens suffer 

 on thai account. I would therefore advise in 



-llcli cases a systematic routine of piecemeal 



trenching, taking a square or half square one 

 year, another the next, and so on until the whole 

 garden has been deeply worked, certainly not 

 less than 30 inches deep, and preferablj deeper. 

 I practice trenching up to I feet deep, and have 



never had reason to regret the bringing up of the 

 crudest subsoil to the surface, there to leave it 



lo I he element- ill their fair and their foul 

 altitude- to deal with and make it lit for the 

 production of high class fruits, flowers and 

 vegetables. Doubtless, there are subsoils which 

 can onlj he dealt with prolitahh by bringing 

 graduallj to 1 he top. Bastard trenching in such 



a case is the correct thing. In my experience. 

 however, of o\er a quarter of a century, gained 

 from m v apprentice days, on the still -oil of the 

 " Kingdom of fife " to the plains of Sylhet, ami 

 noting in mv travel- similar work ill the South 



African veldt. I cannot recall one instance of 

 failure by hold treatment of the subsoil. I maj 



Say, however. I know of -mli failures, hut thej 

 are the exception, and being so unusual I hive 

 no hesitation in recommending 1 he practice of 

 bringing up the subsoil For the disintegrating 



force- of the -nil. rain, wind, frost and snow lo 

 lame into ii.-elul soil. 



Resides the advantage of having a greater 

 hulk of useful soil, you obtain a heller drained. 



therefore a wanner and earlier, soil for the growth 



Of plants. I II exl leliiel \ dl'V - 1 1 1 1 1 II I ers 1 he hen e I i t s 



are of the most marked kind. Plants luxuriate 

 by sending their root- deep down into the rich 

 and cooling -tore, when vegetation actuallj 

 ceases to live on shallow soils. Then in wet, sun- 

 less summers the deeplj trenched soil remains 



i\i\ and warm, whereas I he -hallow soil becomes 



