20 



IRISH GARDENING 



the soil has been left until spring, 1 recommend 

 no farmyard manure to be used unless it is 

 thoroughly decayed ; it is better to depend on 

 good cultivation of the soil and potash manures 

 and also the addition of the lime on the surface : 

 if there is any deficiency of manure in the soil 

 this can be made up in the feeding of the plant- 

 when in bloom. 



The care of the plants when coming into or 

 in full bloom is most important, especially to 

 the exhibitor, and after numerous experiments 

 I rely on the following : — Constant hoeing at 

 t he \ >t\ leasl once a week ; secondly, taking care 

 that the roots are always kept reasonably moist 

 by watering in dry weather with soot -water or 

 water with the addition of a quarter ounce of 

 sulphate of potash to the gallon, and every two 

 weeks throughout the flowering season watering 

 in or applying on a rainy day a nice dressing of 

 Mackereth's Sweet Pea manure. 



The principle of disbudding to two and three 

 stems, as adopted by some exhibitors, is one ! 

 do not agree with, as without doubl it takes 

 from the grace and elegance of the flower, and 

 very often from the intensity of colour, and in 

 tnosl instances nothing bul coarse rough flowers 

 is the result. While disbudding to some extent 

 can he carried out with advantage, it should be 

 done with greal care, and no matter how 

 delicate the variety is. due account should be 

 taken of the strength of the individual plant 

 one is aboul to operate on. Some of the weakest 

 growers we have will often carry four stems, 

 and only in the case of a delicate plant would 

 I be tempted to prune to t wo stems. In the case 

 '>t vigorous growers, such as .Mrs. (\ W. Bread 

 more. .Maud Holme- &c., five and six stem 

 should lie the rule, and certainly never less than 

 four, as the plant that is not in good enough 

 health to cany this number will rarely, if ever, 

 be fil to give an exhibition bloom no matter 

 how one disbuds it . 



A lew words to t he exhibitor. 



Many prizes are Lost al i he la: I fence The 

 flower, have been grown alright, bul many 

 ha ■>■ been broughl to I he 3hovi thai should 

 have been left at home, and many left at home 

 that would have shone and caughl the judge's 



e\e. 



It is not the enormous overgrown flower thai 



the judges like to see. Indeed | am SOITy to 

 say. there are exceptions, a- I often see awards 

 made in some of our local shows that should 



never have been made exhibits containing 

 large, coarse, and sometimes dirty flowers thai 

 may have lasted until the judge has passed, 



but if there had been anj delay and the tent 



got warm the chance of success was absolutely 

 gone. 



When cutting for exhibition if one sees a 

 large flower that is full-blown, or has the smallest 

 blemish or spot on it. pull the head off it and 

 trample it on the ground just for fear of being 

 one flower short and being tempted to include 

 it in your bunch. Go one short by all means: 

 bring a stem instead with two flowers on it ; do 

 anything but bring a flower that is sure to spoil 

 the whole lot. Judges are looking for weak 

 spots, not for perfect blooms, and you need not 

 think to hide these imperfections, as the judge 

 is sure to find them. Have your flowers clean, 

 young, and fresh. 



The careless staging of good blooms accounts 

 for the loss of numerous prizes. Go to the show 

 early, take things quietly, do not bother about 

 your opponents' flowers — in fact do not look a1 

 them, your eye always catches their best ones. 

 Stage your poorest bunches first, and take more 

 time and care with them : but always remember 

 no matter how good you are. you have nothing 

 to spare, and you have not won a prize, no 

 matter how many onlookers tell you that yours 

 are the best, until the judge has placed the 

 prize card on your stand ; then, and then only, 

 can you draw a sigh of relief. 



Sweet Peas and other P.s. 



I'u't'K versus Luck. 



Lodj 



Drogheda , 



By E. Osborne, Cowslip 



I am writing as an amateur exhibitor to other 

 amateur exhibitors —just a few notes on how 

 to win. I am sure we have all had that remark 

 made to us : ( )h ' how lucky you were to win." 

 as if it was some lottery and we had drawn the 

 winning number, ;>\"\ that is the end of it. One 

 feels thai in the back of the speaker's mind is 

 the idea : " Wha1 is the use of showing against 

 Such a persistently lucky person." These are 

 usually the type of people who enter a lot of 

 things from their garden, and if there is any- 

 thing good t hey send it to the show, and are then 

 greatly huffed when, they do not win cannot 

 understand it the flowers looked so well in the 

 garden, &C, &C And as things are at present 

 at the shows — be it at the Horticultural in 

 Dublin, the big show in Belfast, or the small 

 flower shows that are attached to the numerous 

 agricultural shows wherever you go the coin 

 petition is keen, and as far as I have seen the 

 best man wins. There is practically no luck in 

 it, bui unlimited pluck. 



Our lirst I*, must be Preparation of the 

 ground. Now. I am not going into this. Those 

 seedsmen who specialise in Sweet Teas have a 

 page or two of their catalogues given up to 



