122 



IRISH GARDENING 



Fruit Crop, Ireland, 1913. 



By W. S. Invixo. Chief Inspector with regard to 

 Irish Fruit Culture. 



The reports of correspondents from differen! 

 parts of Ireland show another very unfavourable 

 tree fruit year. It is the worst year of which I 

 have any record. Owing to the very wet and 

 cold autumn of last year the majority of the 

 trees were uiiahle to mature a large number of 

 fruit buds, with the result that, except in a few 

 places, we had not such a good show of blossoms 

 as we had last year, and many of those which did 

 flower were weak and unable to withstand the 

 cold, wei and sunless spring of this year. To this. 

 combined with the very severe hail-storms during 

 the hitter half of May and the cold, wet spring, 

 may be attributed the chief cause of the failure 

 of the targe tree fruit crop. Very few trees 

 which bore a good crop last year are bearing 

 many fruit this year, and targe market growers 

 are great sufferers owing to the scanty crops in 

 the commercial districts following last year's had 

 crop. In most districts the season is about ten 

 days lat it t han t he average. 



In general much of the planting, pruning and 

 spraying was very late in being carried out this 

 year, owing to the wet weather and the state of 

 t he ground. 



Old and young trees have suffered alike. 

 Usually young trees are able to wit list ami the 

 effects of the cold weather better than !he older 

 ones, hut it is only in e\t ra well sheltered positions 

 •hat there is even a fair crop of fruit. It is. 

 however, some satisfaction to he able to record a 

 good crop of small hush fruit. These in general 

 have done wdl in all parts of the country, both 

 private and commercial growers having excellent 

 yields of good quality fruit. 



Apples in general are from average to a had 

 crop, and there are very few good crops in the 

 country this season. Though the trees did not 

 Mower so freely as is usual, there was enough 

 blossom to give a good crop of fruit if they had 



Set. hilt this was prevented to a Large extent hy 



the hail-Storms and attacks of apple sinker. 

 The fruit, however, i- swelling rapidly, and 



though we may not have even the quantity of 

 last year there is every prospect of the quality 

 being much better. 



The trees, though not I earing heavily in most 



case-,, have a, more healt h y-looking appearance 

 than at this time last year. 



Bramley's Seedling, Worcester Pearmain, and 

 Early Victoria are the oulv varieties which are 

 bearing anything like a crop. There are a few 

 fruits on Cox's Orange Pippin, Lane's Prince 

 Albert, Allington. Newton Wonder. Blenheim 

 Orange ami Grenadier. 



Pears How ered fairly well in most cases, hut very 



few fruit have set. and t lie majorit \ of the trees 



are carrying from a below average to a had crop, 

 especially in the open. On wall trees, where the 



wood ripened well last autumn, and where the 

 bloSSOmS Were protected, there is ;i fail' crop , , f 



fruit, hut it is only on wall trees that there are 

 many pears this year. No special variety 



appears to have escaped the ravages of the cold 

 and wet spring, as all have suffered. It is the 

 worst year for pears that I remember. 



Plums and Damsons. We had a rather heavy 

 crop on the whole last year, and the trees did not 



flower anything like so well this year. It is some 

 time since I saw so few flowers on the trees as 

 was borne this year. On walls they are a fair 

 crop, hut in the open they are very poor, in fact 

 the worst crop for the last ten years. Victoria 

 is the only one which is bearing even an average 

 crop. 



Cherries, on t lie whole, are a helow average 

 crop. The trees (lowered fairly well. hut. owing 

 to the cold excessive rains and hail, they did not 

 set well, and many of those which did set dropped 

 oil Black fly was very destructive on the tips 

 of the young shoots, and has caused much injury 

 to the trees. .Morellos are bearing a fair crop. 



Gooseberries are what I may call the best crop 

 of the year, as even where targe (plant it ies are 

 grown the crop is a very heavy one. and the 

 quality of the fruit is very good Very good 

 samples are coming into the Dublin market. 

 Even old hushes which did not make much 

 young wood last year are bearing very well on 

 the old spins. Birds have no! done so much 

 damage to the hushes as they are in the habit of 

 doing. 



Black currants are on the whole a good crop. 

 and the fruit is of good quality. The bushes 

 made very good growth last year, and even 

 though the autumn was had. the wood ripened 

 up very well. In odd places the hail-storms 

 played havoc with the plants when in bloom, 

 destroying the flowers. The area under black 

 currants is increasing rapidly in Ireland, and 

 that under red and white currants is rapidly 

 decreasing, as the prices obtainable are not found 

 remunerat ive. 



Raspberries are a good crop in general, and the 



fruit is of very good quality, and lair to g I 



prices are being obtained. Superlative and 

 Gormanstown Seedling are in most cases doing 

 well. A new variety, Bath's Perfection, is very 

 variable; in places where the soil is heavy it is 

 doing extra well, whilsl in others, especially a 

 light soil, it is more or less a failure. The plants 

 are throwing up a good succession, and neither 

 weevil or rust are so prevalent as last year. 



Strawberries on the whole ate a good crop. 

 The plants are healthy and flowered well. hut. 



Owing to the want of warmth and sunshine to 

 bring them on, the fruit is late in ripening. Tie 

 area under this crop is decreasing very much 



owing to the small price obtainable, ami because 

 of such large quantities being shipped from 

 England. Very good prices are, however, being 

 obtained in Dublin ami Belfasl for good samples 

 of Irish fruit. 



Insects. One thing we have to he thankful 



tor. and that is that the cold and wet season 



prevented the rapid increase of manv of the 

 insecl pests which cause so much damage. The 

 most damage appears to have been done by 



aphis on plums and apples, and apple sucker on 

 apple trees. I consider that apple sucker is the 



wor-t insect enemy that apple growers have to 



deal with, as it may cause much damage without 

 being detected. Manv of the dead trusses of 

 Mowers which we see on the trees are killed by 

 this insect, and not . as is often supposed, hv frost . 

 There an' few orchards in this count rv in which 

 the apple sucker is not more or Irs- prevalent. 

 and it would he well lor all growers to make 

 themselves acquainted with it. It mav he kept 

 under by the use of paraffin emulsion or nicotine 

 spiay fluids. 



Forty per cent, of the correspondents give 



