IRISH GARDENING 



*59 



seed pods of Clarkia, Asters, Godetia, Candytuft, 

 Antirrhinum, &c. Gather on a dry day and hang 

 up in an airy place till well matured, after which 

 they can be cleaned and labelled. Writing of this 

 reminds me that I have had numerous enquiries 

 this year about Spartium junceum — Spanish 

 Broom — which flowers so freely here all summer. 

 It is easily raised from seed sown any time in a 

 gentle heat, and when large enough to handle 

 pot into small pots and grow on in this way till 

 ready to plant into their flowering positions. 

 Being taprooted they are impatient of removal 

 when large, but planted out small they soon make 

 line plants, and flower freely from the second year. 

 Prune the long shoots hard back early in spring, 

 and a line shapely bush can be kept, as they bear 

 severe pruning splendidly. Seeds are plentiful 

 this year, and should be gathered whenever the 

 pods get brown. 



Carnations. — As noted in previous issues, border 

 Carnations may be planted this month in the posi- 

 tions in which they are expected to flower, provided 

 the situation is a dry and sheltered one. Beds of 

 one variety and colour look best. Try and change 

 the ground each year, and instead of too much 

 rank farm-yard manure give a dressing to the 

 surface of horse-droppings and fresh soil taken 

 from under the sod of an old pasture field. Big 

 this in and tread the soil firm and level, and plant 

 fifteen inches between the lines and plants. 

 This will prevent the winter's frosts throwing out 

 the plants, as so often occurs where the ground 

 is left soft. I lately saw a batch of American 

 tree Carnations that were planted out of pots 

 last April after flowering during the winter, they 

 are now full of buds just bursting into flower, and 

 are being potted into eight-inch pots. This plan 

 is worth adopting, as the return far outweighs 

 the trouble expended. 



Calceolarias — Where room can be provided 

 a dozen or two of nice plants of shrubby Calceo- 

 larias should be lifted and placed in seven- or 

 eight-inch pots. Kept in a peach-house or late 

 vinery they grow on and make lovely plants full 

 of flower, for conservatory decoration next April. 

 Calceolaria amplexicaulis should also be potted 

 up now, as it makes excellent standards for 

 next summer's display, and though an old sort, 

 its merits as a bedder have been tested this year 

 and proved invaluable in a dry season. It is 

 being grown more than in former years to the 

 exclusion of the dwarfer varieties. 



The Fruit Garden. 



By D. McTntosh, Gardener to Alderman Bewley, 

 Danum, Rathgar. 



Vineries. — In houses where vines are intended 

 to he started in the beginning of .January, the 

 growths should now be shortened back to four 

 or five leaves, and towards the end of this month 

 prune back to two eyes. It is always well to 

 leave two eyes, so that a choice of shoots can be 

 made when the embryo bunches are showing. 

 In later vineries where the grapes are not ripe, 

 shorten back the side growths to allow sun and air 

 to reach the bunches. Where black grapes are 

 ripe, the foliage must not be thinned too much, 

 otherwise they will be apt to lose colour. All 

 leaves that are touching the glass should be 

 removed as they tend to hold the moisture and 

 conduct it from the glass to the bunches, causing 



the berries to mould and decay. A little fire 

 heat will be required in wet weather to dispel 

 damp, with a little ventilation both front and top. 

 When the bunches become few in any one house 

 these should be cut and taken into a dark room 

 and hung in bottles of water. Afterwards 

 thoroughly syringe the vines with the garden 

 engine. Repeated washing at this time with 

 insecticides does more to destroy pests than in 

 the winter, when they are usually hibernating 

 in cracks and crevices. 



Pot Fruit Trees. — This is the best month of 

 the year for the potting and re-potting of fruit 

 trees. There is no necessity to wait till the trees 

 have'shed all their leaves, for if some of the leaves 

 are on the trees, more especially peaches and 

 nectarines, they will be of more good than harm. 

 The trees should always be syringed two or three 

 times daily after being potted until they shed all 

 their leaves. This spraying will have the effect 

 of nourishing the fruit buds sufficiently till the 

 roots commence to work in the new soil. In 

 potting, start away with the earliest varieties, 

 follow on with mid-season and then with the late 

 varieties. One of the most essential points for 

 successful pot culture is the selection of good soil. 

 This should consist of a good fibrous loam, fairly 

 heavy, but not clayey. Some good decayed 

 stable manure and a little old rough mortar should 

 be added to this. It is always best if possible to 

 store the soil some time previous to its being 

 used. Care should be taken in repotting or top- 

 dressing to ram the soil firmly. 



Strawberries. — Runners planted out during 

 July and August should have the Butch hoe 

 constantly applied between the rows to encourage 

 growth as much as possible before the end of the 

 season. Cut away all newly-made runners from 

 the individual plants whenever they can be seen. 

 From two and three-year old beds remove the 

 mulching, and also all runners that continue to be 

 made. Runner plants that were potted up for 

 forcing purposes should be kept in the open, as 

 long as they are safe from frost, and in a position 

 well set to the sun and air. Just before bad 

 weather sets in have them at once removed to a 

 cold frame. Commence by placing a layer of 

 ashes on the bottom, stand the pots closely 

 together, and as the work proceeds fill in between 

 the pots and up to the rims with sifted ashes. 

 By doing so they will be safe against all kinds of 

 weather, worms and slugs will be kept at bay, 

 and but little watering will be necessary until 

 the turn of the year. 



Root Pruning. — In many gardens, and 

 particularly those of a rich heavy soil, the 

 operation of root-pruning will be found a necessity 

 to bring the trees into bearing order. Throughout 

 their season of growth the trees, intended to be 

 root-pruned, should be noted. This can easily 

 be observed by the strong vigorous growth that 

 is being formed and an almost complete absence 

 of fruit buds. Where this operation has to be 

 performed, the best plan is to prune the one half 

 of the tree one year and the other half the next 

 or following year. Start off by taking out a half 

 circle, trench three feet from the base of the tree 

 and to the depth of two and a half feet ; then 

 take a garden fork and carefully work back the 

 soil from the roots until these are laid bare. All 

 coarse roots must now be cut with a sharp knife. 

 a clean and slanting cut from the top part of the 

 root, so that the roots produced from this cut 

 will have a greater tendency to keep nearer the 



