miSH GARDENING. 



79 



those people who have grown them in shade to 

 get a more luxuriant leafage will now have the 

 pleasure of seeing them scorch vip with the first 

 blast of sun. Everything should be done to have 

 all ready, so that when the time comes the plants 

 will be got as quickly as possible into their 

 summer quarters. Our summer is short, and we 

 must needs make the most of it. I am using 

 Leucophyton Brownii as a carpet for our Begonias. 

 It is very effective, much admired, and seems to 

 be very little grown at present. Cuttings are 

 raised in the early spring from soft growths, 

 roots are emitted from the sides of the soft stem, 

 and no hard piece will grow. I also use Standard 

 Heliotroj)e var. Lord Eoberts, thin pillars of 

 Bougainvillea Glabra var. W. K. Harris — a varie- 

 gated variety of much beauty, and very free- 

 flowering ; a few standard Fuchsias, young plants 

 from three to five years old of Cordyline 

 Australis and Cordyline Indivisa, VeJtchii, Gre- 

 villea Eobusta, last year's seedlings ; Eucalyptus 

 Globulus, late sown plants last year ; Eucalyptus 

 Kesiuiferus, and Citriodora, early sowing last 

 spring : these with some two year old bush plants of 

 Calceolaria Ami)l('xicaulis. will make a select ion 

 from which most gardens can gel slaiidaids laii-ly 

 easily grown. For vases and centres oi' large l)etls 

 I also use large quantities of Pelargonium Cloriiula 

 grown from August cuttings, and kept ^I'owiug 

 all the winter they make big plants in 7-inch pots 

 for planting in June, which flower profusely all 

 the sun^mer. In fact I consider this Pelargonium 

 one of my horticultural finds ; I only know of it 

 as used for specimen plants in other gardens. I 

 use it in place of the Geranium : tlae tone of 

 colour is more pleasing, the foliage is slightly 

 scented, the plant stands plenty of wind, and 

 wet or sunshine it always has some flowers 

 open. For vase work it is the best thing I 

 know. 



The rock garden is at its best. All the early 

 bulbs as they pass ovit of flower should be care- 

 fully noted or marked to prevent their disturb- 

 ance and from other things being planted on 

 them during their resting period, which is during 

 the summer months. Seeds should be sown at the 

 end of the month of Cineraria, Matador and 

 Cactus Blue of the Stellata type. I also plead for 

 the old florist's type Superba. The Stellata type, 

 as shown in the Dubhn shows, are wonders of 

 cultural skill ; bvit no one could conscientiovisly 

 call the colours of the flowers beautiful. 



Seeds of the lie] l)a<e(ius Calceolaria Humea 

 Elegans and tlie main lialch of Cinerarias should 

 be sown the Ihsl week in June. 



I omitted eail\ in this article to mention that 

 all the Chinese I'limulas should be sown from the 

 beginning of Ma\ to tlie first week of June. The 

 Stellata, doubles or the Gigantea type ; but the 

 douljles are a little slower in growing and should 

 be sown flrst. For all the above seeds the ijans 

 should be prepai-ed several hours previous to 

 sowing the seed and well watered through a fine 

 I'ose, and allowed to drain. The seed should be 

 sown thinly and lightly sprinkled with clean sand, 

 covered with a sheet of glass, shaded with paper 

 until germination takes place. A shady corner 

 of a cool greenhotise will be the best place until 

 the seedlings appear, after which a cold frame 

 shaded by a north wall, where plenty of direct 

 light and air can reach the seedlings and no 

 direct sunshine will be an ideal place until 

 September to grow them. Watch out for slugs, 

 especially with the Calceolarias. 



The Fruit Garden. 



By T. E. ToMALiN, Gardener to the Earl of 

 Bessborough, Bessborough Park, Co. Kilkenny. 



Fruit Prospects. — When I wrote last on this 

 subject— in February--the extreme precocity of 

 vegetation was causing serious apprehension 

 amongst fruit growers. Since then, however, we 

 have suffered under a long spell of most un- 

 pleasantly cold weather, which, nevertheless, has 

 had the good effect of so retarding the growth of 

 fruit trees that now their condition is about 

 normal. The appearance of the trees at the pre- 

 sent time indicates a good fruit year, but, of 

 course, a good deal depends on " the weather 

 during the first half of May. ^Most kinds of apple, 

 pear and plum are carrying a liemendous crop of 

 blossom in various stages of (l.\ I'lopment. Early 

 flowering plums, such as Itiann.ud and Angelina 

 Burdett, and pears such as Louise Bonne de 

 Jersey and Vicar of Winkfield, experienced 

 several very hard frosts when in full bloom, but 

 I liave often seen them bear fine crops after 

 similar uncongenial weather when in flower, 

 •hidging by (he number of eggs I have discovered 

 lately, we seem to be in for a bad iixfestation of 

 apple sucker this season, and it will well repay 

 owners of orchards to spray for this pest early in 

 ^lay, just before the blossoms open, or as sooii as 

 the petals have fallen. The fine spray should be 

 driven well into the trusses, as it is here that this 

 insect does its fell work. Lime sulphur at 

 summer strength, or a nicotine wash, can be used. 

 The former will also help to prevent scab, whilst 

 the latter will kill any early aphides that are at 

 large. 



STRAWI5KKKIES. — The Dutch hoe should be 

 used frecjuently between the plants to encourage 

 active growth and conserve moisture before the 

 straw or litter is placed around them. If strawy 

 litter from the stable yard is used it should be 

 put on without delay so that all impurities will 

 be washed out of it by rain before the fruit 

 begins to ripen, but if clean straw is used it need 

 not be applied until the flowers are beginning to 

 open. The advantages of the latter system are 

 that hoeing can be continued longer, which will 

 ensure cleaner beds — a great -advantage this 

 where perennial weeds are troublesome — and 

 also, the straw can be left loose among the 

 plants, thus affording some protection from late 

 frosts : rain will usually beat it down into 

 position by the time it is needed under the fruits. 

 A good dressing of soot or lime should be sprinkled 

 around the plants before putting on the litter 

 as a deterrent to slugs. It is advisable to place 

 the nets in ])<)siti(>n just before the flowers open 

 as a protection fiom late frosts, which often 

 destroy a large percentage of the best flowers. 

 The trustees should be removed from plants in 

 beds formed this spring, and the hoe used 

 frequently amongst them, 



Easpberries. — Thin out the young suckers 

 as soon as they are about six inches high ; by 

 that time it will be possible to see which are 

 likely to make the strongest canes, and these 

 should be given plenty of room to develop freely 

 and obtain plenty of light and air. Any suckers 

 at too great a distance from the parent plant or 

 from the rows should be removed. Easpberries 

 should be mulched without delay now if not 

 alreadv so treated. 



