28 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Tlie season of such ;i irlinhlt; kitul as N'ictoria can 

 he Ki't'iitly proloni^t'd hy Iwiviii^ trees in various 

 aspects. Tl\is variety succeeds well on a wall 

 I'aciuj,' north, and liu'- late fruits can he ohtaiurd 

 ill sucii a position. Six ^o:)d culiu-iry punis foi- 

 succession are Hivers" I'^arly Prolific, ("zar, Hel<;i;iii 

 i'urple. Diamond, Victoria, and Monarcli. whilst 

 aiuou<j;st dessert varieties, Oullin's (iohh'ii (ia^'(\ 

 i'lupli- (iage, Jefferson, Kirkcs lilue. ('(niite 

 dWlthan's (iaji;e and Late Oran-e will -ive 

 satisfaction. 



Fk.s. — ^The current year's growth sliould he 

 well thinned out, and those left tied in hetweeu 

 the fruit iui:; wood, at the same time exposin;.^ 

 tiie fruit on the latter to the sun. Copious water- 

 ings during dry wi'ather and j)lenty of sun are 

 essential in develojiing this fruit to perfection of 

 size and flavour. All young fruits on the new 

 growths of outdoor figs that are advanced enough 

 to he recognised as figs, at this season, sliould be 

 removed. They are too forward to survive the 

 winter, and will all drop off next spring, whereas 

 if taken off now, one and sometimes two new 

 embryos will form at the base where they are 

 taken otT, and these will develop in due course 

 next summer. Wasps are very destructive of 

 ligs, and means sliould be taken to entrap them, 

 hy hanging bottles containing a mixture of beer 

 and sugar amongst the branches, and all nests 

 that can be found should be destroyed at once. 



(ip:xERAL Hkmarks. — -This is a good time to 

 thoroughly cleanse the fruit room if not already 

 done. The shelves should be thoroughly 

 scrubbed with warm water and soft soap, and the 

 walls limewashed, afterwards leaving all window's 

 and ventilators open for a few days so as to afford 

 a good airing. 



Up to now the season as regards fruit has been 

 a disappointing one. Tiie early promise of trees 

 crow^ded with blossom has, owing to bad weather 

 conditions, not been borne out. Apple trees are 

 carrying a fair crop in some places, and the trees 

 are clean and growing well, but as I mentioned 

 in April was likely to be the case, apple sucker was 

 very destructive on orchard trees. A good crop 

 of strawl)eriies was almost ruined by a very wet 

 picking season, the fruit being hardly dry once 

 for over a fortnight when the main crop was ripe. 

 Plums and cherries dropped badly owing to im- 

 perfect fertilisation. The one bright spot is the 

 currant crop, which is unusually good, both red 

 and black. It is sincerely to be hoped that a 

 fine autumn will enable the later fruits to mature, 

 and be harvested, under better conditions than 

 those hitherto obtaining this season. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



By J. B. Pow, (lardener to Lord Dunsany, 

 Dunsany Castle, Co. .Meath. 



Onions. — The autumn sowing of onions should 

 be made about the third week in August. Ground 

 where the early ci'op has been removed will be 

 found suitable : no fresh manure should be 

 added unless the ground is very poor. If sown 

 on too rich a soil the plants grow too quickly and 

 become tender, and are unable to withstand the 

 winter. Prepare the ground in a somewhat 

 similar manner as for spring-sown onions, but 

 the seed drills should be made a little deeper to 

 guard against frost lifting out the plants in winter. 

 When onions are sown in autumn for the purpose 



of t I'ausplant ing in spring, a bed sown broadcast 

 will be found sullicient, and will take, up less s|)ace. 

 .\l»out tlii^ end of th(; immtii sprin<j;-sown onions 

 sliould hf rradv t.. lav over. Hv laying tln^ tops 

 ovrf iiidurrs th-' hulbs to swell, and matures the 

 (•i(>|( soimii'. I'ota-to onions and shallots should 

 now h(^ lifted, thoroughiv dried, and stoivd in a 

 cool, dry shedor h)ft. 



PoTAToios. — Huring tiu- last week in August 

 all earlv and second eailv potatoes should he 

 lifted. Select lubt^rs of a "medium size for s.-ed. 

 and stoi-e the i-emainder in any convenient iilace 

 for consumption. Tubers intended for seed mav 

 be left in the sun till they become greeii 

 throughout, and then stoi-ed in a dry shed for the 

 winter. 



Turnips. — -Make a further sowing of turnips. 

 A sowing may b(! made during the first week of 

 the month, and another about the third week. 

 Tne use of sulphate of ammonia betwiu'n the 

 rows and a free use of the hoe will induce a 

 quicker growth, and a sweeter root will be 

 obtained. 



Cabbagk. — ^A sowing of cabbage should be 

 made about the middle of the month. Flower 

 of Spring, OffenViam and Early Rainham are 

 all good varieties for autumn sowing. Vacant 

 ground may still be planted with cabbage for late 

 winter use. 



Cauliflowkr. — Early cauliflower are now 

 turning in fast. Should the crop conn; in too 

 rapidly, cut the heads and remove them to a cool 

 cellar, where they will keep for a few days. Tie 

 the foliage over those not quite ready to exclude 

 the sun and light from the curd. 



Asparagus. — .Support the growths before they 

 get damaged by winds. Keep the beds free from 

 weeds and give a dressing of nitrate of soda or 

 salt. 



Beet. — ^Early Globe Beet should now be lifted. 

 Twist off the leaves and store the roots in a cool 

 shed ; a layer of dry soil or ashes should be 

 placed between the beet. 



Salads. — Continue to .sow batches of salads 

 every ten days. After the middle of the month 

 hardy varieties of lettuce should be sown. 

 Hammersmith, Hick's Hardy and Winter White 

 are all good varieties for autumn sowing. 



Spinach. — Sow winter spinach in drills 

 15 inches apart : thin the plants quickly to prevent 

 ci'owding. 



Silver Thyme. 



This is one of the prettiest variegated plant 

 known to the writer. Botanically called Thymus 

 serpyllum citriodorus argenteus, it is more often 

 alluded to by the common name. The tiny green 

 leaves, margined with white, are densely pro- 

 duced on the branches, creating a very pretty 

 effect. The beauty of the plant is, however, at 

 its maximum when the short spikes of pink 

 flow^ersare freely borne at the ends of the branches. 

 The silvery a))i)earance of the leaves surmounted 

 by pink flowers, is very effective, and forms a 

 charming contrast to masses of blue Campanulas 

 on the rockery. 



It is also a good border plant in sandy soil, 

 and makes a delightful edging to a flower bed. 

 C'Uttings root freely in August and September, 

 and to keep the plants compact and healthy they 

 should be cut back as they go out of flower in 

 July. g^ 



