1 88 



IRISH (iARDENIXG. 



were the best, espeeialiy (lie led and wliite 

 varieties, wiueh <j;av»' v<r> heavy crops. Sti-aw- 

 berries pioiuised well. I)ut were eompletely 

 .spoiled by eoiitiiiuous wet weather duriii^i t lie 

 ripeiiiiiji .season, wliilst the sudden spell ol hot. 

 dry weather at the end of .luly, <(uiekly bioiii^ht 

 the raspberry season to a close. Lo^anbi-rries. as 

 usual, fj;ave profitable crops, and outdoor lljis were 

 l)Ientifid, the fruits beinjr of good size and excel- 

 lent Havour. 



IM<rMN(i. -Nearly all kinds of fruit trees may 

 be pruned now. one of 1 he exceptions beinj; the 

 11^'. which should not be pruiu'd until March. 

 Standard and bush trees of api)le and pear thai 

 W<>re sUMuner pruned in .luly and Au^misI should 

 now be <i;one over again, cutting back all side 

 growths to two or three eyes. Where spurs have 

 formed too thickly they may be thinnetl out. 

 leaving those on the outside of the bi-anches 

 where the fruit will obtain the maximum of air 

 and sunshine. The variety Allington Piii])in 

 requires a good deal of spur-t hiuning, and it 

 should be remembered that fruit borne on s))urs 

 ill the centre of the tree where sunlight and air 

 cannot penetrate are viseless, besides being a 

 drain on the resources of the tree. The leading 

 shoot should be shortened to about a third of its 

 original li'ugth. making the cut just above a bud 

 pointing in tiie (liicction in which next year's 

 shoot should extend. X'arieties inclined to grow 

 in a pendant manner, of which Lane's Prince 

 Albert is an example, should be pruned to a bud 

 l)ointing upwards, .so as to correct this drooping 

 tendency. Standard trees, the pruning of which 

 may have been neglected, should have the 

 branches well thinned out to about two feet 

 apart, removing all crossing branches, and those 

 growing inwards towards the centre of the tree. 

 Single cordon trees on wall or fence should have 

 their side growths cut hard back to two eyes, antl 

 the leading shoot shortened to six or eight inches. 

 Do not be tempted to leave this leader too long, 

 with the idea of covering the allotted space 

 quickly, bcause if this is done the lower half will 

 fail to break into growth next season, and will 

 thus leave an unprofitable length of bare stem 

 devoid of fruit spurs for ever. Fan-shaped and 

 espalier trees should be pruned with a view of 

 forming each branch into a perfect single cordon, 

 therefore the foregoing remarks should be borne 

 in mind when pruning these. After pruning 

 secure each branch in its correct position, and in 

 making the ties allow for the swelling of the 

 branch next season. Neglect of this precaution 

 is often responsible for the loss of an important 

 branch thereby destroying the symmetry of the tree. 



BxTSH Fruits. — Red and white currants fruit 

 best on spurs, and these should be encouraged to 

 form by cutting hard back all side growths, 

 leaving the leading shoot five or six inches in 

 length. Black currants fruit on young wood of 

 the previous season's growth, and require less 

 pruning, all that is neces.sary being a judicious 

 thinning of the branches and the removal of some 

 of the older growths. Gooseberries fruit both on 

 spurs and on young wood. Therefore a few of the 

 best of la.st season's shoots may be left almost 

 their entire length, a few of the older branches 

 being cut out to make room for them, and those 

 remaining treated in the same way as with red 



;ind white cin ranis -/.r., b\ spui-i-ing back all side 

 shoots and short. -ning t lir leading slnx.t to about 

 six inches. 



<ii-;Ni:i{.\i- Ki-..M AitKs. All piiuiings slioidd be 

 gat hered up .■iml burnt as soon as possible, and on 

 frosty UKUnings manure may be wheeled on to the 

 fruit ((uartei's in readiness for digging in, after 

 l)niniiig Jind si)ra\irig is linished. Anv i)lanting 

 left <.vcr licni .\o\rtiil.ri- should b.' hurried on 

 at every favourable opport imil \ . as t rees iil;ui1 rd 

 before "the X»'W ^■ear aiv iimili Ix'tlrf .iblr t.» 

 resist drought during I lir iiisniim suiiiiiici' than 

 an. tlu.sr plant. Ml in 1 li.^ spiin-. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



By .T. B. Povr, Ciardener to Lord Dunsany, 



Duusany Castle, Co. JMeath. 

 Crops ix Frames. — CJive plenty of ventilation to 

 vegetables growing in frames, remove the lights 

 during the day when the weather is mild and dry. 

 A little air slunild be left on the top of the frames 

 at night to keep the atmosphere dry. Keep the 

 soil free from weeds, and .stir between the ])lants 

 occasionally. Kndive may l)e blanched by- 

 placing mats over the glass to exclude the light. 

 This method will give better results t han removing 

 the plants to a dark, warm i)it. 



The Forcing Pit.— Place rhubarb and seakale 

 in the forcing pit at intervals to suit the require- 

 ments of the consumer. Chicory may be forced 

 in a somewhat similar manner as that of seakale, 

 but requires less moisture to grow it to perfection. 

 If too much water is used the plants will damp off 

 badly. Mustard and cress may be sown every 

 ten days. 



Bemarks. — Examine onions in store and re- 

 move decaying bulbs. Winter broccoli and savoys 

 should be jirotected by placing their heads 

 facing north or west. Take a trench out at 

 whatever point suits, and push the plant over 

 with the back of a spade. Savoys will keep iii 

 good condition longer if treated in this manner, 

 as the leaves will protect the open heads from 

 frost. Burn prunings and other garden refuse of 

 a woody nature, store the ashes w^here they can 

 be kept dry to be used as a fertilizer. 



Vacant Ground. — Much ground will now be 

 vacant in the kitchen garden, and no time should 

 be lost during favourable weather in getting the 

 ground cultivated for next season's crops. Tinie 

 may not permit trenching, but for the benefit of 

 deep-rooting irops. part of the garden should be 

 trenched, every year. Trench in all the stems and 

 leaves of the brassica family that have ceased to 

 be useful before starting digging. In manuring, 

 much depends on the natui'e of the soil. It is 

 advisable whei'e the ground has been manured 

 year after year with farmyard manure to give an 

 application of lime to the soil. One half bushel of 

 slaked lime to the square rod will be found 

 sufficient, a little more if the ground be very heavy. 

 Where farmyard, manure is scarce, a dressing of 

 basic slag may be given at the rate of from eight 

 to ten pounds to the square rod in early winter, 

 and a good application of ashes from the refuse 

 fii'e in spring ; as a crop producer this will be 

 found a good substitute for farmyard manure. 

 Lime and basic slag should be applied to the soil 

 in late autumn or eai'ly winter. 



END OF VOL. XI. 



