IRISH GARDENING, 



1 



Obituary — ^Andrew Campbell. 



riiK death of Andrew Caiiii)!)*'!!. of St. Anne's, 

 (Montarf. arouses a keen feclint;- of sorrow in all 

 nardenint-- cii'cles in lieland. and is a ^reat loss 

 to the coiuitry. lie was well known to almost all 

 eonnected with yardeninsj;. hoth to garden owners 

 aiul to gardeners, and was equally respected and 



Tui- L.VTi: ;\li;. Axi)i;i:\\ Ca.mi'Ui:].!.. 



c-lueiiietl by all. A man of a modest and retiring 

 disposition, he never pushed himself, and kept 

 so much in the back ground that his merits were 

 sometimes overlooked, and not fvdly recognised. 

 A more intimate acquaintance with him, and 

 above all a walk roinid tlie gai'den with him. soon 

 icvealed the depth of his knowledge and the 

 exti'cme accuracy of his oljsei-vations and deduc- 

 tions. 



Few men showed such skill in the cultivation 

 of all classes of jjlants, both indoor and outdoor, 

 and vmder very diverse conditions, as Campbell 

 did. All who visited Hi. Anne's will remember 

 with pleasure his success as a grower of frviit, and 

 of such vaiied subjects as Cyclamen, Carnations, 

 Orchids, ]5ot \'iolets, alpines. herbaceous plants, 

 lie excelled in all, a feat which cannot be accom- 

 ])lished by any ordiuaiN man. Again, as a 

 lecturer, or w'hen criticising a paper, he showed 

 remarkable acumen, and depth of thought, not 

 harsh oi' disparaging, but encouraging, and alwa> s 

 with a kindly and helpful word for the young- 

 gardener. The following extracts from a touch- 

 ing tribute written by Lady Ardilaini is the 

 highest testimony which can be paid to the 

 cliaracter of one of the best and most estimable 

 gardeners we have known in Ireland for many 

 years, and whose loss we all mourn. — F. W. 31. 



" In his own line he was a distinguished man. 

 He came to St. Anne's in the year 1869 at the 

 age of 1 7 ; he was a boy in the Bothy when 1 

 married and came there in 1871. He rose to be 

 foi'eman. and, after some years, went to my 

 cousin, Harry Herbert, of Muckross, and to the 

 Kailway Hotel at Killarney, as Head Cardener. In 

 these two places he remained for 6 years, and 

 then came to us .at Ashford as Head Gardener, 

 where he was for 14 vears, and returned to St. 



Anne's in 1895. so that he has been with us for the 

 whole of his working life, 48 years, with the 

 exception of the (i years that he was at Killarney. 

 As you know, ho raised the fine Lobelias, Firefly, 

 Lord Ardilaun and Gloire de St. Anne's, besides 

 other seedlings which Ave did not name, and he 

 was the lirst raiser of a seedling from the white 

 Anemone Honorine Joubert, \\hich he named 

 Lady Ardilaun, and which at the time made a 

 great sensation, and was noticed by French 

 nurserymen. He also raised at St. Anne's the 

 charming little Kose, Souvenir de St. Anne's. 

 He was a man of very great gardening skill, a 

 most charming personality, so very modest about 

 everything that he did, and he took the gieatcst 

 interest in the smallest garden that he was ever 

 asked to visit. He helped me to lay out the 

 whole of the Pergola garden at St. Anne's, 

 interpreting every wish I ever expressed and 

 every plan I ever formed. I do not rememl)er 

 ever having had a disagreeable word with him 

 all the years we worked together. He was tlie 

 most loyal and devoted friend, his one tlifuight 

 was to please me in the garden. I think I was 

 exacting, being so keenly interested, but the more 

 1 wanted done the more he worked to cari-y out 

 our schemes, and he enjoyed it quite as miich as 

 1 did, and used to talk with such affection of our 

 dear garden. He suffered terrible tortures during 

 ins long illness to my great sorrow, but he bore 

 it all with unfailing courage and patience. 1 saw 

 him the day before he died, and he said his great 

 lioi)e was that 1 would continue to love the 

 garden, and to take care of all the plants that 

 he had raised, and to remember him in connection 

 with I hem." 



Functions of Lime.* 



(1) Lime supplies an essential plant food. 



(2) It sweetens sour land. Some soils, especi- 

 ally peat, contain an excessive quantity of acid 

 or sour matter. Lime renders this acid harmless, 

 and encourages the growth of more nutritious 

 plants. 



(3) Lime improves the physical condition of 

 the soil. It heljjs to bind light sand\- soils 

 together, and opens up stiff clays, and makes 

 them more easily cultivated. 



(4) It sets free potash. Some soils contain a 

 large quantity of potash, but not in a state in 

 which it can be of service. Lime helps to set 

 part of this potash free from the combinations 

 in which it exists in the soil, and renders it avail- 

 able for the plant. 



(ij) Lime prevents, or at least minimises 

 disease, such as finger and toe in tuiiiips. 



For this purpose it ought to be applied the > car 

 ])revious to that in which turnips are grown. 

 Where a field is badly infested with this dise.ise, 

 the rotten turnips should be left on the grouml, 

 and the field should get a good dressing with 

 lime. 



(()) Lime favours the decomposition of organic 

 nitrogen, and assists in the process of nitrification, 

 or in other words it assists to make nitrate in 

 the soil. As already explained, we have three 

 distinct forms of nitrogen — vi z., nitrate, 



* From Leaflet 17, Department of Agriculture and 

 Technical Instruction for Ireland, October, 1901. 



