IRISH GARDENING. 



51 



grows fust, ruacliing ;ui iiiuiiLiisc size, uikI [)1o- 

 ilucing a useful timber. It sviffers much from 

 wind in Ireland, and is a failure in exposed 

 situations, being readily^smashed by gales.. Its 

 cultivation is not to be recommended, except 

 in slicltered valleys; and liere it would often 

 be better to grow ash, unless the soil is very 

 marshy. The finest specimen that I liave seen 

 ill Ireland was a tree at Kilfeera, south of Kil- 

 lu'iiny, on a flat of the Nore, which was blown 

 down in I'.H."). It measured 125 feet in lengtli, 

 artd the trunk was no less than 11 feet 10 inches 

 in girth at 5 feet from the base. 



2. Populus regencrata, the " Eucalyptus 

 jioplar.— This is a female tree, which originated 

 ill a nursery near Paris in 1814. It resembles 

 the l^Iack Italian Poplar in twigs and leaves, 

 hut the latter open at least a fortnigiit earlier. 

 It is narrower in outline than P. serotina, and 

 has much the same rate of growth. It suffers 

 in Ireland from wind. 



3. Populus Eugenei. — This is a male tree, 

 M'ith similar twigs and leaves kk those of P. 

 serotina ; but the leaves are smaller, and open 

 earlier ; and the outline of the tree is distinctly 

 narrow. It was found in 1832 as a chance 

 seedling in a bed of silver firs in the nursery of 

 Simon-Louis, near Metz. It thrives well in 

 sandy soil at Kew ; but 'has not been tried in 

 these countries on a commercial scale. 



4. Populus robusta. — This was also found as 

 a stray seedling in Simon-Louis' nursery, in 

 1805. It differs from the preceding in having 

 haiiy twigs, and is remarkably narrow in form. 

 The branches, however, are ascending at an 

 angle, and not vertical, as in the Lombardy 

 poplar. It bears staminate flowers. The best 

 example is a tree at Glasnevin, which was 

 obtained as a cutting in 1809. It measured in 

 October, 1017, 56 feet in height, and 2 feet 

 8 inches in girth at 5 feet froih the groiuid. 

 It p'romises to be an excellent timber tree ; and 

 I)Ossibly, on account of its narrow form, may 

 stand the wind better than the other hybrid 

 poplars. It should be tried in exposed wet 

 ground in Ireland, where the success of other 

 species would be iiroblematical. 



.\t Glasnevin these four hybrid blac-k po])lars 

 are growing together, and their I'elative 

 growth and resistance to wind can be readily 

 seen. The following table shows their com- 

 parative size : — 



(Jirtli in (Jirth in 



Autuiiin. 1012 Autumn, 1017 



fift. Gin. 7ft. 2 in. 



4 ft. 11 in. 5 ft. Oin. 



4 ft. 5 in. 5 ft. 1 in. 



2 I't, 1 in. 2 ft. 8 in. 



Preserving Fruit without Sugar. 



By -J. B. Pow. 



Thk preserving of I'resh fruit by sterilization is 

 a practice that should be better known in Ire- 

 land. It is neither an expensive nor difficult 

 oi)eration, and all who have a fruit garden, with 



I'oruTirs ROBUSTA .;t Gr.ASNKvix. 

 Lombardy Poplar on loft. 

 (l\v tlio courtosy of tlio dardrurrs' rjnciiiclr). 



