IRISH GARDENING. 



121 



On allotments, liowcxfr, frames are not yet 

 'much in evidence, but satisfactory results are 

 ofteu got by transplanting the seedlings to an- 

 other bed in the open, making the soil firm 

 and not too ricli, so that the young plants will 

 make but little growth in autumn, and become 

 sturdy and hard, thus enabling them to come 

 through the winter. Another plan is to exca- 

 vate a shallow bed, banking up the soil round 

 the sides ; this protects the young plants fron:i 

 the cold cutting winds of early spring. Seed 

 beds for autumn seeds should not be made in 

 a damp situation, as _\oung plants which are 

 to remain in them for the winter suffer more 

 from excess of water than from cold. 



Grower. 



The Persian Bellflower. 

 Ostrowskia Magnifica. 



Tins, the giant of the Campanula family, as 

 far as size of flower goes, is one of the most 

 striking plants in the garden when flowering 

 in tlie end of June and early July. By no 

 means easy to establish, it nevertheless con- 

 tinues to llourish for years wlien happily 

 placed. Coming from the sunny warm regions 

 of Central Asia, heat is a necessity, and in our 

 climate this can only be found outside in warm 

 south borders, backed by a wall or greenhouse. 

 The soil, too, should be deep and sandy, to 

 allow of the development of the thick fleshy 

 roots, and such a soil is also warmei- in winter 

 than a heavy one. 



Young plants are best to begin witli, and 

 should be planted in spring when danger of 

 frost is over. Not much growth will be made 

 the first season, but annually it will get 

 stronger, until finally tlie stout stems will bear 

 the large 3 in. wide bells of pale blue. 



The leaves are produced in whorls on the 

 stems, and the total height varies from 4 to 

 6 feet, when the plant is doing well. 



The best chance of success lies in choosing 

 a sunny, sheltered position in deep, well- 

 drained soil, and in putting out quite young 

 plants and leaving them alone. 



Seeds are sometimes obtainable, and sliould 

 he sown as soon as procured. They will make 

 but little growth the first twelve months, but 

 form small fleshy root-stocks. After the first 

 ])eriod of rest they may be placed singly in 

 small pots and grown on for another year, when, 

 if they have grown satisfactorily, some may 

 be ])lanted out, taking care to protect from 

 snails and slugs. Spring is the best time to 

 ))lant. 



Gardeners and Foresters under the 

 Department of Agriculture. 



Attention is directed to the announcement in oiu- 

 advertisnig columns relative to courses of 

 traunng ni liortieulture and forestry to be held 

 during the year 1918-19 under the Department of 

 Agriculture. 



The Horticultural School attached to the Albert 

 Agricultural College, Glasnevin, Dublin, will be 

 open to two classes of resident students, viz • 



(1) Horticultural Instructors in Trainincr- and 



(2) Apprentices. No applicant will be eligible 

 for admission to the first mentioned course who 

 has not had from 5 to 7 years' continuous ex- 

 perience of gardening. Applicants for admission 

 as apprentices will not be required to have had 

 any special experience of this nature. 



Students admitted as Horticultural Instructors 

 in Training will receive an allowance of 10s. ner 

 week and be provided with board and residence 

 at the college. Apprentices will be provided with 

 board and residence at the college,, and will, 

 after some months' training, be eligible to re- 

 ceive, in addition, an allowance of 5s. per week. 



The Course for Horticultural Instructors in 

 Training will provide facilities for the study of 

 the sciences bearing on horticulture. Indoor in- 

 struction will be supplemented by work in garden 

 and orchard, special attention being devoted to 

 fruits, vegetables, plant diseases and insect pests. 

 In the case of the apprentices outdoor instruction 

 will be supplemented by special classes designed 

 to enable an apprentice to understand tlie prin- 

 ciples underlying horticultural practice. 



Arrangements liave also been made for a course 

 of instruction for non-resident pupils, open to 

 both male and female students. These students 

 will be required to take part for 7 or 8 hours 

 daily in all the operations carried out in tlie 

 college gardens. They will, in addition, receive 

 class-room instruction in the sciences bearing on 

 gardening operations. No remuneration will be 

 allowed in the case of these extern students. Tlie 

 instruction will be provided free. 



Applicants for apprenticeships in forestry are 

 not expected to have had any special knowledge 

 of forestry, but preference is given to those who 

 have had experience of work in woods. Appren- 

 tices will be allowed the minimum rate of wages 

 fixed by tlie Agricultural Wages Board for Ire- 

 land in the case of agricultural workmen in the 

 district in wliich the apprentice is working. 



The Department also offer valuable scholarships 

 in horticulture and forestry tenable at the Royal 

 College of Science, Dublin. The scholarships are 

 renewable for a total course of four years aiul 

 enable the holders to obtain, free of cost, the most 

 advanced technical and scientific training. 



Correspondence. 



ESC.\LL0NIA PhILIPPIANA AND LiME. 



Mr. Hum Bland of Blandsfort, Abbeyleix, 

 writes : — " There is a plant here, on the vilest of 

 limestone, 20 odd years old. It is just now in 

 tlie finest bloom I have ever seen it. I do not 

 think lime can be the trouble." 



