146 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Group of Giant Snowdkops. 



food crop during the first year after planting." 

 Fruit growers will note the above mernoran- 

 duni with satisfaction, and "w^e may regard it as 

 to a certain extent instructive. On the one 

 hand there is the fact that growers have been 

 profoundly dissatisfied with the price fixed for 

 the past season's crop, and many have threat- 

 ened to give up the cultivation of strawberries 

 entirely. Some allusion to this is made in the 

 memorandum, and it is reasonable to infer that 

 while urging an increase in planting, arrange- 

 ments will also be made to ascertain at what 

 price growers may sell so as to reap a fair profit. 

 On the other hand it shows that the Straw- 

 berry crop is now regarded not as a luxury but 

 as an essential food crop, to be encouraged as 

 well as Wheat and I'otatoes. There is no deny- 

 ing the paramount importance of the bulkier 

 farm crops in providing food, but there 

 has imdoubtedly been .,a tendency both in 

 official circles and in the^l'ress to regard most 

 hoi'ticultural crops as comparatively unimpor- 

 tant. This is by no means the case, and if we 

 recollect aright the acreage under Rhubarb in 

 England was considerably reduced in favour of 

 wheat. The I'esult is that where Rhubarb had 

 remained eminently satisfactoi'y, prices have 



been obtained, and this article has been keenly 

 bought throughout the summer and autumn. 



A shortage of butter wliicli might have been 

 foi'cseen resulted in a w ild rush to manufactui'c 

 a substitute in the shajte of margarine. Mucli 

 of this is far from palattd)le eaten with biead, 

 and in most cases jam would be prefeiTed. We 

 are not out to criticise, liowcver, but to lU'ge 

 that every encouragement be giveu to tlu' fi'uit 

 iiKhistry in (Ireat ]3ritain and li'eland. 



( )f fruits specially suitable for jam mak'in;,' 

 Strawberries, Rasj)beri'ies, Loganberries ami 

 Black Currants and (looscherries are impor- 

 ttmt, and every effort sliould be madt' to in- 

 crease the acreage under each, but if commer- 

 cial growers are to increase their plantations it 

 may be necessary to guarantee them I'eason- 

 able jjrices for their ])i'oduce in tlu' same \\ay 

 that farmers are assured a fair pj'ice foi' thcii' 

 corn for some years to come. 



Indiscriminate planting should be guai'ded 

 against — the same soil aud situatiou will not 

 suit all fruits. A heav\ , unjist soil will produce 

 enormous ci'ops of JMack C'un-ants, but is less 

 suitable for Strawberi'ies and Jtas])berries, 

 which prefer a medium soil well drained. 



Oooseberries and Loganberries are successful 

 in most soils, but are certainly less remunera- 

 tive on shallow soils which soon dry out. 



It is to be feared that one great obstacle lies 

 in the \vh\ of increasing plantations of some 

 kinds of fruit, and that is, that nurserymen 

 have been unable, through want of labour, to 

 maintain their stocks of young plants. It is all 

 the more important then that evei'v effort be 

 made this autunui to get in as many cuttings 

 of bush fruits as jjossible. Here, too, caution is 

 necessary, and young plants should be propa- 

 gated only from healthy stocks. American 

 Gooseberry Mildew and Big Bud in Black 

 Currants nnist be guarded against. Private 

 gardeners with clean, healthy stocks might 

 with advantage propagate largely this autvnmr, 

 subsequentl^■ planting sufficient for tlu'ir own 

 use and selling the siu'j)lus. 



It may be long after the war ere man_\' food 

 stuffs become cheap again, and the demand for 

 jam is likely to increase. 



Vegetable growing has received much en- 

 couragement from the State, and fruit growing 

 is likely to be better looked after in the future. 

 Flowers too, though perhaps less important in 

 war time, are not to be despised, and France, 

 despite her trials and agonies, has continued to 

 grow flowers for seed, and bulbs of many rare 

 and beautiful kinds for export. 



The horticvdtural industry, therefore, is not 

 the luxury of a few, but has become of national 

 importance. 



