IRISH GARDENING. 



'^3 



It is indifferent what crop is taken, provided it 

 be not a rank-growing crop, which would grow 

 tall and smother the small trees. Vegetables, 

 flowers for market, potatoes, bush fruit, such as 

 currants, and gooseberries, raspberries, and 

 strawberries offer a wide selection. Do not 

 disturb the ground within 3 feet of the trees. 

 Two years' meadow can be sown if done in strips 

 between the rows, but on no account should tall, 

 rank grass be allowed to grow close to the trees. 

 If apples are planted in meadow land a circle 

 of at first 4 feet, increasing with the age of the 

 trees to 8 feet, should be reserved round each 

 tree, and kept open and free from grass and weeds. 

 Strong grass immediately round the treesharbours 

 insects, excludes air from tlie roots, and exhausts 

 the soil, thereby bringing the trees into bad 

 health and condition. 



As soon as fair crops arc obtained additional 

 food must be given. Where available, farmyard 

 manure, or even stable manure, applied as a 

 surface dressing round each tree, is very beneficial. 

 This can be lightly forked over in the spring 

 without breaking or disturbing the roots. 

 Artificial manure may also be applied. On certain 

 soils basic slag has been found good, and where 

 it is used the fruit colours well. A mixture of 

 kainit and superphosphate, one of the former to 

 two of the latter, may in alternate years be sub- 

 stituted for the basic slag. In years following a 

 light crop a good dressing of fresh lime will be 

 sufficient. 



Cleanlwess. — In practice it will be found 

 apples succeed best in ground which is kept clear 

 of weeds, and free and open by cultivation, and 

 hoeing. Weeds encourage and shelter insects, 

 exhavist the soil, and injuriously affect the trees. 

 Absolute cleanliness is a point of first importance^ 

 and should on no account be neglected. 



Varieties. 



A certain amount of experimental cultivation 

 of varieties may at first be tried. The intelligent 

 grower will note what varieties of good apples 

 succeed best in his district, and plant accordingly, 

 carefully omitting delicate varieties, bad growers 

 and uncertain croppers. To the well-known 

 varieties some of the more recent introductions 

 may be added. The number finally grown should 

 be reduced to not more than twelve to twenty 

 varieties, including cooking and dessert fruit. 

 Growing a few good varieties covering as long 

 as season as possible, and growing them well, 

 will prove the most successfid plan. 



The following is a list to select from : — 



Cool' i tig Vdrieiifs. — Bismarck, Bramley's Seed- 

 ling, Domino, Early Victoria. Ecklinville Seedling, 

 (Joiden Noble, Grenadier, TIambling's Seedling. 

 Lane's Prince Albert, Lord Derby, Lord Gros- 

 venor, Newton Wonder. Peasgood's Nonsuch, 

 Stirling Castle, The Queen, Tower of Glamis. 



Dessert Variei'ies. — Allington, Beauty of Bath, 

 Blenheim Orange, Cox's Orange Pippin, Gas- 

 coyne's Scarlet Seedling, Irish Peach, James 

 Grieve, Lady Sudeley, T>angley Pippin, !Mr. 

 Gladstone, Ribston Pippin. 



For further information regarding varieties of 

 apples, see the Department's Leafiet No. 64 — 

 (Varieties of Fruit Suitable for Cultivation in 

 Ireland).. 



The Vegetation of Mesopotamia. 



In a letter to Miss R, M. Pollock a friend in the 

 British Expeditionary Force writes as follows : — 

 "... I may say there are no specimens of 

 plant life here which are not to be found in one 

 part or other of the L'^nited Kingdom in our well- 

 equipped Botanical Gardens. As you, no doubt, 

 are aware the dominant feature of this country 

 is the Date Palm,* which flourishes luxuriantly. 

 The inflorescence develops about March, the male 

 and female inflorescences being borne on separate 

 trees. To ensure perfect pollination and fer- 

 tilization an Arab is engaged to go round and 

 procure the male inflorescence, one tree producing 

 about six ; this he cuts into very small pieces and 

 secures them among the pistillate inflorescences. 

 Pollination afterwards is effected by wind, there 

 being no insects about at this time of year. 

 The pollen is very highly scented. . . . The chief 

 trees I have come across in this country (they 

 are mostly fruits, very few ornamental), are 

 Eucalyptus globulus, which growsto a magnificent 

 specimen about 3(1 feet high ; we have two such 

 trees in our garden here. The Olive makes a 

 beautiful bush, and is very ornamental. Acacia 

 is exceedingly pretty, and when in flower per- 

 fumes the whole place. Oranges and Linies (you 

 have no doubt heard of the groves in Baghdad 

 when our troops entereri) are in flower about the 

 end of jVlarch, and are indeed a most beautiful 

 picture ; also in the autumn when the fruit is 

 taking colour they are a sight never to be for- 

 gotten. Mulberries grow luxuriantly and make 

 fine avenues, equal to any in the home country. 

 The next that occurs to me is a tree that grows 

 about 20 feet high, and bears small fruits some- 

 thing like a Peach ; two crops per year are 

 gathered. The flower belongs to RosacefP, and 

 the fruit is a drupe. It is known by the Arabs 

 as M'buk, but having procured various inter- 

 preters I have not y'4i ascertained its English 

 name. The Fig Tree, which dates back to the 

 days of Adam and Eve, still flourishes, bearing 

 three crops per year. A stray Willow may be 

 found occasionally. Vines, the fruit of which as 

 I write is available, do fairly well with very 

 little attention. Peai hes, Apricots, Nectarines 

 Plums and Apples — -all deserve to be specially 

 mentioned. 



Flowers are not so successfully grown, their 

 cultivation seeming to take a second place. 

 Roses, Chrysanthemums, Poppies, Larkspurs, 

 Hollyhocks, ]\larigolds, (Scotch and African), 

 Canna, Iris, Geraniums, Cacti, Convolvulus, Sun- 

 flower, Arabis albida, are about all we come in 

 contact with. Gorse, witli a pink flower. Bella- 

 donna, Ranuncidaceff'. and various ornamental 

 grasses, may be found growing wild. 



Tomatoes, Cucumbers. Pumpkins, Gourds, 

 Toadies' Fingers. Onions, Potatoes, Lettuce, 

 Radish, Beet, Carrots, Txirnips, Cabbages, a few 

 Cauliflowers — which are not so successful — are 

 grown by the Arabs. 



Various experiments are being carried out 

 imder British supervision. I myself have about 

 eight acres attached to the hospital, and seven 

 Arab gardeners. 



At this time of the year the chief factor is 

 irrigation, as we get practically no rain from the 

 end of ^Vlay to the beginning of November. . . ." 



* See page 170. 



