IRISH GARDENING. 



light shading from mid-May to mid- July is 

 rather an advantage. 



The ventilation arrangements are very impor- 

 tant. On the front tliere should be at h-ast two 

 sashes which can be opened, one near each end. 

 Additional opening sashes in each end are an 

 advantage, as thus air can be admitted from 

 whatever aspect is sheltered from the wind, for 

 ferns dislike direct draught. Also there shoidd be 

 at least two ventilators in the roof, at its liighest 

 point, near each end. 



If funds allow, all metal fittings, hinges, 

 fastenings, kc, witli tlieir screws, should be of 

 brass, as the constant damp soon rusts iron 

 fittings, iron screws rot tlie wood, the hinges 

 stiffen and biirst oJT, &c. 



No artificial heating shouhl be installed. It 

 becomes a nuisance, and we want our hobby to 

 be only a pleasure. To be constantly anxious 

 about frost during autumn, winter and spring, 

 leaves only two-thirds of the year for unmixed 

 pleasure. To feel that one must go out on frosty 

 nights to keep tlie fire going, no matter what 

 engagement holds us, or what weariness or indis- 

 position is over us, makes the heated greenliouse 

 a real burden, a burden too we may not be able 

 to bear ourselves, for the town dweller is often 

 a busy person, whose duties may even necessitate 

 frequent absence from home, thus he may have 

 to rely on some one else to look after his hobby, 

 which is neither fair to the person nor to tlie 

 hobby. Put. heating out of mind as an abomina- 

 tion, and clieer yourself with the thought that it 

 is (juitc (innecessary. If you grow all the beautiful 

 ferns which in no way require heat, you will need 

 an enormous house and unlimited time on your 

 hands. 



The moment you decide to get a house, and 

 l)efore you do anything else, get together the 

 materials for the ferns to grow in. One cannot 

 expect gofxl ci-ops without, well pre])ai'ed ground. 

 and the same applies to flowers, fruit or ferns. 

 If you want them to grow well, you must give 

 them good stuff to grow in and the kind they like, 

 (iet then a load of good fibrous loam-^that is, 

 sods, or " scraws," as the country people call 

 them, not more than 'i iru-hes thick, taken from 

 old mountain pasture in a disti-icl fi'ce fi'om lime- 

 stone. These sods should then be carefully built, 

 grass side down, into an oblong or s()uare pile, 

 by preference, against a wall, so as to get partial 

 protection from heavy rain. They .shoidd remain 

 thus till all the grass and other vegetation lia\c 

 died and decayed, which may take some months, 

 hence the necessity (»f attacking this part of the 

 preparat,if)ns first of all. If you can leave it six 

 Tuonths, or more, all the better, for not only will 

 the vegetation decay thoroughly, but obnoxious 

 vernun, worms, beetles, etc., will die also, or else 

 evacuate the territory — a laost desirable con- 

 dition. 



Xext get. a load of mountain peat — not " I urf," 

 such as we get in liogs and use for fuel- hut sods 

 from the mountain, of lirown fibrous jjeat, per- 

 meated probably with root s of bracken : the more 

 fibrous it is the better. Treat it exactly in the 

 same way as the loam. 



Then get a load of leaf-mould .nid Iniiid it 

 also into a comjiact square heaj). 



Finally, saiul is a necessity. It is also a diffi- 

 culty. " Silver sand " is the best, if you can 

 afford it, but it is expensive. It can lie obtained 



from garden supply firms by the hundredweight, 

 of various degrees of fineness or coarseness. 

 Medium or coarse is perhaps the best when dealing' 

 with rockery work rather than pot plants. Sea 

 sand shoidd not be used — at least, that from the 

 neighbourhood of Dublin, for even in the absence 

 of shells, it contains so much limestone sand that 

 it is quite unsuitable, in fact fatal, to many ferns. 

 This is the reason why " silver sand " is so 

 suitable, as it is lime free. A substitute for silver 

 sand can be obtained at small cost, except the 

 cost of personal labour. Get a load of " free- 

 stone " — which is " rotten " or disintegrated 

 granite, and so lime free — from the mountain : 

 riddle this through a fine sieve. What does not 

 run through is then pounded up and again 

 riddled, and so on. An old horse-manger makes a 

 cajjital mortar and an iron bar an efficient pestle. 

 Excellent, sharp, coarse and fine mixed, lime free 

 sand is thus obtained for our purpose. 



We have then obtained good material for our 

 ferns to grow in. The preparation of it we will 

 deal with later on, when the reason for the 

 directions about making separate square or 

 olilong heaps will be seen. 



Incidentally, we may say that the coarser 

 " free-stone " will come in as a most suitable 

 constittient of our concrete cement floor. 



Having selected the site, and got the house, the 

 preparation for the reception of its guests begins. 

 First examine the back wall, against which the 

 house is placed, and cement up every hole and 

 deep crevice in it, otherwise an ai'my of snails 

 and other vei'inin will march out e\cr>- night to 

 wage war on your succulent plants, and retreat 

 to their safe quarters every day wlien you go 

 to seek them in your wrath and indignation. 

 Seal them up, to perish. 



Next lay down a concrete floor over the vfiolc 

 interior surface, specially tight against tlie back 

 wall, to exclude worms, with a slight slope from 

 back to frtuit . and a good deej). half-rfiund gutter- 

 groove running along the sides and front. sloi)ing 

 to one end. This should open outside into a trap, 

 such as one has in areas for carrying off surface 

 water, otherwise all kinds of jiests will find their 

 way up your water channel from the outsidi', 

 even rats and mice; for all maniu'r of beasts, 

 even humans, love to explore a hole, and though 

 there is only one into your greenhouse, they will 

 find it fuit. IJesides, things you may wish to 

 keep inside, which we will sjieak of later, will 

 also explore the one and only hole, and, announc- 

 ing the glad tidings to their friei^ls, and even 

 to their enemies, all will trooji out as your 

 enemies troop in. so trap it. 



Next, we recommend that 11h' house shall 

 shelter a rockery and not pot i)laiits. therefore 

 no stages are required. Pot plants are a constant 

 source of anxiety, and again, we are out for 

 pleasure. If one is away for a day or two, or 

 a week, the rockery looks alter itself and takes 

 no harm. The pot feiiis. however, would all 

 suffer, and som< — the choice ones sureh - would 

 be as dead as Queen Anne. In the ifickery it is 

 wonderful how they Avill luxuriate in being left 

 alone ; for, at first, at least, they will proliably 

 suffer from ovei-kindness, drowned one day Avitli 

 water, sniftthered another day by heat, perished 

 the next day with draughts. After a time ex- 

 ])erience and mutual forbearance will work 

 wonders. 



