IRISH GARDENING. 



29 



made above, a small leak is no harm, as it can 

 only occur when the tubs are already full. If the 

 syphon gets air-blocked, an awl hole at tlie upper 

 part of the bend will at once correct tliis. the hole 

 being then plugged by a bit of wood. 



Ventilation is the next consideration. The first 

 general principle is that ferns dislike a draught, but 

 lejoice in still air. Second, they dislike dry a,ir 

 and rejoice in a moist atmosphere. Tliird, they 

 disUke changes of temperature : the greater these 



aljsence of eouipetition from the Colonies fruit 

 growing should pay well when there is a fair crop. 

 But what if there is no crop ? some may say. That 

 is just the point, and the question is. Does fruit 

 growing by itself pay ? or must it be combined 

 with some other 1n-anch of horticulture or with 

 agriculture? There seems some gromid for think- 

 ing that the farmer who takes up fruit growing 

 and determines to do it thoroughly is on the right 

 track. Manure, sooner or later, is a necessity, and 



Photo l'!j] [-^^'- <-'■ J-'onest. 



PiHODODENDHON CiLIIC.VLYX IN ChIX.V 



are, and the more rajjid, the worse, loiu-th, that 

 the.^e likes and dislikes are much more pronounced 

 in the " growing " period of the year — that is, 

 when the ferns are making fresh new fronds, than 

 in the " resting " jjeriod. when the fronds are 

 fully developed. With fchese fo\xr jjrinciples 

 understood and kept in. mind, the whole question 

 becomes simple. 



{To he cutifiii ucd.) 



The Future of Fruit Growing. 



Much has been written and spoken of this industry 

 in Ireland for many years past, and nuich has been 

 accomplished. The war caused a big increase in 

 prices, as the Market Eeport in this Journal 

 showed, and incidentally proved that in the 



as a correspondent in a recent issue points out, it 

 is hard to get. The farmer who is tilling his land 

 and feeding stock is the one most likely to have 

 manure to spare for fruit trees and bushes. 



Moreover, it seldom happens that all fruits are 

 a failure the same season, and this again leads one 

 to ask whether it is wise to plant apples only. 

 Another may ask what about a season when there 

 is a "lut of fruit of all kinds? Then it does not 

 pay f'or picking. There should be some means of 

 obviating this, in improved methods of ])reserving, 

 by pulping, canning, bottling, &c., for the fact is 

 indisputable that let the crop be ever so large 

 fruit is never cheap in our large cities, and halt 

 the population rarely get enough, as they cannot 

 afford to buy it. What is the outlook for the 

 future ? 



