yo 



IRISH GARDENING. 



comes up every year flowering irregularly, that is. 

 all the bulbs do not flower at the same time but 

 keep on appearing for several weeks. The leaves, 

 too, vary, some being spotted and streaked with 

 brown, and some almost wholly devoid of any 

 marking. The flowers are orange red. 



Muscari botryoidi's album is a chaste and pretty 

 bull)ons plant for the rock garden or border of 

 select things. The dense spikes of pure white 

 flowers look most attractive against a dark back- 

 ground of rock, or spearing through a carpet of 

 some low, green creeping plant. 



Narc'issus hill ho radium. the Hoop-petticoat 

 Daffodil, is not invariably a success when ])laiito(l 

 under conditions that suit its more robust hrctluen. 

 Jt seems to require warmer soil in a position 

 where the bulbs will get well ripened in smnmer. 

 Here it seems to have established itself in a 

 granite moraine, well exposed to the sun and 



or large quantities, and is a sure remedy for 

 " Fly " when used according to directions, 

 and ' tobacco solutions are equally good. The 

 Quassia and Tobacco Washes are also effective 

 against the Rose Sawfly, which frequently does 

 nnich damage to the young leaves. 



Mildew, which makes its appearance later in the 

 year, is unialiy dealt with by applying sulphur 

 in one form or another to the leaves. When the 

 I)lants attacked are few in number it may ])e suffi- 

 cient to dust the affected leaves with ordinary 

 sulplnn-. but when the attack is bad and many 

 j)lants have to be gone over spraying will be 

 necessary. Potassium sulphide, ol)tainable from 

 chemists, may he used at the rate of two o\mces 

 dissolved in tiirce gallons of water, or lime-sulphur 

 solution applied according to directions will pro- 

 bably be equally effective. Various other pro- 

 prietary remedies can be obtained, but it is of 





"11 "il ' 





I'ltUl'Al.AI IM. ( l.i" III. 



Photo Ini A. Slnirr. 



slightly sheltered from above by the branches of 

 a pine. It is now, in the middle of April flower- 

 ing freely. B. 



The Rose Garden, 



The Rose season seems likely to l)e late this year 

 judging from the siuall aiiHunit of growth evident 

 on Implies cut Inick in March. This may be all \<> 

 tlie good, for early growth in Roses is liable to l)e 

 " nipped " in May just as other things are. 



What the summer may hold in store in the way 

 of insect pests and fungus diseases is not ye) 

 evident, but tiiere is little doubt the usual visi^i- 

 tinns will manifest themselves in due course. It 

 will Ite well, therefore, in these times of scarcity 

 and restrictions to consider the advisability of 

 acquiring some stock of materials for coml)ating 

 the various pests. Greenfly is very often the flrst 

 pest to appear and should lie promptly dealt with 

 by syringing or spraying, as tlie case may be, with 

 some suitable insecticide. Various proprietary 

 materials ar(> obtaimihle from seedsmen and 

 simdriesmen. Orflinary soapy water from the 

 wash tuV) is not by any means to be despised, and 

 not a few cottage gardeners never use anytbini: 

 else. Quassia Extract can be purchased in small 



flrst importance that the attack whether of insects 

 or fmigi, should be dealt with immediately on 

 being noticed and not left until it has spread. 



During the next few weeks there will i)e little 

 to do among Roses except to keep a sharp look out 

 for pests; the soil should be kejjt free from weeds 

 and loose on the surface by hoeing frequently 

 whenever the Weather permits. 



Potato Spraying in Gardens and on 

 Allotments. 



EvKRY really up to-date gardenei' and allotment 

 liolrler who grows Potatoes now sprays them to 

 I)revent their damage by blight. In the pa-;t the 

 work of spraying has been a somewhat delicate 

 and tiresome job. It has ))een necessary to dis- 

 solve the sulplnite of copj)er and soda crystals, or 

 lime used for the making of Burgundy or BordeaiLX 

 nii.vture, in separate vessels, to mix them with 

 the utmost care, to test the strength of the blend 

 wiih litmus paper, and so on. There is no doubt 

 that many small growers who would ntherwise 



