IRISH GARDENING 



loosened. Give support from winds, and in hot, 

 dry weather ^ive slight sprayings to assist the 

 growth. All growths on the stocks innst he re- 

 nioved and all suckers ki-pt down. 



GoosKBKHKiKS.— The Gooseberry sawlly wdl soon 

 make its appearance once the leaves oi)en. The 

 eggs luitch very quickly, and the caterpillars soon 

 destroy all the" growth. To combat this nuisance 

 dust with dry, fresh soot 'the under side of the 

 leaves while they are damp, and spray with ear- 

 liolic soap, two dunces to the gallon of soft water, 

 and give the ground under the trees a good dust- 

 ing of fresh lime. Red and White Currants are 

 lialole to this pest, and the above treatment is re- 

 connnended. 



Sweet Cherries.— When the fruit has set, give 

 a good spray with Quassia Extract to keep away 

 black fly. Pinch the shoots, with the exception of 

 extension shoots, to three or four buds. Keep the 

 o-rowths thinly trained to allow the sun and air 

 to reach all parts of the tree. Give a good dressing 

 of lime, and watch they do not get dry. 



Pe.\ches and Nectarines.— Attend to disbudding, 

 and examine daily to see that the trees are not 

 infected with green fly or mildew. For the former 

 spray well with Quassia rather under the strength 

 giveii as directions, and for the mildew dust with 

 black sulphur. Water the trees thoroughly, giving 

 an occasional dusting of liilie to assist the stoning. 

 Spray the trees well with tepid water on bright 

 and warm evenings. Where there is a very heavy 

 set thin the worst placed fruits, and allow one fruit 

 for every foot of the tree. 



Raspberries.— Assist th.e canes with good, heavy 

 mulchings of manure. Allow plenty of light and 

 air to reach the canes and thin the young growths 

 springing from the base. When the fruit has set 

 give several good waterino;s. 



Loganberries, &c. — Endeavour to ripen the 

 young Loganberry canes by giving them plenty of 

 light and air. A severe winter often kills the 

 canes right down unless tkey are thoroughly well 

 matured. Keep the hoe going between the rows 

 till the mulchings are put on next month. This 

 also applies to all this type of fruit. 



American Blight. — Where this wretched pest is 

 appearing steps must be taken to at once eradicate 

 it. On small trees go over the infected parts with 

 ■d small paint brush dipped in paraffin. On large 

 trees spray well with the following — I lb. soft soap 

 and a wineglass of paraffin to 5 gallons of soft 

 water, all boiled together and apply warm. 



General Work in Orchards and Fruit Planta- 

 tions. — Hoe around all fruit trees and keep free 

 from weeds. Where trees are growing in the grass 

 this should be cut a good distance around each tree. 

 Watch very carefully for any insect pests, and take 

 steps to clean at once. See tliat all ties are secure, 

 and that no tree is suffering from drought. I think 

 our fruit trees generally require nuich more lime 

 than they get. I would strongly advise every fruit- 

 grower to test, or have his soil tested, to see that 

 there is plenty of free lime in the soil. When 

 using manure water of an uncertain strength put 

 a bag of gypsum in the tank. No harm will then 

 hax)pen to the trees. 



Flower Garden and Pleasure Grounds. 



Summer Bedding. — Where summer bedding is 

 carried out in good style the next few weeks will 

 be very busy ones. It is advisable to spare as 

 many of the staff as possil)le so that the plants may 

 be quickly planted and ^finished. Try and finish 

 each section as the ])lants become thoroughly 

 hardened. The Auiirrhinums, Peutsteinons, 



Stocks of the (liff(M'ent strains. Asters, and where 

 groundwork of the various Violas are to be used. 

 Th(>st> should all b(> got in in good time. All tbc 

 aiuuials raised in heat and pricked out into franu's 

 and boxes may safely be planted. Mignonette that 

 has been grown in pots may have the Hower si)ikes 

 removed after they have finished (lowering. They 

 do wonderfully well wIumi planted out and give an 

 abundance of good flowci-. Salriti 7'((/f'/i.s, good 

 blue, riilox Drum tut) mil, in different shades, 

 Srdhiosus have been greatly improved of late, and 

 are most useful as cut llowers. Verbena, Miss 

 Willmott, Princess of Wales, and King of the 

 Scarlets all make beautiful beds in their different 

 sections. When all danger of frosts is passed, 

 the more tender subjects can be dealt with, leaving 

 tlie carpet section till the very last. This latter 

 section, although considered by many to be out 

 of date, when well carried out and very carefully 

 planned, can still hold its own for colour effect, 

 especially in a wet season. Standard plants must 

 be securely fastened to good, stout stakes, and where 

 possible, run some small creeper up the stems to 

 take away the l)are effect of the stakes and stems, 

 l^eave a small hollow round each plant for water- 

 ing. Several points 'to be observed in bedding out 

 plants are : never-plant a dry plant, always make 

 a good hole to receive the plants, and never allow 

 any plants to lie about. Clean up each night 

 liefore finishing for the day, cleaning away pots 

 and boxes. Then, if the following day happens to 

 be wet, every thing will be clean and tidy. Always 

 bear in mind the season is very short, and 

 endeavour to have the ground covered with tlie 

 plants at the earliest possible moment. 



The beds must be carefully watched for water. 

 Give thorough soakings late in the evening where 

 I^ossible, especially Begonias and Heliotropes. 



Spring Bedding. — Where possible, when the 

 spring bedding is at its best, one should endeavour 

 to get his employer to go round and see if any 

 changes would be preferred for the following season. 

 Make a note of everything. This will save much 

 time later on and it also allows for the proper 

 plants to be propagated and prepared for the 

 autumn planting. Wallflowers should be sown in 

 cool quarters. Canterbury Bells are best sown in 

 boxes or pans and raised in a frame. Lupins and 

 Daisies may be raised from seed. Arabis, Aubrie- 

 tias and AlyssuniS propagated from cuttings. 

 Forget-me-Nots are best when left in the reserve 

 garden to seed themselves. The young seedlings 

 may then be transplanted. It seldom germinates 

 well from packets, owing to the seed requiring to 

 be sown immediately it is ripe. Sweet William 

 and Polyanthus may be sown in nursery beds. 

 Dust over with soot and watch for slugs. 



Bulbs. — Any bulbs that have been forced should 

 be planted in the woodland garden. Place each 

 section by itself and plant large groups if the sur- 

 roundings are suitable, a thousand not being too 

 many. Hyacinths in large groups of one colour 

 always attract attention. Here at Straff an many 

 things are naturalised, and each season we are 

 planting large quantities, thinning many of the 

 existing groups, and rearranging to a prepared 

 scheme. The Dogstooth Violet (Eri/fJnunium-dois- 

 (■(inis) and E. hingifolium, Scillas, Chionodoxa. 

 and all types of Tulips are thriving. Darwin and 

 May Flowering Tulips flourish well in the grass 

 anci keep perfectly healthy. The foliage must die 

 down naturally before cutting the grass. This is 

 most important. 



Dahlias. — In favoured localities Dahlias may 

 safely be planted three feet apart. They require 

 a deep rooting medium. Do not allow too many 



