164 



IRISH GARDENING 



furnished witli the jDeculiar small xfUow 

 liowers. In several places the Himalayan 

 Birch was conspicuous, the cream coloured 

 branches showing up well amid the surround- 

 ing foliage, Berberidupsis coraUhia rambles 

 freely through the branches of a neighbouring 

 climber rejoicing in cool soil and shade. By 

 the walls of the yards and houses, many good 

 plants are gro\\T:i, Carpentaria caJifornica, Ein- 

 bothrium coccinciuu, Salvias of various species, 

 Eucrijpliia c'prdijolia, etc(. Cold fraines too 

 contain many rare plants in pots and pans, such 

 as, Linmea borealis Speirantha convaUarioidoi, 

 the rare Mohria. caffruriun and a collection of 

 hardy terrestrial orchids collected and sent 

 home from France. Perhaps the rarest and 

 most notable tree in the garden is Quercus 

 incxicana a semi-evergreen species probably 

 not known elsewhere in cultivation. Altogether 

 the gardens are full of interest and reflect 

 great credit on Professor Henry Dixon, and 

 Mr. S. G. Wild, who is responsible for the 

 care and cultivation of the collections. 



B. 



Yucca gloriosa. 



This plant flowered during the so-called sum- 

 mer of 1920, in the Eock Garden, Killiney 

 Castle, Co. Dublin. Two heads of flower ap- 

 ]ieared simultaneously side by side on the 

 l)lant, and grew steadily, being at about their 

 best when this photo \^■as taken. Owing to the 

 continuous wet they did not, even in this very 

 favoured situation, remain long in bloom, the 

 individual flowers appearing to rot off at the 

 main stem very quickly. There are several 

 gi'oups of Yuccas a,bout this neighbourhood, 

 but it is the first time two heads of flower have 

 thown as in this photo on the one plant. 



E. C. McM. S. 



Fruit Growing in Co. Limericks 



SiTUATKi) iiiidwuy between [iimerick and Foynes, 

 and within about three miles of the River Shannon, 

 one enters the village of Pallaskenry. It is known 

 to the people around as Pallantine. Here on every 

 side even the casual observer cannot fail to notice 

 that fruit trees are extensively grown, for in the 

 gardens of the cottager and farmer one is greeted 

 with either the fruit or branches of the trees peep- 

 ing over the fences. Some of these orchards are of 

 long standing, but a very large number, also, are 

 of recent introduction. Tlie latter must be 

 credited to the account of the Instructor in Horti- 

 culture, Mr. J. Malone. It is really pleasing 

 to travel through the county and see in nearly 

 every cottage garden from three to thirty-six Apple 

 trees growing; and in. all cases Gooseberries and 

 Currants growing between them. The planting of 

 those trees in the cottage gardens so extensively 

 was the result of the scheme of planting fruit trees 



for smaU liolders, which is in operation luider the 

 County Conunittee of Agriculture, Jjimerick — it also 

 is in operation in the other counties in Ireland — 

 the planting of wliich is carried out under the 

 directions of the Horticultural Instructor. 



A special planting scheme of recent introduction 

 has also been very much availed of, and a very 

 large numr)er of tlie various kinds of fruits have 

 been planted. Forest trees have been largely 

 planted also, thus going to show how popular the 

 scheme is and the interest taken in planting among 

 the people. 



It is wonderful the effect the planting of those 

 fruit trees, &c., has produced throughout the 

 county. The people delight in their fruit trees, 

 and can tell one the names of each variety which 

 does not do well in their soil. Those particular 

 varieties they do not keep as an eyesore, but after 

 experimenting and finding they do not do satis- 

 factorily, they inuuediately discard them. As a 

 matter of fact, they do not root them up and l)uru 

 them, as might be expected, but they cut them over 

 and graft on others which have been proved re- 

 liable. 



The farmers, also, have planted extensively 

 under this latter scheme, and on some approach 

 to nearly every farmstead is to be seen orchards of 

 from half an acre in extent upwards, of nicely 

 pruned, healthy fruit trees, of proved relialjility. 



One such orchard I visited deserves special men- 

 tion. It is situated in the townland of KildimO; 

 Palla.skenry, and its owner, Mr. P. Sullivan, is a 

 most skilled fruit grower. Mr. Sullivan's holding 

 at this place only consists of ,'5 acres, \\ acres of 

 wliich he has converted into an orchard. The 

 balance is a poor, barren bit of ground, with al)out 

 four inches of surface on the face of rock. 



In the upper portion of Mr. Sullivan's orchard, 

 Bramley Seedling and Worcester Pearmain are 

 planted in alternate lines; and to see the conical- 

 shaped, yellowish and bright scarlet Worcester 

 sliowing through the intersects of the large, round 

 green Bramley was indeed very fine. 



" You have a magnificent crop," I remarked to 

 Mr. Sullivan. 



" Yes," he answered, '" they are not at all bad." 



" When," I asked, " did you commence fruit- 

 growing ? " 



" All my life," he said, " I was interested 

 in fruit-growing and gardening generally. It 

 is over forty years ago since I bought my first 

 Apple trees, at a nursery sale in Inmerick. Of all 

 the kinds I got then I have only retained one now. 

 That one is a very nice early Apple, but I do not 

 know its name. Some people call it the English 

 Peach. They are all pulled and sent to market 

 now. Of course, it is not the original tree, but 

 grafts of it on other stocks. Other varieties I kept 

 getting as I went along, until I had my one and 

 a half acres planted. That was all the good land 

 I had. If I had ten acres more I would plant them 

 with fruit trees. In latter years I have got the 

 varieties recommended by the County Instructor, 

 and they have done extra well. 



" What varieties do you find most suitable for 

 vour soil ? " I asked. 



" You cannot heat Braniley, I>ane's, Allnigton, 

 and Worcester. Alihough I grow a good numl)er 

 of other varieties, they do best, as you can see. Any 

 variety that does not do well I cut it over and graft 

 the above kinds on to the stocks. Occasionally I 

 graft some other kinds to try them." 



" How do you manure your trees ? " I next asked. 



" That," said Mr. Sullivan, " is a very important 

 question. I do not believe in putting a small quau- 



