176 



IRISH GARDENING 



February to nine inches from tlie ffround to en- 

 courage strong growth to fruit the following yeai'. 



The fruit in the store should be examined from 

 time to time, removing any decayed specimens. 



Thk Plicasiiimc GROiiNns. 



As the Border Chrysantheuuuns go ]>ast (lower- 

 ing, lift a few roots of eai'h variety and box them 

 up, meantime placing in a cold frame. About tlic 

 end of January they may l)e lifted indoors to secure 

 cuttings early in March. 



Dahlias nnist be lifted when the tops have been 

 frosted down, as the tul)ers are soft and easily 

 destroyed. Tliese may ho ])Tacc(l in a frame to dry 

 before storing away. 



Gladioli when lifted may be tied up in bundles 

 and hung to the rafter of an airy shed, and on a 

 wet day can be cleaned. 



liObelia Cardinalis 1 find keeps tlirough the 

 winter better packed in a cold frame and covered 

 over witli leaf mould, putting on the lights in bad 

 weather.- 



Make an effort to get all planting done in the 

 Herbaceous quarters tliis month, otherwise it is 

 better left over till the spring. 



Lily of the Valley beds that are deteriorating or 

 bad with weeds should be lifted now and cleaned, 

 selecting the strongest t'rowns and replant in 

 bunches of three or four, six inches apart. 



Roses. — November is about the best month to 

 l)lant these, as the soil is generally in fair con- 

 dition. The ground should be well trenched, and 

 if of poor quality add a quantity of fresh soil; good 

 drainage is essential. 



When planting, spread tlie roots out carefully 

 and at suc-h a depth that the union of the Rose 

 and stock will be an inch or two below the surface. 

 Cut back any long shoots that will sway with the 

 wind, wiiich in wet, stormy weather would cause 

 a puddle round the neck. 



Violets in frames will require careful attention 

 from now onwards. If water is required apply it 

 (in fine days. Pick off all decaying leaves and stir 

 the soil round the plants occasionally; ventilate 

 freely on fine days. Fallen leaves give the grounds 

 an lintidy appearance, l)ut it is as well to leave 

 tliem initil all are down unless near and around 

 the dwellinghouse. When finally cleaning up store 

 them for top-dressing Rhododendron and Azalea 

 beds next year. 



Sweep and roll lawns when dry. This is a good 

 time to level up any depressions in the turf. 



Royal Horticultural and Arboricultural 

 Society of Ireland. 



The monthly meeting of the Council was held at 

 the offices, 5 Molesworth Street, Dublin, on the 

 8th ult.. Dr. R. T. Harris presiding. A letter was 

 read from Messrs. Stopford & Turner, agents to 

 liord Carew, Castleboro', Wexford, conveying Lord 

 Carew's offer of the Gladiolus Cup, won out by him, 

 for further c-onipetition in the same class, which 

 was gratefully ac-cepted, and a cordial vote of 

 thanks jnissed" to Lord Carew. "Tliis Cup, by the 

 way, value ten guineas, was originally presented 

 to the Society by Francis V. Westby, Esq., D.L. A 

 vote of thanks was passed to the Fingal Horticul- 

 tural Society for placing at the Council's disposal 

 the assets of the Society as a trust fund, under 

 special conditions by which the proceeds will be 

 devoted to prizes for competitors residing in the 

 Fingal district. 

 It was decided that a Spring Show be held on 



Wednesday and Thursday. April 1.3th and 14th, 

 l'.)2\. and that a schedule be prepared forthwith, 

 peruiission to \)o asked of Earl Iveagh, K.P., to 

 liold it in the covered yard, Earlsfort Terrace. 

 Mrs. O'Meara. The Ochra, Bray, was elected a 

 ineinber of the Society. 



Department of Agriculture and Tech- 

 nical Instruction. 



Annu.al Gknerai. Report, &C'. 



The above Report, which covers a period termi- 

 nating on the ;iOth of Septem])er, 1919, contains a 

 vast amount of information relative to Agriculture, 

 Horticulture, and Forestry in Ireland, as well as 

 reports more particularly concerned with such in- 

 stitutions as the National Museum, the National 

 Library, the Royal Botanic Gardens, &c. We note 

 that the number of visitors to the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens in 1918-19 was 394.561, as compared with 

 o57,446 for the preceding year. Many new trees 

 and shrubs were moved from the nursery quarters 

 to the public collections, which are now becoming 

 crowded. Alterations and improvements were 

 made in the collections of agricultin'al grasses and 

 forage plants generally. The grant for the main- 

 tenance of the Gardens was £6,84U. 



At the Albert Agricultural College six students 

 were admitted to the course for Horticultural In- 

 structors in Training. Six new students and two 

 students who had previously attended were ad- 

 mitted to the gardening ajjprentices' class. 

 Thirty-three men trained in tliis school hold posi- 

 tions in connection with horticultural schemes, 

 either under local authorities or innnediately 

 luider the Dejjartment. 



We further note that 46 itinerant instructors 

 were employed under county committees. Dvu'ing 

 the year 41,70.'! visits and demonstrations were 

 carried out, and 90 lectures, with an average 

 attendance of 40 persons, were delivered. The 

 number of fruit trees and bushes planted inider 

 the supervision of the instructors shows a gratify- 

 ing increase, and speaks well for the future of the 

 fi'uit industry in Ireland. Some 362,805 trees and 

 shrubs for shelter and oriuiment were also planted. 

 The report generally as regards horticulture is en- 

 couraging. 



The Newer Gentians. 



In the Oetober number of Iimsh Gardening 

 " Hortus " asks : — " What is the secret of the cul- 

 tivation of the newer Gentians?" In 1916 I 

 planted two (t. siiio-orndfn in a mixture of peat 

 and sand, with stones buried round them. No 

 flowers were produced, so in 1918 I moved them to 

 a rock l)ed where (r. (Udulis has flowered well for 

 several years— loam and leaf mould with some very 

 old mortar. In 1918 and 1919 I had four or five 

 flowers on each plant at the end of September. 



y\bout the end of July of this year one plant 

 tuined yellow and is now in a very bad way. The 

 ()th(>r seemed quite healthy up to the end of Sep- 

 tember, but has now turned yellow. The roots 

 seem to 1)0 quite satisfactory. 



This Gentian succeeds well in the Edinburgh dis- 

 trict. In a garden at Musselburgh, <i. siiuz-unidfu 

 was planted in 1916, and I was told this spring' 

 that it was quite a large patch nearly a foot across. 



A nice pot plant of G. Furreii was given n)e this 

 spring by the Edinburgh Botanical Garden, but 

 it has not yet flowered. 



E. C. Buxton, Bettws-y-Coed. 



