l82 



IRISH GARDENING 



stools, should be iiuilclied A^itli \\\'ll-rottrd 

 manure. 



The time to plant is during the month of 

 Februai^, and the distance apart 2 feet, in 

 vo\v9. 5 feet asunder. Growth should be en- 

 couraged during the suirmier months by fre- 

 ([uent hoeing between the rows and by water- 

 ing A\henever necessary, timely support being 

 afforded to the young canes as soon as they 

 are likely to need it. 



Further treatment consists of cutting the 

 canes down to the ground each succeeding 

 s})ring, and in repeating the above cultural 

 directions — although here it may be mentioned 

 that some growers find it best to replant the 

 canes each year. 



The best varieties include Queen Alexandra, 

 November Abmidanco, Hailshamberry, and 

 the new October Eed, whilst October YoIIoaa- 

 will pi'ovide the spice of variety. 



T. E. TOMALIX.: 



Bessborough, Co. Kilkenny, Nov. 15, 1020. 



Gentiana Sino-Ornata, 



A L.VDY at Musselb\n"gh planted a tiny bit in 

 1918. Iti had two flowers. This year she 

 counted forty-nine flowers. It gets a great 

 deal of sun, and is in a low rather damp place ; 

 the soil is mixed with a good many chips of 

 stone. In this particular spot everything 

 ramps — G. lagodecJtiaua is three or four times 

 the size of plants in another spot; it is a yard 

 round and had over a hundred flowers. 



El. C. Buxton, Bettws-y-coed. 



Famous Netherland Horticultural 

 Centres. 



By Mr. J. v.\n den Berg. 

 V. 



Various Centres (Final). 



Having written of the most important liortieiil- 

 tural centres, such as Boskoop, Aalsmeer, the Bulb- 

 growing distiict, &c., there only rertiains a few 

 other interesting centres, of which some are 

 smaller, others bigger, than those already dis- 

 cussed. To describe fully all the remaining cejitres 

 one after the other would lead to repetition, so we 

 will only give your readers a short di soiption. 



Speaking of tree nurseries, there remains two 

 very important centres, of which the first one, 

 Naarden-Bussum, is situated in the soutli of the 

 province of North Holland, in one of the nicest 

 parts of the Netherlands. The nurseries lie between 

 the towns of Naarden and Bussum, near beautiful 

 and woody surroiuidings, and in the neighbour- 

 liood of a great many private places l^elonging to 

 Amsterdam business men. Although not so 

 nu.merous, the nurseries are arranged in the same 

 manner as the Boskoop nurseries, and the same 

 methods of cultivation, propagation, export, &c., 

 are in use. While Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Coni- 

 fers, Roses, &c., are the principal cultures, special 

 attention is given here to the cultivation of young 



fruit trees, as Standards, Half-standards, Cordons, 

 and Espaliers, and the cultivation of laly of the 

 Valley. 



The soil, which is loamy and very sandy, is 

 different from that which we find at Boskoop. The 

 Naarden-Bussum centre is connected by water- 

 ways with the seaports at Amsterdam and Rotter- 

 dam, whicli fact is very useful for exporting the 

 products. The second tree nursery centre is Ouden- 

 bosch, located in the west of the province of North 

 Brabant, and including the towns Zundert and 

 Roozendaal. A great number of very large tree 

 nurseries are to l)e found here on a sandy soil, but 

 in opposition to Boskoop and Naarden-Bussum 

 where we found the so-called " luxury " tree nur- 

 series, the 0udenl)0sch nurseries principally grow 

 shade and ornamental trees, shruhs, and forestry 

 stocks. 



Lime (Lindens), Chestnuts, Maples, Oaks, 

 Beeches, flowering and hedge shrubs are there also 

 special cultures in the nurseries, while many acres 

 are covered with young forestry stocks of pine-fir 

 trees, &c. 



Canals and ditches are very few" in this centre, 

 and horses and carts are the principal means of 

 transport in the nurseries, and railways for 

 abroad. The export is generally to the United 

 States of America, although many plants are 

 sliipped via the Boskoop niu'series. 



As considerable centres for the cultivation of 

 fruit, in the first place, we mention the Betuwe, 

 the south of the province of Limburg, and the 

 province of Sealand, all places where extensive 

 orchards are to be found. The Betuwe, a large 

 tract of fertile clay soil in the province of Guelder- 

 land, between the rivers Rbine-Maese and Waal, 

 is the best known orchard centre, then the south 

 of the province of Limburg, and in spring, when 

 the fruit trees are in flower, those two parts of the 

 country present a magnificent aspect and attract 

 many visitors. Together, 30,000 acres are occvi- 

 pied by orchards. These orchards, on grass used 

 for pasture, consist generally of standard Cherries, 

 Apples, Pears, and Plum trees, of which the 

 Cherries and the Apples are the most numerous. 

 The number of different varieties of Apples and 

 pears cultivated in the various orchards is very 

 large, and depends mostly on the soil and the 

 situation of the orchards. Notwithstanding a con- 

 siderable use of fruit in Holland itself, export 

 takes place to Germany, Belgium, and Great 

 Britain, and amounted over the whole comitry in 

 1911 to 313,890 cwt. Apples, with a value of £100,000; 

 62,830 cwt. Pears, with a value of £15,700; and 

 38,250 cwt. Cherries. 



The export of Plums is of no importance, as they 

 are mostly used in the country. In the province 

 of Sealand it is the cultivation of small fruit which 

 is of interest, especially that of different kinds of 

 Currants and Berries, often used as luider-planting 

 in tile orcliards. Of the 5,000 acres in tlie Nether- 

 lands planted with different kinds of Berries and 

 Currants, a great deal is to be found in this dis- 

 trict and the fruit exported to Great Britain and 

 Germany — namelly, 47,370 cwt. Gooseberries, 21,300 

 cwt. White and Red Currants, 9,040 cwt. Black 

 Ciu-rants. 



A centre of Strawberry cidtivation is found in 

 the province of North Holland, between the cities 

 Haarlem and Alkmaar with the town of Beverwyk 

 as centre. More than 750 acres are here planted 

 with Strawberries, and although this product finds 

 a great sale inland, the export was in 1911, 96,260 

 cwt., of which 93,460 cwt. went to Germany, 1,600 

 cwt. went to Belgium, and 1,180 CAvt. went to Great 



