34 



IRISH GARDENING. 



this is ot garden orig'in originating from iiiicro- 

 phyllus y. coronarius. It is an excellent form for 

 beds, and has given rise to several desirable 

 varieties, notably erectus and maciilatus, the 

 latter having a reddish blotch at the base of the 

 petals. I PJuladelplius viicrophyllus^ from Colorado, 

 is a neat and pretty species with slender shoots 

 and tiny leaves, and is not to be confounded with 

 a hybrid form often found labelled microphyllus. 

 All the species bear white flowers, or. in some 

 cases very pale yellow. 



5(5* e^^ t^^ 



Cineraria Radiata Hybrida. 



THIS new cineraria is of the stellata strain, hut the 

 flowers are much larger, and of the most beautiful 

 shades of colour imagfinable. They are star-shaped, 

 some of the petals being twisted. They are indis-pen- 

 sable as cut flowers for table decoration. They may be 

 had in flower from January to June by sowing the seed 

 in the third week of April. Their cultivation is very simple. 

 Get a six-inch pot and put a few pieces of broken crocks 

 in the bottom for drainage. On the top of these place 

 some moss to keep the mould frcim stopping up the 

 drainage. Fill up the pot to within an inch of the top 

 with a compost made of three parts of good loam and 

 one part ct leaf-mould. Give a good watering with a 

 fine rose watering-pot, and let stand to drain for about 

 half an hour ; then sow the seeds thinly, and cover very 

 lightly. Place the pot in a cool house or frame, and 

 cover with a sheet of brown paper damped slightly. 

 When the seedlings appear remove the paper, but keep 

 shaded from strong sun. In a few weeks prick oft' the 

 young plants into boxes, inserting them three inches 

 apart. As soon as the leaves touch each other pot off 

 into four-inch pots, and stand them in a cool frame on 

 coal ashes. After a few days give plenty of air to the 

 frame, and shade plants from strong sunlight. In a few 

 weeks, when the pots are filled with roots, but not pot- 

 bound, give them their final shift into six-inch pots, 

 which are quite large enough for ordinar}' purposes. 

 The compost in which I find the)' do best consists of 

 three parts maiden loam of a fibrous, sandy nature and 

 one part of leaf-mould, with a six-inch potful of crushed 

 bones added to it. About the first of October bring the 

 plants into a house where the temperature ranges from 

 45 degrees F. at night to 50 or 55 degrees F". during the 

 day. Great care must be taken in watering them for 

 the next few months, as an overdose of water will cause 

 them to rot off at the neck. A little guano water from 

 the first of January on will greatly improve them. 



J. Dkvine, Kilworth. 



^^^ ^^ ^^ 



The falling waters led me. 



The foodful waters fed me. 



And brought me to the lowest land. 



Unerring to the ocean sand. 



The moss upon the forest bank 



Was pole-star when the night was dark. 



The purple berries in the wood 



Supplied me necessary food ; 



For Nature ever faithful is 



To such as trust her faithfulness. 



6^^ ^^ fi^* 



It is the farmers part to create. He stands close to 

 Nature. He is the continuous benefactor. He has grave 

 trusts confided to him. In the great household of Nature 

 he stands at the door of the bread-room, and weighs to 

 each his loaf. — Emerson, 



Mushroom Culture. 



By THOMAS SCOTT, County Horticultural Instructor, Co. Down. 



IT is surprising how many could who do not 

 grow mushrooms. Almost everyone enjoys 

 them as an article of diet, yet the great 

 majority of people depends upon natural sources 

 for their supply. Some years, ior six weeks or 

 so. Nature is extremely liberal, while in other 

 years she is just as niggardly. Why not raise 

 them artificially, and have mushrooms nearly all 

 the year round ? French cooks say that 

 cultivated mushrooms are twice as nutritive as 

 those naturally grown, and are equal to fresh 

 meat as a food, and much more digestible ; 

 besides, as a marketable commodity they are 

 very profitable. In France mushroom culture 

 is a large and profitable business, and why not in 

 this country ? We have quite as good facilities, 

 and yet three-fourths of the cultivated mush- 

 rooms consumed in the United Kingdom are 

 French-grown. 



Now that " new industries " is the cry of the 

 day, here is one requiring little capital, and on 

 which there is a return of money invested in two 

 months. Those who have suitable places, a 

 command of reasonably cheap material, and 

 brains to take advantage of these conditions, 

 may take up the industry with a sure prospect 

 of success. 



Cultivation. — Horse "droppings" from sound, well- 

 fed horses is the material required. In all country places 

 this can be readily procured, while near large towns it 

 can be bought cheaply. On^ thing which must not be 

 used in mushroom growing is the droppings from horses 

 which have been dosed with medicine, as even one dose 

 of medicine may be sufficient to kill the mushroom spawn 

 oi an entire bed. There is a very general but erroneous 

 opinion that mushrooms are difficult to cultivate ; they 

 are no more difficult than any other crop, but their 

 requirements differ ver)' materially from that of other 

 crops. The best time to start their cultivation in beds, 

 indoors, is September, although beds may be made in 

 August, and have good results. Beds put down after 

 April should be outdoors. When they are plentiful in the 

 meadows it does not perhaps pay to grow them arti- 

 ficially, but they can be grown all the year roimd. F"rom 

 August to March they are more easily grown indoors ; 

 from March to August it is better to grow them out- 

 doors. Indoors they may be cultivated in stables, barns, 

 cellars, underground passages, or under stages in plant 

 houses ; they can also be' grown in boxes or pots. 

 Darkness is an advantage, but not absolutely essential. 



Temperature. — A proper temperature is of the utmost 

 importance. The heat of the bed should not fall below 

 55 degrees F. or rise above 70 degrees F. During the 

 bearing period in specially constructed mushroom 

 houses, or heated sheds, the temperature is easily regu- 

 lated, but in such outdoor places as already mentioned 

 the proper temperatin-e can be maintained by judicious 

 covering, provided the bed has been properly con- 

 structed. 



Material. — Select the droppings of horses well fed on 

 firm food, reject those from grass-fed and, let us repeat, 

 especially reject from any receiving medicine ; add to the 

 droppings ow^ part in three of short, strawy manure. 

 This mixture should be thrown together in narrow ridges, 

 about five feet wide and four feet high; these ridges should 



