IRISH GARDENING. 



57 



England, where an analogous Order issued by 

 the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries has been 

 in force for some time. 



The Irish Department are also issuing a 

 revised illustrated leaflet dealing with the 

 mildew which should be in the hands of every 

 one who has a garden, and by means of which 

 the disease can easily be recognised. 



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The foiirtli annual show of the Kilkenny Horticul- 

 tural Society is announced for the 21 si of July. The 

 schedule promises g-ood classes for sweet peas, roses, 

 herbaceous plants, small fruit, and table and decorative 

 plants. An interesting innovation is to take a plebiscite 

 note on the table decorations instead of judging in the 

 ordinar)' way. We wish this energetic society the 

 fullest measure of success ; its exhibits are alwaj's good 

 and the competitions keen. The secretary is Mr. S. A. 

 Jones, F. R.H.S., Gowran. 



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During the gales of the early part of last month a 

 large thorn tree growing at the residence of Mr. Cun- 

 ningham, Glencairn, Belfast, was blown down. Its 

 trunk was three feet in circumference at three feet 

 above the ground. It grew 40 feet high and with a 

 clean stem of 15 feet to where it threw out branches. 

 Last year it had few flowers owing to the season being 

 unfavourable, but the previous year it was a mass of 

 bloom. 



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At the Downham (Norfolk) Police Court, on the 

 2nd lilt., a fruit-grower was fined £10 for having on 

 February 14th failed to adopt such measures for the 

 prevention of the spread of the American gooseberry 

 mildew as are specified in a notice served on him 

 under article 6 of the Order of the Board of Agriculture 

 and Fisheries. 



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Royal Horticultural Society of 

 Ireland. 



As will be seen from our advertising columns the spring 

 show of this society will be held on Wednesday and 

 Thursday, 8th and 9th April, in the Royal University 

 Buildings, Earlsfort Terrace, and promises to be a very 

 successful event. Several fresh items have been 

 arranged for this show, including evening lectures by 

 Prof. Carpenter and F. W. Moore, Esq., on subjects 

 connected with horticulture. 



The marked improvement in recent shows held under 

 the auspices oi the society is very gratifying, and the 

 present seems an opportune time to make an effort to 

 increase the membership of the society and the interest 

 of the general public in it. A committee has been 

 appointed with this object in view, and it is hoped that 

 the year 1908 will witness a large accession of members 

 to the society, which by its invaluable work in the pro- 

 motion of the cause of horticulture deserves every 

 encouragement and support from all who interest them- 

 selves in gardening. 



Facilities will be aff'orded at the show at Earlsfort 

 Terrace for enrolling members, and full particulars, con- 

 ditions of membership, &c., can be obtained from the 

 Secretary, Walter Keating, Esq., 5 Moles worth Street, 

 Dublin, who will also be glad to forward nomination 

 papers on application. 



The Shamrock. 



By R. LLOYD PRAEGER, B.A. 



AS to what species the original plant may 

 ±\. have belonged which St. Patrick, accord- 

 ing to the legend, used to demon- 

 strate the doctrine of the Trinity, nothing is 

 known nor can be known. The story has not 

 come down to us with any details attached 

 which might enable us to say which of several 

 plants, very similar in appearance, the Saint 

 actually employed. All we can do is to enquire 

 what species is at the present time considered 

 by the Irish people to be the true Shamrock ; 

 and so conservative is lore which is passed 

 down from one generation to another, that it is 

 probable that the plant now held to be true 

 Shamrock is the same species as was called 

 Shamrock many centuries ago. The question 

 as to the identity of the Shamrock has been 

 carefully investigated by Mr. N. Colgan, 

 M.R.I.A., and his results published in Vols. I. 

 and II. of the " Irish Naturalist." He finds 

 that two species, the White or Dutch Clover 

 {Trifoliiim rcpcns) and the Small Yellow Trefoil 

 { Trifoliuni minus) are worn almost equally in 

 Ireland on St. Patrick's Day as the national 

 badge. Occasionally also the Red Clover 

 {Tnfolinm pratense) and the Black Medick 

 {Medicago lupulind) are used, but these would 

 be held to be mistakes by the great body of 

 people in this country. The issue lies between 

 T. repens and T. inhiiis^ and although the 

 result of Mr. Colgan's enquiry was that he 

 received rather more specimens of the former 

 than of the latter, there seems good reason to 

 believe that small specimens of T. repens may 

 have been mistaken for T. minus, and sent up 

 as such. Mr. R. A. Phillips, writing from Cork, 

 has argued strongly in favour of T. minus, and 

 I am inclined to do the same as regards the 

 Belfast district. Both of these plants are very 

 common. As regards their recognition, this 

 requires a little care. T. minus may generally 

 be identified by its very small dark green 

 leaves, not marked with dark blotches, and by 

 the fact that all the slender branches spring 

 from a single, slender, central root ; it is an 

 annual plant, bearing in early summer small 

 heads of yellow flowers. T. repens is a 

 perennial species, creeping along the ground, 

 as its name implies, and, unlike the last, 

 sending down at intervals a strong, wiry little 

 root. Its leaves, even when small, are larger 

 than those of T. minus, and each leaflet usually 

 bears a dark purplish or brownish blotch ; this 

 is an abundant species with heads of white 

 flowers in summer. Medicago lupulina may 

 generally be easily distinguished from either of 

 these by its paler foliage and downy appear- 



