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IRISH GARDENING. 



*^ IRISH GARDENING.^' 



AN ILLUSTRATED MONTHLY. 



Offices-53 Upper Sackville Street. Dublin. 



Publishing Date.— First day of each month. 



Subscription. — 3/ per annum, post iree. 



Editorial. — All Editorial Cummunications, copy, and photographs 

 should be addressed to " The Editor." 



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 Advertisements, and other business matters must be addressed to 

 " The Manager." 



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 Copies to either Messrs. Eason & Sons, Dublin and Belfast; Messrs. 

 M. H. Gill & Son, Dublin; Messrs. Robb & Co., Belfast; or Messrs. 

 News Bros , Coik. 



London Agent.— Mr. G. Vickers, Angel Court, Strand, London. 



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 made payable to The Manager, " Irish Gardening." 



The Watering of Plants. 



AT this season of the year it will be necessary 

 to give close attention to the watering of 

 pot plants, and a little talk on the con- 

 ditions influencing the need of water by grow- 

 ing plants may be acceptable to those of our 

 readers who are not professional gardeners. 

 For clearness sake we will cast our remarks 

 under a series of numbered paragraphs. 



1. The first fact to recognise is, that while 

 the soil round the roots is to be kept moist it 

 must at the same time contain a sufficiency ot 

 air to enable the active roots to breathe. When 

 the soil is full of water there is no room for air. 

 Let the "loose" water drain away, and as it 

 does so air enters and fills up the vacant spaces. 

 Then the roots can get both water to drink 

 and air to breathe. Watering can never be 

 done properly if the drainage is in any way 

 defective. 



2. Newly potted plants should be cautiously 

 watered. The activity of the disturbed roots 

 will be lessened, and, therefore, for a time less 

 water than normal will be taken up ; hence 

 overwatering, followed by sourness of soil, may 

 easily arise. This in turn would give rise to 

 an unhealthy condition of root and a check to 

 new root development. Examine the soil, 

 therefore, most carefully before watering, as 

 loose, dry particles on the surface may mislead 

 as to the actual state of the underlying soil. 



3. Consider the present stage of growth of 

 the plant. If in the full flush of growth it will 

 take up and give off more water than if it is 

 just starting growth or gradually passing into 

 its resting period. Plants actually resting 

 should not be watered at all. 



4. Take note of the "weather" conditions. 

 If the air is moist or cold the foliage will lose 

 less water than if the air is dry or warm. 

 Furthermore, the probable weather also should 

 guide us as to the extent of watering. If the 

 day is likely to be dull or moist the plants may 

 not demand watering until the following day. 



It will also be readily understood that plants 

 exposed to draughts will lose an extra amount 

 of water, and hence will require more frequent 

 watering. 



5. Newly pruned plants will, of course, re- 

 quire a shorter supply, as there are fewer leaves 

 to give off water. The amount of water 

 absorbed in a given time depends upon the 

 amount lost by the leaves in the same time. 



6. Plants just commencing growth often 

 require very little water. Bulbous plants, for 

 example, require some time to develop a strong 

 root and shoot .system, and until these are 

 developed very little water will be required. 

 In sLich cases plunging the pots in ashes or 

 coconut fibre will obviate the necessity for 

 watering at all until considerable growth has 

 been made. 



7. A golden rule is, " when watering, always 

 do it thoroughly." The giving of a " little 

 water every day" is certainly a very bad plan, 

 while the standing of pots of growing plants in 

 saucers of water is absolutely wrong. 



8. With a little practice testing the need of 

 water by tapping the pots and noticing the • 

 sound, or judging from the weight of the pot 

 in the hand, will be found helpful in deciding 

 whether or no a renewal of water is required. 



g. In all outdoor watering, drench thoroughly, 

 and then cover with a mulch of loose material, 

 say, half-rotten manure or even fine, dry earth. 

 This will check or even entirely prevent evapo- 

 ration from the surface of the soil, and there- 

 fore save much time and trouble. 



An intelligent study and practice of the above 

 principles will go a long way towards securing 

 success in growing plants in pots and boxes 

 throughout the coming summer months. 



^^ i^^ e^^ 



Mr. George Doolan, writing- from Dungarvan, .says : 

 " The severe frost of the 23rd and 24th of April did a lot of 

 injury to the gooseberry crop in this district, destroying 

 in some instances more than two-thirds of the crop. 

 Black currants also suffered, but to a much lesser extent. 

 Pears and plums, being early to bloom, had many of the 

 blossoms destro}ed. Strawberries, whose blooms were 

 sheltered by their leathery foliage, also suffered much 

 damage, as the centres of the largest flowers were, in 

 numerous cases, quite black and dead. The apple, 

 fortunately, escaped ; the continual cold weather during 

 April evidently kept the fruit buds in check. A cor- 

 respondent in England infornts me that gooseberries 

 have suffered even worse over there. During my ex- 

 perience of twenty years at fruit growing I have not seen 

 such injury done to the gooseberry crop." 



^5*' fi^^ t^^ 



Water in Relation to Crops. -Water is a very 

 important factor in plant life. It is quite possible that 

 many gardeners scarce!}' appreciate the amount of 

 water that passes from the soil into the plant and from 

 the plant into the air in the form of invisible vapour. 

 The loss takes place from the leaves, as was first 

 pointed out by Hales in 1724, who found that a sun- 



