96 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Answers to Correspondents. 



Seedling Onions. — "A. B. C." (Cork) has noticed 

 that the tips of all the first leaves of his seedling onions 

 have withered, and asks " what is the matter?" There 

 is nothing the matter, the phenomenon is perfectly 



natural. Let us 

 explain. Each 

 seed of onion 

 contains a 

 little thread- 

 like embryo 

 plant s u r- 

 rounded with 

 a store of food 

 (see fig. 13, re- 

 presenting the 

 seed in sec- 

 tion). On ger- 

 mination the 

 tiny root is 

 pushed out, and 

 grows down in- 

 to the soil At 

 the same time 

 the first, or 

 seed-leaf, leng- 

 thens, and all 

 of it escapes 

 from the seed, 

 with the excep- 

 tion of the 

 coiled tip that 

 remains inside to digest and absorb the food for the 

 young and hungry plant (see Fig. 14). The stretching 

 seed-leaf gradually pulls the seed above ground, and 

 when tile food is exhausted the empty husk falls off, 

 leaving the delicate, curved tip exposed (see F"ig. 15). 

 In the drying air it soon withers, hence the appearance 

 that has alarmed our correspondent. 



Tulips Diseased.— " C. W. P.," Co. Meath.— Your 

 tulips are suffering from the tulipmould, a parasitic fungus 

 known as Botrytis ( Sclerotiiiia) parasitica. In the speci- 

 mens sent for examination the fungus is entering on its 

 resting stage, and forming thousands of small black 

 bodies, the sclerotia. These will remain in the soil and 

 cause re-infection of the plants next year. Gather up 

 every diseased plant, including all the withered leaves 

 and the bulbs, and burn the whole. Do not grow tulips 

 for some seasons ow land which has carried diseased 

 ones. — G. H. P. 



Plants for Conservatcirv ("J. P. E."). — (1) The 

 following list may be found useful: — Acacias (light- 

 requiring); Azaleas (peat-loving) ; Begonias, Bouvardias 

 (grow in frames during the summer and in an inter- 

 mediate house during the winter) ; Camellias (dryness 

 of either soil or air fatal to good health) ; Cannas (require 

 a rich soil) ; Chrysanthemums, Cinerarias (sow the seed 

 now for winter and next month for spring decoration) ; 

 Fuchsias (require a rich soil) ; Lapagerias (climbers de- 

 manding good drainage, shade, and a liberal supplj' of 

 water) ; Palms in variety (dryness at root to be avoided); 

 Pelargoniums, Primula sinensis (sowings may be made 

 now). (2) Please consult our advertisement pages. 



Origin of Cultivated Plants (M. S. ). — According 

 to De Candolle and others the origin and period of 

 cultivation of the plants you name are as follows: — 

 Apple, southern Europe, and cultivated over 4,000 

 years ; Apricot, China, and over 4,000 years ; Goose- 

 berry, temperate Europe, and less than 2,000 years ; 

 Plum, northern Persia, over 2,000 years ; Tomato, 

 Peru, over 500 years. The onion has been longer in 

 cultivation than the leek, and the cabbage and turnip 

 longer than the carrot and parsnip. 



Spraying Apple Trees ('■'■ Frueia"). — We presume 

 you have read Mr. Doolan's remarks in "The Month's 

 Work " in our last issue. With regard to the general in- 

 struction to " spray early " in connection with the attack 

 of the codlin moth, we may explain that the pupa of the 

 moth after its winter's rest hatches out into the winged 

 insect earl}' in the 3'ear. The females lay their eggs in 

 the blossoms of the apple, and we spray with a poisonous 

 fluid in order to kill the little grubs that hatch out in a 

 week or ten days after laying. Now it is too early to 

 spray when the apple blossom is in the condition shown 

 in Fig. 1, because the flower is probably not yet fertilised, 

 and the spray-fluid will injure the stigmas and pollen. 

 Furthermore, you may poison the bees that visit the 

 flowers. 



When fertilisation is effected the petals fall away, and 

 the form of the flower at this stage is represented in Fig. 2. 

 You will notice that the upper part of the flower (where 

 the eggs are laid) is in the form of a saucer, 

 but after a few days the lower part swells 

 and the upper part contracts, so that the 

 entrance to the top of the young fruit is 

 practically closed by the persistent calyx 

 leaves and tuft of withered stamens. (Fig. 

 3.) It will be obvious to you that the best 

 time to spray for this particular pest is 

 when the generality of the blossoms is in 

 the condition represented by Fig. 2. If 

 you delay until stage 3 is reached the 

 spray-fluid will fail to touch the place 

 where the tiny grub is gradually working 

 its way down to the core of the swelling fruit, and 

 which it will reach in about a week after hatching. 

 Mr. Doolan's opinion of arsenate of lead is shared by 

 other horticultural instructors in Ireland ; it seems to be 

 much superior to Paris green. 



Books (X. Y. Z.).— (i) You will find Watt's "School 

 Flora," 3/6, useful, or if you are prepared to spend 9/-, 

 select Bentham's "British Flora" (revised by Sir 

 Joseph Hooker). (2) " Profitable Fruit Growing," by 

 John Wright, i/-. (3) "Horticulturist's Note Book," 

 by Newsham, 4/6, will exactly meet your requirements. 

 (4) " Manual of Injurious Insects," Omerod, 5/ . 



Ferns for Rooms (T. M.). — You cannot do better 

 than select the Quivering Fern ( Pteris tremula) and the 

 Maidenhair. 



The Orange Lily (Ballymena). — Any ordinary 

 garden soil vvill suit, but it prefers deeply-dug ground 

 richly supplied with well-rotted manure. Good grown 

 specimens will reach 6 or 7 feet in height, They will 

 need staking. Its botanical name is Lilium croccum. 



Woodland Garden (Mayo). —The simplest and best 

 method would be to sow seeds now by simply scattering 

 them with the hand and letting them shift for themselves. 

 Sow them along the margins of the wood, along the old 

 fences - anywhere in fact where you would care to see 

 them grow, and where they have a chance of success. 

 The furze and Spanish brown certainly would give 

 charming results in time. 



