IRISH GARDENING. 



123 



many colours and shades of colours amonj^st 

 sweet peas, there is an undoubted pre- 

 ponderance of pink, and unless the utmost 

 care is exercised this colour will predominate. 

 A well-balanced exhibit must have some 

 of the darker colours — maroons, purples 

 and crimsons — although individually they 

 may not be such favourites. An important 

 point which must not be overlooked is 

 the clashing of • colours with neighbouring- 

 exhibits. In a 

 crowded exhibi- 

 tion there is very 

 little space 

 between each 

 exhibit, and a 

 neighbouring 

 Queen Alexandra 

 ■may kill one's 

 Helen Lewis, 

 John Ingnian, or 

 Henry Eckford, 

 and a Horace 

 Wright will ruin 

 an A. J. Cook or 

 a Frank Dolby. 



It will be readil}- 

 understood froni 

 the points en- 

 umerated above 

 that the staging 

 of sweet peas is 

 not an easy mat- 

 ter, lightly to be 

 entered upon; that 

 the utmost care, 

 attention to de- 

 tails, and taste in 

 arrangement of 

 colours are re- 

 quired to attain 

 that perfection 

 which will com- 

 mend itself to the 

 judge and to an 

 appreciative 

 public, who will 

 probably have 

 very little idea 

 as to the time. 



Etta Dyke. Flow 



[From Curtis' s "■ 



thought, and patience that have been ex- 

 pended to achieve success. H. J. R. Digges. 



^* fi^^ i^^ 



Current Topics. 



By PETER BROCK, Horticultural Instructor, Cc. Fermanagh. 



THE warm weather during-'the closing days of June 

 and the opening days of July being- followed by 

 heavy rain has pushed on all kinds of crops, so 

 that the present prospects appear to indicate an early 

 and bountiful harvest. Garden crops on deeply tilled land 



and under subsequent proper surface cultivation with the 

 hoe made rapid progress during the time the great 

 heat lasted ; whereas crops on shallow cultivated land 

 and surrounded by a crusted and weedy surface have, 

 in many cases, been stunted for lack of moisture. 



The apple crop, on clean land, looks very promising, 

 the trees being much refreshed by the recent heavy 

 rains, and the fruit is swelling very satisfactorily. 

 Orchards in grass, however, have a pinched look, in- 

 dicating that they have not yet had sufficient rain to 

 moisten the roots growing under the robbing and 

 paralysing influence of a heavy crop of hay— the 



strongest grasses 

 being found, owing 

 to the extra top- 

 dressing intended 

 for the apples, on 

 the space that 

 should be set apart 

 for the trees and 

 kept clean. The 

 prevalence of such 

 primitive cultiva- 

 tion, due in some 

 cases to greed, in- 

 difference to adopt 

 more progressive 

 methods, or lazi- 

 ness, is responsible 

 for the scarcity of 

 first-class home- 

 grown apples in our 

 markets. 



The sparrow, 

 near towns, is one 

 of the worst of 

 feathered pests, 

 sometimes causing 

 considerable dam- 

 age to gooseberries 

 by destroying the 

 buds. I have re- 

 cently had some 

 experience of the 

 damage they may 

 work on sweet peas 

 by nibbling the 

 flower buds as they 

 appear. To attempt 

 to destroy them 

 looks an impossible 

 task, and placing 

 threads through 

 and along the 

 stakes appears to 

 have very little 

 effect in scaring 

 them. However, 

 spraying the plants 

 overhead four even- 

 ings in succession 

 with strong quassia 

 extract and soft soap appears to have had the effect 

 of making the buds too bitter for them. Aphides 

 have been very troublesome this season, the 

 low temperature during the greater part of June seemed 

 to favour their rapid increase. Extract of quassia and 

 soft soap is with some a favourite remedy, being safe, 

 cheap and effective. But for broad scale work, paraffin 

 emulsion appears to be equally effective, and is some- 

 what cheaper. The secret of success in combating 

 these persistent pests lies in attacking them early, or 

 better still by anticipating their appearance, by 

 adopting preventive means when they are likely to 

 appear. 



ers waved, white. 

 Sweet Peas."\ 



