IRISH GARDENING. 



H5 



The Flower Garden. 



By J. G. TONER, Horticultural Instructor, Co. Monaghan. 



MANY chaiigfes must be shortly made in the flower 

 garden and greenhouses owing to the coming 

 of autumn, with its shortening days and falling 

 temperature. The period is rapidly approaching 

 when it will become necessary to strip flower beds of 

 their summer occupants, and all choice and tender 

 subjects will need to be placed under cover in good 

 time. Nothing more than protection from heavy rains 

 or storms will be necessary at first, but in regard to 

 plants in pots, especially those that have been prepared 

 for winter or spring flowering, it is imperative that 

 they should not be allowed to become soddened by con- 

 tinuous rain just at the advent of the cold season. 



Towards the end of the month all hard-wooded sub- 

 jects should be removed from their summer quarters in 

 the open to cool houses or windows as the case may be. 

 Primulas, cyclamens, mignonette, zonal pelargoniums, 

 and other plants of a like nature intended for winter 

 blooming, must be placed, if possible, on shelves or, at 

 all events, close to the glass in suitable houses, and 

 watering must from this month forward be very care- 

 fully performed, else there will be disaster. Plenty of 

 air will be necessary so that the change from natural to 

 artificial conditions may not be perceptible to the plants. 

 How delightful it is to see the bright flowers of 

 vallotas or Scarborough lilies here and there mostly in 

 windows, for the greenhouses in this portion of rural 

 Ireland are, like the angels' visits, few and far between ! 

 It is a plant that all, especially window gardeners, 

 should be possessed of. Was the giant from Monks- 

 town on view at the late show of the R. H. S. ? If not, 

 more's the pity. 



See that all tender plants are lifted and potted in 

 good time. There is still opportunity of making up 

 deficiencies in bedding stock for next year. 



Cinerafias must soon be placed in their flowering 

 pots — plants in sixes will be found most useful for house 

 work. Keep plants of this kind as long in the frames 

 as possible, as the coolness and moist atmosphere suit 

 them exactly. Protection must be thought of, however, 

 when frost pays a visit. 



Purchase and pot up bulbs of all kinds, as the slower 

 the growth is made the finer the bloom will be. Hya- 

 cinths, narcissus, tulips, ixias, sparaxis and feather 

 hyacinths will all be found to make beautiful subjects 

 in pots, and that too with the simplest but careful cul- 

 ture, the principal aim of the grower being to get the 

 roots at work before any development of foliage or 

 flowers. To induce this, when the potting has been 

 done the pots should be stood outside and covered com- 

 pletely to a depth of at least four inches over the tops 

 with sand, turf mould, or screened ashes, the substances 

 being preferred in the order named. When a couple of 

 inches, say, of growth has been made the pots may be 

 removed, and covered for a few days with paper, so 

 that they may become gradually accustomed to the 

 light, and then they may be introduced to a gentle heat 

 if forcing is desirable, or, better still, allow plenty of 

 time and a rich, strong bloom will be the reward. 



Aurum lilies that were planted out should now be potted, 

 and placed in a cool house or shady place, and water- 

 ing must be well attended to. 



Defer the housing of chrysanthemums as long as 

 possible, that is in a general way. When they are 

 cultivated for large exhibition blooms they must be 

 housed to suit their forward state, but in general they 

 will do better outside so long as it is safe to leave them. 

 All possible ventilation should be given after housing, 

 and at least one thorough fumigation, otherwise fly will 

 surely give trouble, and spread to other plants having 

 a longer flowering period, and so upset the careful 

 plans laid for producing winter flowers. 



In the out-door garden dahlias will require tying and 

 thinning. Herbaceous borders require constant atten- 

 tion to ensure tidiness and neatness — conditions that 

 considerably enhance the beauty and effectiveness of 

 this form of "natural gardening." All kinds of spring 

 bedding plants should be in readiness. Wallflowers of 

 many varieties, double daisies, Arabis alpina, hybrid 

 primroses, fancy and gold-laced polyanthus, aubrietia, 

 Alyssum saxatile, Myosotis violas, auriculas, and a 

 host of others within the reach of all, and these, of 

 course, may be reinforced by hyacinths, daffodills, 

 tulips, crocus, chinodoxia, scillas, &c. Now is the 

 time to purchase these, and plan out much pleasure for 

 ourselves in spring. A few suggestions as to arrange- 

 ment may not be unacceptable, and these are not 

 intended for those who are accustomed to carry out 

 work of this nature on an extended scale, or whose 

 knowledge or experience may be much superior to the 

 writer's, but they may be helpful to beginners who may 

 possibly not know what to do with their plants, &c., 

 when they have procured them. Keeping in mind that 

 the beds would in all likelihood be limited in size, it will 

 be well not to exceed two colours, and here are a few 

 combinations that will be eff'ective : — Cloth of Gold 

 Wallflower, edged with Silene pendida ; Vulcan Wall- 

 flower, edged with yellow Polyanthus ; Ruby Gem 

 Wallflower and Arabis alpina ; Foget-me-Not planted 

 over Cottage Maid Tulip ; Alyssum saxatile and Silene 

 pendula, purple and yellow violas, Gertrude Hya- 

 cinths, yellow violas, Arabis and Double-pink daisies, 

 and so on. Many pleasing effects may be obtained 

 with cheap and easily cultivated plants and bulbs. 



The Fruit Garden. 



By GEORGE DOOLAN, Instructor in Fruit Culture, Department of 

 Agriculture. 



GATHERING FRUIT.— Among the early varieties 

 of cooking apples the following should now be 

 fit to pick : — Early Victoria, Lord Grosvenor, 

 Grenadier, Lord Suffield, Ecklinville, and Duchess of 

 Oldenburg ; and among the dessert varieties — Irish 

 Peach, Early Harvest, Lady Sudeley, and White 

 Transparent. In picking, which should be done in dry 

 weather, great care should be exercised in handling the 

 best fruit and packing it for market. Fruit is too often 

 picked and sent to market indiscriminately, with the 

 result that it does not realise its genuine value. Therefore 



