IRISH GARDENING. 



177 



on spurs on the old wood ; therefore, in pruning-, cut back 

 the young- g-rowths to an inch or two and shorten the 

 leading- shoot to half its leng-th. Apples, pears and 

 plums may be treated somewhat similarly in their 

 pruning-. Shorten the past season's growth on the lead- 

 ing branches to one-third of its length. Cut to an out- 

 side bud ; this will tend to make the branch g;row in an 

 outward direction. Endeavour, when pruning-, to regu- 

 late the main branches, and preserve the symmetry of 

 the tree. This is only possible when the trees are young-. 

 In pruning- old trees it is a question of thinning- the 

 branches where too thick. 



Striking Cutting of Currants and Gooseberries. — 

 This is the proper time to raise a stock of the above. 

 After pruning; choose shoots abciut a foot or so in length, 

 firm and straig-ht. Pinch out the buds in the lower part 

 of the cutting-. This will prevent suckers g^rowing- from 

 beneath the soil Prepare a nice bed in a shady part of 

 the g-arden, breaking- the soil thoroughly in the dig-g-ing-. 

 Place the cutting-s about five inches deep, in lines four- 

 teen inches apart, and allow six inches between the 

 cuttingfs. Gooseberries and currants root readily if 

 treated thus, and will be fit to be transplanted in a year. 

 The soil between them should be stirred occasionally 

 with the hoe and the weeds destroyed. 



List of Fruit Trees Suitable for Amateurs and 

 Small Farmers: — Apples, cooking varieties — Karly 

 Victoria, Grenadier, Ecklinville, Lord Derby, Stirling^ 

 Castle, Lane's Prince Albert, Bramley Seedling. Dessert 

 va rief it's— Bea.uty of Bath, Lady Sudelej-, James Greive, 

 Allington Pippin, Worcester Pearmain, Cox's Orang-e 

 Pippin, Newton Wonder. Ptars - William's bon Chretien 

 Doyenne du Comice. Plums — Victoria, Monarch, Czar 

 and River's Prolific. Black C?</7-c«/5—Boskoop Giant, 

 Black Naples, Black Baldwin. Red Currants. — Raby 

 Castle. Gooseberries — Whinham's Industry, Keepsake, 

 Whitesmith. Raspberries — Superlative. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



By William Tyndall, Instructor in Horticulture, 

 Co. Kildare. 



WHETHER some soils are benefited by autumn 

 dig-ging is one of those points on which 

 g-ardeners, though differing-, may each be right, 

 and the same may be said as to the benefit of digging 

 manure into light sandy soils at this time of the year for 

 next year's crops. Now, these are points the con- 

 sideration of which might form a most useful discussion 

 in Irish Gardening. 



Soils where grubs, wireworm, and millepedes are 

 troublesome should be deeply dug or bastard trenched, 

 the surface then being covered over with gas-lime. 

 Lightly fork in. This will do away with much of these 

 troublesome pests. Soot-lime, wood-ashes, and burnt 

 garden refuse are also all valuable, but are best used 

 in the spring before sowing such crops as onions, car- 

 rots, &c. Vaporite and apterite are also valuable for 

 destroying injurious insect pests in the soil, and all 

 garden owners should give them a trial. 



Brussels Sprouts. — These are far better this season 

 than I expected, and on good strong soils are better 

 than during most seasons. As amateurs and cottagers 

 very often put out the plants too closely, most likely by 

 now many of the leaves are decaying, and these not 

 only look untidy, but if not gathered ofl^ will affect the 

 quality of the sprouts, which require a free circulation 

 of air if good quality sprouts are to be pulled. Do not 

 pull or cut off leaves unless that they are decaying, as 

 not alone are all the good leaves all required to assist 

 in the swelling of the sprouts, but they also give pro- 

 tection from severe frost. Another practice of cutting 



the heads off Brussels sprouts during the winter for use 

 as greens is also to be condemned, as not alone does 

 the crop of growing sprouts suffer, but if severe frost 

 follows many of the plants may be killed. 



Cabbage. — Plants put out in September have made 

 extraordinary growth on account of the fine and open 

 weather, even those put out the first week of October 

 are growing fast, so that for both lots it would be ad- 

 visable to earth up the plants. 



Celeriac. — Although no harm will be done to the 

 roots if well earthed up and protected w^ith dry strawy 

 manure or leaves, still many growers prefer to lift and 

 store in sand in a cool shed. 



Rhubarb. — After a rest, rhubarb forces easily enough 

 if placed in such a position that heat can be given and 

 maintained, and the roots kept moist. Under the stage 

 of a warm plant-house is a capital place if light is ex- 

 cluded and sufficient room given for the stalks to grow. 

 Be sure and put plenty of soil around the crowns, and 

 such plants will give double the quantity of pulling com- 

 pared with those placed only on the surface and roots 

 exposed. 



Seakale. — If you are to be successful in growing 

 good seakale early in the winter, you must have strong 

 roots that have had a good rest, so do not be in a hurry 

 to start forcing too soon or take up more roots than are 

 required for the earliest batches. As with rhubarb, it is 

 often a matter of convenience where and how the roots 

 are forced, but you must have a temperature high enough 

 to force growth, yet not too high, or the produce will be 

 thin and spindly, and often tough when cooked. If only 

 a small supply ts required, the roots can be put in pots 

 or boxes and placed in warm plant-houses under the 

 stage, excluding all light ; but the pots or boxes will re- 

 quire to be close to the hot-water pipes. After seakale 

 and rhubarb have got several nights' frost, they start 

 and grow more freely even in a much lower tempera- 

 ture, so that it is a mistake for amateurs or cottagers to 

 attempt to force these vegetables early in the season 

 unless specially required, therefore we will defer giving 

 instructions on forcing in the open ground where grow- 

 ing till the December number. 



Globe Artichokes. — Nearly every spring I hear 

 complaints of their being so very much injured that 

 growth is late, and as strong shoots give the best results, 

 try and protect these with long dry litter, putting even 

 a little over the tops of the plants. Do not use decayed 

 manure, as is so often done, as this gives no protection. 



Record of Rainfall. 



Compiled by Mr. ALEXANDER Reid, The Gardens, 

 Crom Castle, Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh. 



