i8o 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Answers to 

 Correspondents 



Resirrection Plants ("A. B.C."). — There are several 

 kinds of plants known by this name, but the commonest 

 one is the " Rose of Jericho " (Anasfatica Hierochuntica), 

 a cruciferous plant native of the sandy deserts from 

 Arabia and Syria to Alg-eria, and orig-inally broug-ht to 

 Europe by the Crusaders. It is a branching annual 

 about six inches higfh. After the fall of the leaf the 

 branches become woody, and curve inwards so as to 

 enclose and protect the seed-vessels in a kind of wicker- 

 work ball. In the dry season the dead plants are up- 

 rooted b\-, and rolled hither and thither b}-, the wind. 

 When the rainv season returns the ball unrolls, and 

 allows the seeds to escape. Another " resurrection " 

 plant is the " Bird's Nest Moss" (Sc/offi>it'//a lepidophyllti)-, 

 a native oi Mexico, which, during the dry season, curls 

 itself up into a tight ball, in which state it remains until 

 the rains come, when it unrolls and starts growth again. 



Flame Flower (" Antrim"). — The best time to plant 

 the Flame-Flower ( Tropceolum speciostiDi) is in spring or 

 early summer. I^stablished pot plants sluiuld be pro- 

 cvired if possible, and be planted in a cool, shady place. 

 Though it will grow in a variety of situations, yet a 

 cool one, either under a wall or among shrubs, seems to 

 be the ideal place. In a shaded spot it grows freely in 

 sandy peat soil, but if in the open requires a more reten- 

 tive loam to hold the moisture. V'irginian Creeper, 

 Wistaria, and Jessamine can all be planted this month 

 or in the spring. Either the white or j-ellow Jessamine 

 would do very well for your wall. — C. F. B. 



Violet Flowering in Winter("A. B.," Waterford). — 

 A practical grower gives the following directions : — 

 " The usual course to adopt for a suppl}' of winter violets 

 is to plant strong pieces of rooted cuttings in April on a 

 bit of rich land set apart. Use the hoe freely among 

 them in summer, and then, if there is no frame available, 

 lift the plants with balls and plant in the warmest spot 

 available. The foot of a south wall is splendid, or the 

 shelter of a yew hedge, or along the south side of the 

 shrubbery. A few of the best plants may be potted and 

 brought on in the greenhouse. The best varieties for 

 the outside are the Czar or Giant, which is a long 

 stemmed variety of the Russian. For framing. Princess 

 of Wales or Admiral Avelan and the double variety 

 Marie Louise maybe grown." As "damping" is the 

 greatest trouble violet growers have to contend with it 

 is necessary to grow them in a porous soil to secure 

 efficient drainage. 



Autumnal Tints ("Schoolmaster"). — Of trees and 

 shrubs you have a very wide selection, but for your 

 purpose we would recommend maples (Acer). In A. 

 circinatiim the foliage changes to red and light scarlet, 

 A. Japonicum to golden yellow, A. plantanoides (or 

 Norway maple) to yellow and brown, and A. rubium to 

 deep crimson red. Other beautiful kinds are the 

 purple-leaved birch, Dogwoods {Cornus), and Crataegus 

 cocciuea, a North-American thorn in which the leaves are 

 reddish scarlet, blotched and spotted with blackish 

 purple. Mention may also be made of certain species 

 of oak {Quercus) such as O. cocciuea, the scarlet oak ; 

 O. conferta, or Hungarian oak, and O. rubra, or champion 

 oak of North-America. Of shrubs, choice may be made 

 from Berberis thunbergii (orange and yellow tinted), 

 Euonynius atrupurpureus, Pruuus putnila (various shades 

 of red and cr\mson). Sumachs (Rhus) in variety such as 

 R. cotinoides and R. glabera, and many species of 

 viburnum. 



Potato Scab ("T. C. Loretto '). — The potato tuber 

 you send is attacked on the skin by the ordinary potato 

 scab. The attack has been severe, so that instead of 

 isolated spots of scab (see illustrated note on Potato 

 Scab in this issue) being present, the whole surface has 

 become more or less uniformly scabby. Internally, 

 also, the tuber is diseased, and it is attacked both by 

 the blight fungus (Phytophthora infesfctns) and by "dry- 

 rot" (Fusarium solaiii). Tubers such as this should be 

 used up for feeding purposes as soon as possible since 

 they will not keep long. — G. H. P. 



Rose Growing in Pots (" Enniskerry ") — The matter 

 is quite simple ; 3^ou can start now. Collect some nice, 

 sweet fibrous loam (a good sample may be obtained 

 from many an old hedge bank) Get some six-inch 

 pots, and provide drainage by placing a few pieces of a 

 broken flower pot in the bottom of each pot before 

 planting. They may then be " plunged " in ashes and 

 kept in a sheltered place out-of-door, bringing them 

 indoor to flower. After flowering they should be re- 

 potted and put out-of-door again to rest during t4ie 

 latter part of autumn and winter. Before starting into 

 growth prune severely. 



Correspondence . 



Sir, — During my recent travels in Ireland 1 was struck 

 with the terrible prevalence of the apple sucker (/'.srv//« 

 nia/i) in practically every orchard I visited. The owners 

 so seldom realise the nature of the pest and the harm 

 it was doing that I should like to bring to their notice 

 the habits of this little insect and the means of destroy- 

 ing it. The oval, yellow eggs are laid during the 

 autumn in the crevices of the bark of the twigs, and 

 more often in the hairs of the fruit buds. The larva; 

 hatch out in the spring, directly the buds open, and make 

 their way into the centre of the trusses of bloom and 

 suck the sap from the flower stalks, causing the flowers 

 to wither and the petals to go brown. Sometimes the 

 flowers die oft" naturally, but fruit does not set. Frost is 

 generally blamed for this, and the grower accepts the 

 misfortime with as much philosophy as he can muster. 



The larvar, which are at first yellow, afterwards 

 changing to green, exude small globules oi honeydew, 

 and as these are much more easily found than the insect, 

 its presence is clearly indicated when these globules are 

 present. During September the insect passes into the 

 final stage— /.r., the perfect insect which has diaphanous 

 wings and green body, afterwards changing to yellow. 

 The onlv time in the }'ear that the insect can be success- 

 fulh' attacked is when it is in the earliest larva; stage — 

 i.e., after the fruit buds have opened, but before the 

 flowers are expanded. 



The trees should then be sprayed with the insecticide 

 made as follows : — Boil 2 oz. of quassi chips for 2 hours 

 in I gallon of water, strain oft" chips, and add 1 oz. of 

 soft soap. In large plantations we boil 8 lbs. chips in 

 30 gallons of water, and add 4 lbs. soft soap, and then 

 add another 30 gallons of water, thus reducing labour 

 by one-half. Apply with any appliance that will throw 

 a fine spray, driving the fluid well into the blossom 

 trusses. 



This fluid will not damage the blossom even if it is 

 full out, and has been used in our nurseries and planta- 

 tions for years. It not only kills apple sucker, but also 

 aphides at the time they are most vulnerable. No 

 winter spray has yet, in our experience, corroded the 

 eggs of the sucker, and we have repeatedly cleared 

 old c-)rchards that have been placed in our hands to be 

 renovated. 



Trusting you will be able to find space for this letter 

 in your valuable paper for the benefit of fruit growers in 

 Ireland. W. Seabrook. 



Fruit Tree Nurseries, 



Springfield, Chelmsford. 



