IRISH GARDENING. 



185 



manage to afford trees already in our possession this 

 opportunity? I say that if you have any trees in your 

 g'arden that have to be moved, then by all means get 

 them removed to their new quarters by the end of 

 September. What sigfnifies those two or three flower 

 buds that still hang- on to the tree? It is far better to 

 consider the welfare of your tree before the few flower 

 buds that still remain ! This year I had all my trans- 

 planting finished by the middle of October, and 

 certainly the soil conditions were very favourable. I 

 was delighted to be able to get the job done, and I rest 

 easy, knowing that those young roots are already 

 beginning to help those flowers of next July that make 

 ladies ask the question above. Even as I write, a letter 

 comes from Dr. Hall saying he has finished all his 

 planting. You see he has caught Time by the fore- 

 lock also. Little dodges like these help to make the 

 lazy ones groan in July. " What else can I do ? " You 

 can hoe your beds now and then just to make them look 

 tidy, and you may shorten any vigorous growths on 

 dwarf bushes. This latter operation I really consider a 

 very important one. Have you ever slept with a 

 person who tumbles and tosses all night, and who 7inll 

 steal all the bed-clothes ? So it is with that extra 

 vigorous rose tree which the wind will keep on pulling 

 and knocking about. Roses in many ways are like 

 human beings. When they grow and are awake they 

 vie with each other in their activity, but when they 

 sleep they do so very profoundly, if they are let do so. 

 Now, this shortening must not be done in a haphazard 

 fashion ; it would never do to cut all your trees over to 

 the same height like you see roses pruned at railway 

 stations, but they must be all done judiciously. When 

 you notice, by the falling of the leaves and by the 

 other various signs, that growth has ceased you should 

 go over your trees and shorten any extra long rods 

 (save climbers) to about one-third or one-half their 

 length. Varieties of dwarf growth do not require to be 

 touched, it is only the long rod that gives a grip to the 

 wind that needs attention. You will be surprised when 

 you come to prune those same trees in spring how the 

 eyes down low have got plumped up, and are ready, so 

 to speak, to burst into growth when the tree wakes up ; 

 and when you have finished this job do not fail to burn 

 all you have cut off. Mildew and all the host of pests 

 must be destroyed. Now and then you will notice a 

 rose tree, which in planting was not made extra firm, 

 swinging about. How can this tree rest, and how can 

 roots commence to grow ? Suckers will come to help 

 to steady the tree, but the less you have of these the 

 better, so if you notice a tree in this condition just make 

 all firm with your foot. It is no use for you to blame 

 the vendor of the plants next summer for non-success — 

 he did not plant the tree — but blame yourself for your 

 laziness and carelessness. Keep an eye to your 

 standards and climbers, see that they are securely 

 tied to their supports. Nothing will prevent a shoot or 

 tree from in time being rubbed half through and made 

 useless by the wind except careful attention on your 

 own part. 



Before your temporary labels have become obliterated 

 by rain dot down in a note-book each tree's name as it 

 stands in the bed— 3'ou have then some record of what 

 you have. Beware when planting standards or climbers 

 of fixing them too securely at first to their supports. 

 Rather put a temporary tie to both to allow the tree to 

 follow the soil down as it settles down, and then after 

 this see that you securely fasten the tree to the support. 

 But be merciful-^remember you are not tying a wild 

 animal. A tight ligature round any living thing will in 

 time produce gangrene and death ; therefore, have 

 mercy. If mildew has visited you try and gather up 

 the dead leaves — for in them lie next year's spores — and 

 burn them. Above all do not neglect your trees as 

 they sleep ; do so and they will pay you back with their 

 full measure next year. 



Striking Cuttings under Glass. 



IF we require good healthy foliage or flowering plants 

 it is well to propagate young plants, as most 

 species are best if increased annually by cuttings 

 or by seed. In many places large plants are required, 

 but these when they grow old or stunted should be 

 replaced by young plants. A propagating frame with 

 a command of bottom heat is required, and it is sur- 

 prising how small a frame will be able to supply the 

 wants of even a large place. Although most cuttings 

 when placed in the frame require some shade on bright 

 days till rooted, yet I am afraid we often shade too 

 much. This weakening of the plant for want of light 

 is often one of the causes of damping off. The frame 

 should get a little ventilation every morning, but care 

 should be taken to close it before the cuttings get very 

 much flagged. Neglect to open the frame each 

 morning is another cause of the damping off of cuttings. 

 In watering use great care, never letting the pots get 

 quite dry, and, again, do not over-water, as nothing is 

 more favourable to the cuttings " damping." 



In making cuttings, plants with hollow stems or 

 much pith should be cut close underneath a joint, or 

 better still, especially for hard-wooded plants, take 

 them with a heel of old wood when you will find that 

 they strike root freely. With a few exceptions it is 

 best that all cuttings should be kept fresh and put into 

 the frame as soon as possible. Any plants, as ficus, &c., 

 that run their sap when cut, should have powdered 

 charcoal or fine sand applied immediately to the wound, 

 and the latter is also good for placing round the base 

 of the cutting in the pot. Generally speaking, all 

 cuttings that throw out roots up the stem should be 

 sunk deeper in the pots than those that only root below 

 a joint. Begonias, more particularly of the Rex type, 

 and gloxinias are readily propagated from leaves, 

 cutting through the main ribs of the leaf and placing the 

 leaves on fine sand on a shelf in the stove in shade, the 

 sand to be moist, or pegged down on sand or fibre in the 

 propagating frame. Sand and peal, with a little loam, 

 is a good compost for striking many plants. W'. T. 



A Note on Planting of Fruit Trees. 



The selection of a suitable soil is of primary importance. 

 Unless the soil is right in character no amount of 

 tillage or manuring afterwards will enable it to grow 

 full crops of good fruit. The right soil for fruit is a soil 

 more or less resembling a good wheat or mangold soil. 

 Heavy clays and very light or thin soils are unsuitable. 

 Good drainage is most essential for apples, plums, or 

 gooseberries. If water collects in a hole dug three feet 

 deep in the soil, the land requires drainage so far as 

 fruit trees are concerned. Black currants, however, will 

 thrive in soils too wet for most fruit trees and bushes. 

 As to soil condition, it is a good practice to plant after 

 a manured crop, such as potatoes ; if this is not done 

 and the land exhausted the application of farmyard 

 manure will be necessary. Fruit land requires the 

 presence of lime. If naturally deficient in this ingre- 

 dient it must be supplied either in the form of burnt lime 

 or chalk. Before planting the trees the land must be 

 suitably tilled to a depth of about eighteen inches so as 

 to encourage drainage and increase the water-holding 

 power of the soil. In a small plot, where the work is 

 done with a spade, bastard trenching is recommended, 

 as this will keep the bottom soil in its original position. 

 If the site is not already sheltered it will be necessary to 

 plant a shelter belt of quickly growing trees in the path 

 of the prevalent winds. It will be well to have the belt 

 of three ranks or rows, one of which should be an ever- 

 green. The three trees may be Austrian pine (or 

 Cupressus Lawsoniana) on the outside, damsons on the 

 inside, and Canadian poplar between. 



