526 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 6, 1894. 
taker. Hie entries were artistically arranpied, and showed to the best 
advantage. Mr. Boddam-Whetham was again noticeable for a fine 
assortment of fruit, including Doyenn6 du Comice and Beurr^ 
d’Amanlis Pears, and Apples Bramley’s Seedling, Blenheim Orange, 
and Normanton Wonder, well known and highly popular varieties. 
Mr. Hy. Merryweather’s stand of fruit was worthy of the highest 
commendation. His show of Bramley’s Seedling Apples, consisting 
of twelve plates, for prodigious size and excellent qualities could 
hardly be surpassed. 
ADIANTUM EUBELLUM. 
This most beautiful Adiantum is worthy of a place in every choice col¬ 
lection of Ferns, although it is seldom grown. The soft purplish-crimson 
colouring of the young fronds—changing with age to pale green—in a 
well-grown specimen, renders it very attractive. The plant is of dwarf 
habit, the fronds disposed in a graceful manner that adds quite a charm 
to it. It is of easy culture, thriving well in a compost of equal parts of 
loam, peat, and leaf mould, with a liberal addition of silver sand, and 
small pieces of charcoal or sandstone amongst it. 
It is a stove species, but an intermediate temperature suits it well 
during the summer, with free exposure to the light ; and a good share 
of sunlight consistent with safety brings out the colouring of the young 
fronds most effectively. As the winter approaches remove the plants to 
the cool end of the stove ; this is advisable, it not being wise to risk it in 
too low a temperature. The plants assume rather a rusty appearance 
towards the autumn, but no fear need be apprehended as to their well¬ 
being ; the only matter requiring attention is that water should be very 
sparingly applied during this time, and on the return of spring they will 
start forth afresh in all their beauty. 
Young plants are easily raised from spores of established specimens, 
the best plan being to stand the old plant over a rough compost similar 
to that recommended for potting, and allow the spores to fall naturally. 
This year I have so raised some fifty young plants in the manner indi¬ 
cated, which are now in 3-inch pots and doing well. For them the 
compost should be rather lighter than for older plants. The largest 
specimen here is about 3 feet in diameter; when at its best it is a 
charming sight. 
Adiantum Veitchianum tinctum is a good companion to the above, 
of bolder type, and the young fronds of a b^right red hue, but not so pro¬ 
nounced in the colouring as A. rubellum. This is also a stove species, 
succeeding under the same conditions as the former. They are both 
natives of Pern.—J. J. Cs.k.Y'Ers, Allerton Priory Gardens. 
“WAYSIDE IRELAND.” 
In a pamphlet of sixty pages bearing the above title, Mr. Baylor 
Hartland describes those features of the West of Ireland which struck 
him most during a recent trip through those parts. The work has no 
pretensions to literary style, and is more in the nature of casual notes, 
attended with aside commentaries of the traveller. The whole, making 
due allowance for tie progress of ideas during the last fifty years, is 
curiously mixed and discursive, like the effusions of that quaint but now 
almost forgotten writer. Grant Thorburn of New York. With all their 
extravagances such writings are far more instructive and entertaining 
than those of many conventional correspondents. They are especially 
useful in after years, when they serve to throw curious side lights upon 
the life of their times which evaporate in more pretentious works. 
How many of the formal and dryasdust tomes of the Elizabethan and 
Carojean periods could we not spare for a few breathing pamphlets such 
as these coming from past ages. 
If we had any such relating to the West of Ireland in former times 
they would probably satisfy us how immeasurably the average condition 
of comfort and general well-being have advanced in what Home Eulers 
love to call “ that distracted country.” The knowledge we have tends 
to show that the golden age of Ireland is but a dream of the past, and 
that the sordid life led by the men and women of Galway nowadays is 
a considerable advance upon the savagery prevailing there in 
Elizabethian times. It is our ideals which have risen, not the con¬ 
ditions which have retrograded. 
Mr. Hartland seems to think that Socialism, or Paternal Government 
as he calls it, can alone establish a satisfactory condition of small culture 
in the poorer districts of the Sister Isle. The State must afford the 
capital and take the risk of loss, as there is little prospect of individual 
profit in creating public improvements. He also makes the pregnant 
remark—which goes to the root of our troubles—that when suitable 
small holdings have been created they must not be sub-divided, as was 
the practice iu Ireland among a large number of children. The benefits 
of a living wage and living allotments can only last so long as popula¬ 
tion is stationary. The slightest increase upsets the balance of comfort, 
unless it is readjusted by immediate emigration. Of the consequences 
of over-population Ireland received an appalling lesson in 1818, when 
all that philanthropy could do did not save 300,000 persons from perish¬ 
ing of starvation. Since that time emigration and circumspection have 
limited her population to half what it was before the famine 
with the most satisfactory results. 
Mr. Hartland also shows that in a system of small allotments men 
and women must both do manual labour, which is a hard doctrine for 
the modern maid and the modern youth, especially the former. Small 
allotments may enable families to exist independently upon their pro¬ 
duce, but they will not afford sufficient profit on its sale to enable the 
sons to drive tandems and the daughters to frequent lawn tennis parties 
and afternoon teas. However, it is not impossible that the ideal of a 
showy idleness which has been set by a rapidly created middle class 
may yet yield to a belief in a good average of intellectual culture for 
everybody. Then social ambition will cease to torment the small farmer, 
and local effort will become co-operative for mutual entertainment and 
mprovement. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Vines.— Parly Vines in Pots. —Attention must be given to the 
fermenting material in pits, which, as every pot is placed on a brick 
pedestal built up from the bottom of the pit, will admit of frequent 
additions being made as the bed settles down.. The heat about the 
pots must not exceed 70°, as the root action will be all the steadier and 
the growth of the Vines sturdier than with ahigher temperature, also not 
so liable to be checked when the pots are only partially plunged or sur¬ 
rounded by the material. Supply water carefully in the early stages of 
growth, not giving any until the soil becomes rather dry, then sufficient 
to moisten it down to the drainage, and not giving any again until there 
is need. Keeping the soil constantly saturated disfavours the emission 
of roots, and sometimes destroys thoSe present, besides producing a 
sodden and sour condition that results in disaster later on and promotes 
shanking, or otherwise interferes with the satisfaetory finishing of the 
crop. Weak tepid liquid manure may be given whenever water is 
required. Attend to disbudding as soon as the fruitful and best growths 
can be decided on for retaining, it being undesirable to allow 
fruitless and unnecessary shoots to remain, as they only impoverish 
those reserved for producing the crop. It is generally advisable to eease 
syringing the Vines when the bunches show, then the final disbudding 
should be made, leaving the most promising with a surplus for contin¬ 
gencies. Stop the growths a couple of joints beyond the show of fruit, 
laterals below the bunch at the first leaf, and those beyond may be 
allowed to extend as far as it can be done without crowding the principal 
foliage. Where there is little space stop all the laterals to one leaf as 
produced. 
Early Forced Planted-out Vines. —When the buds in the house 
started at the middle of November show signs of swelling, gradually 
increase the temperature so as to have it 65° to 70° by day and 60° to 65° 
at night by the time the Vines are in leaf, allowing an advance of 5° to 
10° from sun heat. Supply tepid water to inside borders so as to insure 
their thorough moistening down to the drainage, taking care, however, 
not to make the soil sodden and cause the decay of the fleshy roots, 
as these in time produce the most active feeders, which are tardily 
pushed in a very wet soil. Weak liquid manure will assist weakly 
Vines, but water is most advisable for vigorous until the growth is 
advanced beyond the showing stage, then they can be fed as the exigen¬ 
cies of the crop require. Cease syringing the Vines when the bunches 
show on the points of the shoots, then commence disbudding, performing 
it gradually, and maintain a genial condition of the atmosphere by 
damping the floors, walls, and borders two or three times a day. 
Early Muscats. —No Grapes pay so well when properly grown as 
very late or the earliest Muscats. Black Muscat (Muscat Hamburgh) 
may be forced so as to be ripe at the end of April, but it is such a bad 
setter as to be very unsatisfactory. Madresfield Court is just the opposite, 
setting freely, or may be made do so by careful fertilisation, either with 
its own or pollen from another variety. It also finishes well, being as 
good in that respect as Black Muscat is the contrary way for producing 
red and shanked berries. There is no difficulty in having it ripe in 
May, and it succeeds under similar treatment accorded to Hamburghs, 
but is better for an inside border and a house to itself, as it requires less 
water at the roots and in the atmosphere when ripening. Canon Hall 
Muscat possesses the quality of the parental variety, with a superior 
contour when well finished. This variety is such a bad setter as not to 
be available for early work, therefore we are still restricted to Muscat of 
Alexandria, which to ripen in May or early in June must be started 
without further delay. For this purpose the roots must be confined to 
the inside borders, that being brought into a proper state of moisture by 
watering with tepid water. Nutriment has a great influence on the 
presence and activity of roots, phosphates promoting their emission, as 
also does liquid manure, which may be supplied, but not to make the 
soil cold and wet. Commence with a temperature of 50° to 55° at 
night, 60° to 65° by day, and 10° to 15° rise from sun heat, sprinkling 
the Vines in the morning and early afternoon, damping the paths, walls, 
and borders in preference to keeping the Vines constantly dripping 
with water. Young Vines that have not been forced early will require 
bending down to a horizontal position to insure an even break down to 
the base, but old Vines may remain tied to the trellis, and will usually 
break freely. 
Succession Houses. —The unfavourable weather that has prevailed of 
late for outdoor work has given opportunity of pruning Vines and 
thoroughly cleansing them and the structures. This is a very important 
WOKIIfoktheWEEK.. 
