130 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October^?, 1888. 
GardeningNotes fromIreland. 
The Weather in the South of Ireland— 
Narcissi. 
I see by your last issue that very severe weather has 
recently been experienced in the North of England and 
Scotland, even affecting the raising of the crops. In 
New York and Canada it is worse, as 1 see by the 
daily papers there is snow knee-deep. Here, except 
for a few days at the beginning of this month, when 
there was at night 3° and 4° of frost, there has not 
been a shower of rain for two months. I was within 
the past week re-making some beds and borders, some 
containing bulbs, Roses, and perennials in variety, 
being undisturbed for several years. I was very un¬ 
fortunate in the want of moisture, and shall consider 
myself lucky if I do not lose many of the Roses and 
Narcissi owing to the want of it, as they had made 
new growths, which are now dried up as with a March 
north-easter. Fancy sprinkling and watering to keep 
Pansies, Anemones, Daisies, Auriculas, Polyanthuses, 
Primroses, and various spring-flowering bulbs from 
dying of drought in the last days of October ! Yet so 
it is, in our impossible-of-auticipation climate.— 
TV. J. Murphy, Clonmel. 
The Early Frosts. 
The frost seems to have been pretty general on the 
2nd and 3rd inst. Here we registered 6° on the first- 
mentioned date, and 5° on /the latter, which was 
sufficient to cut down Dahlias and other tender subjects, 
also Beans, Vegetable Marrows, &c. Chrysanthemums, 
however, have escaped unhurt, except the buds that 
were commencing to show colour, and then the outer 
florets were damaged. This is much earlier than I 
have previously knowrn anything to be cut up.— 
E. Bumper, Limerick. 
Double Sunflowers. 
A few days ago, when visiting the gardens at Lota, 
Circular Road, Limerick, the residence of Lieut.-Col. 
the Hon. L. Butler-Massey, I was much struck with a 
large double Sunflower, evidently a chance seedling, in 
a row of Helianthus annuus, but each flower was most 
perfect, a circumstance not always the case with double 
Sunflowers. The largest flower produced measured 
14 ins., which had only been cut a few days previously. 
Those I saw were nearly 1 ft. in diameter.— E. Dumper, 
Limerick. 
Ripe Raspberries and Green Peas in October. 
In spite of the sharp frosts at the beginning of the 
month, the existence of ripe Raspberries and Green 
Peas is reported this week from Youghal, on the south 
coast of Ireland. The report states that “such mild 
weather as has prevailed in the south for the last few 
weeks has been rarely witnessed, and but for the sharp 
frosts of a few nights this month, vegetation would 
have been little checked. This week ripe, full-grown 
Raspberries were picked at Springmount, near Youghal, 
and in other places Green Peas can be had. The canes 
from which the Raspberries were pulled were only put 
down early in the year, which may account for their 
bearing fruit at this particular time.” Much, I dare 
say, is also due to the wet and late season for such an 
unusual state of things. 
Greenfield, Donnybrook, co. Dublin. 
Ihis place belongs to Mrs. Jury, who is the owner of 
the celebrated hotel bearing her name in Dame Street, 
Dublin. It is not a place where money is expended to 
gratify solely the whims or tastes of the owner, but 
possesses in a marked degree the qualities recently so 
much admired by Mr. Hall—“skill and enterprise.” 
Here we have the cultivation of vegetables carried out in 
a first-class manner ; fine plantings of Grange’s Autumn 
Cauliflower new in full use, with other growths of 
Yeitch’s Autumn to succeed the former a little later 
on. There are also good breadths of several varieties 
of Turnips, Potatos and Mangles. The Potato crop is 
now being lifted, and proves to be a remarkably fine 
one for the season, the kind most grown being Beauty 
of Hebron, all of fine size, and not so much as one 
diseased tuber amongst them. In addition to these 
there are large plantings of Jerusalem Artichokes, 
Cabbages, Brussels Sprouts, Celery, Sea Kale, Rhu¬ 
barb, &c., all showing the immense amount of pro¬ 
duction and consumption of vegetables that is going 
on. With the exception of Mangles and Swede 
Turnips, which are grown for the use of the cattle and 
pigs, everything in the vegetable way goes to supply 
the wants of the hotel visitors. To them such an 
arrangement must be of great value, as instead of 
getting vegetables two or three days old, and after the 
usual knocking about passing through a market, here 
they have them served up a few hours after leaving the 
ground, without any breaking or bruising. Of such 
excellence are the vegetables grown here, that Mr. 
Mahony, the able and energetic gardener, succeeded in 
scoring first prize for a tray of them at the show lately 
held in Dublin. 
Fruits. 
Apples and Pears are grown here in great abundance, 
and in all manner of ways — espaliers, standards, 
bushes, pyramids, &c. Here, too, is a large orchard, 
which would have delighted the heart of Mr. Hall, but 
whether from the want of skill in selecting the site, or 
otherwise, I cannot say, but there has not been any 
profit so far, although the trees are at an age when 
they should be in a good bearing state. In the garden 
I found the best crops of Apples and Pears I have 
seen this year. Some grand old standards were 
carrying very heavy crops, among them being a couple 
of Croftons, which have not come under my notice for 
many years past; these were the white and brown 
Croftons. 
The Orchard. 
Although the orchard has been alluded to as not 
being profitable, so far as fruit is concerned, yet it is 
turned into a useful purpose, and I have no doubt a 
profitable one too ; and young Mr. Jury is to be con¬ 
gratulated on his enterprise, and the extraordinary 
patience and skill which he devotes to a department he 
has made his own. At the south end of the orchard 
he has constructed a series of houses for the accommo¬ 
dation of fowls, and these latter have the advantage of 
a fine grass run through the orchard. 
An Incubator. 
Although a chat about incubators can hardly be said 
to be “talking shop,” still I have no doubt many of 
your readers will be interested in knowing what sort of 
success Mr. Jury has in general with his incubator. 
First, it may be useful to explain that the one he uses 
is “ Hillier’s Patent Atmospheric,” which is designed 
to hatch out 250 eggs at one time. It is not often this 
is done here, but the chickens are brought out in 
batches of forty weekly, this mode being found to 
answer best for the accommodation afforded in another 
department to which the little chicks are transferred 
after being hatched. This atmospheric incubator is 
likely to supersede all those made on the hot-water 
principle, both on account of its simplicity in con¬ 
struction, and for the ease with which it can be 
managed. If space permitted, I would gladly try to 
convey a description of its working, but if I give the 
results I think it may suffice. Well, with this incu¬ 
bator full} 7 90 per cent, of the chickens are hatched out 
and reared, and I remember that not so long since 60 
per cent, was thought to be a fair return for the hot- 
water incubators. After the chicks are hatched they 
are put into a warm chamber on the top of the incu¬ 
bator, where they are left until they become quite 
dry. They are then removed to a house containing 
what is called a “rearing mother.” This is a small 
lamp-heated structure, admirably adapted for keeping 
up the necessary temperature, and from which they are 
allowed out when thought needful for fresh air and 
sunlight. The treatment they were receiving appeared 
to be of the right sort, as a large number of those per¬ 
mitted to run in front of their houses were robust and 
hardy chicks. As the result of spring and summer 
hatching, there is a stock of turkeys and geese, and 
large numbers of ducks had already been disposed of. 
The Houses. 
I HAVE scarcely left myself room to notice these, but 
even here if there are things ornamental there are 
also some things useful. For instance, in one of the 
houses treated as a moderately heated stove, I found 
Cucumbers trained up the roof and bearing a lot of 
young fruits, and here too is the now popular Tomato, 
warranted to bring good prices during the winter and 
spring. A fine Stephanotis is also growing luxuri¬ 
antly in this house, as well as a numerous collection 
of other flowering plants. In a cool house there are 
two fine Abutilons, one being Boule de Neige, white ; 
and A. rosseflorum, red. Another house contains 
fine plants of Safrano and Marechal Neil Roses, and 
various plants of Azaleas, Chrysanthemums, and 
Rhododendrons. 
Miscellaneous. 
As showing more of the skill and enterprise carried 
on in this place it is right I should mention that a very 
large number of the medium-sized Yorkshire breed of 
pigs is kept, and precautions are taken to keep the 
breed pure. In like manner, no cows are kept 
but pedigree shorthorns, the produce of these, both 
milk and calves, being used—as also the pigs—to 
supply the hotel demands. On the whole it cannot 
be denied that in conducting this establishment there 
is a good deal of skill, energy, and forethought 
exercised, and which I would gladly see pushed into 
many of our private undertakings.— TV. D. 
-- 
NOTES ON VEGETABLES. 
New Yarieties of Potatos. 
When “ W. S.” (p. 115), asserts that Carter’s Surprise 
and Ring of the Russets are identical with Cobbler and 
Adirondack, he makes a statement I cannot verify. 
Adirondack is one of our main crop Potatos ; the other 
three have been grown here two seasons, and they are 
all so distinct as to give no indication of being one and 
the same. I feel sure “ W. S.” must either have 
planted mixed or substituted seed ; the latter is not an 
unknown practice.— J. Muir, Mcirgam, South Wales. 
Potato, King of the Russets. 
“ W. S.,” at p. 115 of your last issue, says that'King 
of the Russets and Adirondack are one and the same 
thing. Will you allow me to say that Adirondack 
had not been grown in these gardens when King of the 
Russets was raised by me from seed. I consider it 
more after the style of Red-Skinned Flourball, but it is 
a much better table variety, and far superior to Adiron¬ 
dack in quality besides being more prolific. I do not 
say that it will cook so well this year as last, the wet 
summer having been against it, but the wet season 
notwithstanding it has proved to be one of the 
best disease-resisting varieties. I planted sixty-three 
sets of it this year, and the produce therefrom was 
207 lbs., out of which only 5 lbs. were bad, which I 
think speaks well for it. As a constant reader of The 
Gardening AY orld, I should be obliged by your 
inserting this note in your next issue. —James Lye, 
The Gardens, Clyffe Hall, Market Lavingtvi. 
Onion, Cranston’s Excelsior. 
Amongst the Onions which we have grown this season 
Cranston’s Excelsior has proved itself undoubtedly the 
best. The seeds were sown inside on the 6th of 
February, and transplanted into a well-prepared 
quarter whenever the young plants were large enough 
to be handled. The crop we have now taken up is 
highly satisfactory, the bulbs being well shaped and 
large, one we measured to-day girthing 15 ins., and 
weighing 21 ozs., while many of them weigh about 
1 lb., and girth from 11 ins. to 13 ins.— TV. L. 
-- 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
Effects of the Early Frosts. 
Numerous are the complaints to be heard from all 
points of the compass about the frost of October 3rd. ; 
one place near AYindsor registered 16°. Mr. Gibson, of 
Morden Park, tells me he registered 13°, but he, unlike 
a great many “ Mum ” growers, can afford to laugh, for 
before the thermometer registered 13° of frost all his 
family (I mean his “Mums”) were safely housed under 
glass—fortunate man! Speaking of early frosts reminds 
me that I had a letter from one of my correspondents 
in Sutherlandshire, three weeks ago, which contained 
the consoling information that they had just had two 
day’s snow, and the corn was still standing ; no wonder 
flour has gone up Ss. Qd. per bag in two months. 
Mr. Stevens, of Putney, appears to have been one of 
the greatest sufferers by the frost, but he has still a 
plentiful supply of good plants for competition, and 
his groups at the Aquarium may yet show the red light 
to his fellow competitors in the group classes for the 
Gold Medal. I was at Messrs. Laing’s, of Forest Hill, 
a few days ago, where they have been more fortunate 
with their plants, few if any of their buds having been 
destroyed by the frosts; they already have a nice group 
of early flowers, and amongst them I noticed some very 
fine new seedlings. Florence Percy, for which Messrs. 
Laing obtained the N. C. S. Certificate last year, had 
some large blooms ona plant about 3 ft. 6 ins. high. This 
is a grand flower, after the style of Meg Merrilies, but 
not half so difficult to grow, and carries a much larger 
flower. —Practical. 
New 7 Chrysanthemums. 
Lincoln’s Inn. —This new Japanese variety first came 
out last year. The flower-heads are brownish crimson, 
and yellow on the reverse of the florets, which are 
densely arranged, and somewhat twisted. Specimens 
shown at the Drill Hall, AAYstminster, on Tuesday last 
by Mr. AA T illiam Holmes, Frampton Park Nurseries, 
Hackney, were only about 18 ins. high. Blooms were 
also shown by Mr. R. Owen, Floral Nursery, Maiden- 
