162 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
November 10, 18’88. 
Gardening Notes from Ireland. 
Hazelbrook, Terenure, co. Dublin. 
This fine old place is the residence of Mrs. Daly, and 
there are many features about it which will he found 
interesting both from a horticultural and arboricultural 
point of view. The place shows plenty of evidence of 
having been liberally dealt with in both departments 
in the past, and nothing is left undone at the present 
time to preserve the old points of interest, while at the 
same time keeping things up to modern requirements. 
Fine Old Conifers. 
As illustrating the former, I may instance the care 
taken of some fine old Conifers to be found here. 
"When Pinus austriaca was no doubt considered a 
great variety, it appears to have been introduced into 
this place, and one of the trees standing at the present 
time cannot be less than between 30 ft. and 40 ft. high, 
and at two feet from the ground girths 6 ft. Not far 
from this are two Cedars of Lebanon, raised from seeds, 
brought many years ago from Mount Lebanon, and 
which are in remarkably good health ; one in particular 
coming away with about 6 ft. of a clean trunk and an 
enormous spread of branches. In the pleasure grounds 
immediately in front of the dwelling house, stand, to 
the right and left of a walk passing between them, two 
very handsome specimens of Cupressus, both beauti¬ 
fully furnished from the ground upwards. One of 
these is Cupressus Lawsoniana, and the other Cupressus 
Nutkaensis ; both stand at a height of about 30 ft., the 
stems having a diameter of 2 ft., and the branches a 
spread of 7 yards at the ground. There is also a good 
plant of Cupressus macrocarpa) and several others of 
smaller growth. It was with regret I saw a fine tree 
of Araucaria imbricata dead ; it stood fully 20 ft. high, 
had a fine spread of branches, and a stem about 4J ft. 
in girth. Its death was caused by the action of a violent 
storm, the effect being that the bark was separated in 
several places along the stem, excessive gumming taking 
place immediately after, and no amount of plastering 
and pressing in the bark could save it. 
Evergreens. 
Evergreen shrubs are both plentiful and varied, and 
good specimens of some of them are not easily met 
with now-a-days. This applies chiefly to Arbutus, a 
large number of which were killed in the severe frost 
of 1879-80, but one of those which escaped then is now 
a very fine tree, and carries an immense crop of 
flowers. Fine plants of both male and female Aucubas 
are planted in well-chosen situations, the female plants 
showing a fine crop of berries. In another way ever¬ 
green shrubs are turned to some purpose here. This is 
to shade a walk which is carried round a lawn for a 
long distance. On both sides are planted Yew, 
Portugal Laurel, Laurestinus, Phillyreas, Hollies, &c. 
These have all been brought up and an arch formed 
over the walk for the whole distance, except here and 
there where openings have been left for the admission 
of light, or to afford a view of surrounding objects. 
Deciduous Trees. 
There are many fine grown specimens of these through 
the grounds, amongst them being what is not fre¬ 
quently met with—some fine old healthy Tulip trees 
(Liriodendron tulipifera), Lime trees, Sycamores, Horse 
Chestnuts, Weeping Ash, and others. 
The Pleasure Grounds. 
These are all in grass, and not very extensive, but 
their neatness makes up considerably for their deficiency 
in that respect. The dividing-line between the pleasure 
grounds and a very handsome piece of shrubbery is a 
fine broad terrace walk, this again being protected by a 
row of massive balustrading, done in Roman cement, 
the colouring effect of the white line between the green 
foreground and the dark backing of the shrubbery 
being very good. 
Plant Houses, Vineries, &c. 
Outside the garden, and raised against the south side 
of its north wall, are numerous glass structures devoted 
to plant, "Vine, and Peach growing. In one of 
these, a lean-to, Vines are planted, and this house 
will shortly receive a fine collection of Chrysan¬ 
themums. Of the latter I shall have something to say 
further on. Running in an opposite direction are 
two houses constructed on the half-span plan, and from 
the use made of them I think it will be worth while 
going into a little detail. Just now they are filled with 
a mixed collection of plants in pots, but their chief 
attraction must be the Roses, which, being planted 
outside, are brought in and trained along the roof. 
These consist of Marechal Niel and some other varieties 
of Tea Roses, and many thousands of flowers are pro¬ 
duced on them during the season. But if useful for 
flowers, they are also made useful for the production 
of fruit, and this is done by an arrangement which I 
have not hitherto met with. In the centre of the 
houses there are pits constructed, and exactly under 
the ridge Peach trees have been planted out in 
the pits and brought up on trellis-work, so that 
they enjoy the benefit of all the light thrown 
in by the back portion of the span roof, and are 
not in any way affected by the shade caused by 
the Roses on the other portion of the roof. The 
trees were in a perfectly healthy state, the young wood 
sound and well ripened, and I was assured by Mr. 
Price, who is a very skilful gardener, that the number 
and size of the fruits obtained are all that could be 
desired. Perhaps I should mention that a raised 
passage runs in front of the line of trees, by which all 
operations connected with their culture can be carried 
on without interfering in any way with plants occupy¬ 
ing the front portions of the pits. Besides these there 
are three lean-to houses, two being generally made use 
of for early work, and another with Peach trees on the 
back wall, the front portion of the house being occupied 
with Roses and Tomatos planted out. Another useful 
low house is worked as a stove and propagating house, 
and is filled just now with numerous varieties of stove 
Adiantums, the roof being covered with a large plant 
of Stephanotis floribunda. Amongst the plant 
structures here is also a fernery, which, although 
somewhat small in dimensions, is both naturally and 
artistically considered a very beautiful piece of 
work. The form of the house is circular, and nearly 
all the rockwork inside consists of petrifactions brought 
from a long distance, all having been worked into the 
most natural forms of rockery, small grottos, &c. 
In the centre is a very neat piece of rockery, and 
growing on the top of it, reaching the roof, is a fine 
plant of Alsophila excelsa, while on the rockwork and 
surrounding walls are numerous varieties of Begonias, 
Adiantums, and various other native Perns. Wood- 
wardia radicans was growing here with rare luxuriance, 
its colour and length of fronds being very remarkable. 
Over the walk, and opposite each other, are two arches 
of rockwork, which have been put together with much 
skill, and when draped with Lycopodiums will look 
very well. A rather unusual idea in connection with 
ferneries has been worked out here—that is, presenting 
female faces at intervals through the foliage and rock¬ 
work. The pots selected for this purpose appear to 
have been 10-in. or 12-in. ones, and the face is worked 
in cement on the outside of the pots. The faces are 
shaped after the Grecian model, and although Mr. 
Price was the artist, he may well be pleased with his 
efforts as a modeller, for on looking at them one would 
think the artist “was to the manner born.” Planted 
in the pots are dwarf Ferns and other plants, which 
are allowed to droop over and partially conceal the 
features—not an inapt representation of the present 
female head-dress, veil and feathers. 
Habrothamnus coccinea. 
Under this name I found a plant growing in a well- 
sheltered outside border; beside it was a plant of the 
lemon-scented Verbena, Aloysia citriodora, and both 
had stood against a wall in their present situation for 
years. The Habrothamnus flowers every summer, and 
in common with the Verbena receives protection during 
the winter. Now, although an allied plant, Oestrum 
Parqui is said to be capable of living out under the 
treatment mentioned above, I have never met with it 
or any other variety of Habrothamnus outside a green¬ 
house. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
In the garden I found a good supply of the usual 
winter vegetables, and a good stock of fruit trees. 
Among these latter, besides the wall trees, there are 
standard, espalier, bush and pyramid Pear and Apple 
trees, all of which have borne good crops this year. 
Chrysanthemums. 
These are grown here chiefly for late flowering, all the 
latest blooming sorts being selected for that purpose. 
They are grown in the open ground, and have not yet 
been potted up. On some of the plants the flower buds 
were as large as "Walnuts, and others were only just 
showing ; and there was not the least trace of any 
damage having been done by the frost that was said to 
have caught so many. It appears that although this 
late potting up is a rule here there is no difficulty 
experienced in getting the plants to grow along after 
being lifted. A couple of days shading is found suffi¬ 
cient to start them on again. Many of the very large 
plants will not be put into pots at all, but will be 
removed into some of the houses, and planted in the 
borders near the glass. From such plants as these I 
was told the number of cut blooms taken was very large. 
The Onion Crop in Ireland. 
I observe a note of alarm sounded in the columns of 
a contemporary regarding the unripened state of the 
Onion crop in England, and its consequent unfit state 
for the production of seeds next year. This complaint, 
as a rule, does not affect the Onion crop in Ireland, as 
in almost all cases it was well matured before being 
gathered, and the samples one finds in the market are 
all that could be desired in that respect. 
-- 
THE MULBERRY. 
The three most distinct and best known species of 
Mulberry are Chinese "White (Moms alba), the Persian 
(M. nigra), the common Mulberry of our English 
gardens, and the North American (M. rubra). 
According to tradition, the fruit of the Mulberry was 
originally white, but became empurpled by human 
blood. It would seem that the common Mulberry 
came to us from Persia in 1548 ; but Mr. Leo H. 
Grindon thinks that its native country is uncertain, 
but that the original seat was south-western Asia is 
eminently probable. At the present day it is found 
apparently wild on the Caucasus, also in Persia and 
Asia Minor. Thence it would be conveyed westward 
at a very early period, but there is no exact knowledge 
of the time or by what means. But that it is a tree of 
undoubted antiquity there can be no doubt. No 
reference to it occurs in the Old Testament, but 
Biblical scholars state it is mentioned in the New, 
under the Greek name of “Sycamine,” Luke xvii., 6. 
The ancient Secular Greek writers speak of it both as 
the Sycamine and the Maroon ; but with the Romans 
the word became Morus, the tree having reached 
Italy some time prior to, although not very long before, 
the Christian era. 
"When the common Mulberry was first introduced to 
England is unknown ; it is thought to have been 
introduced by the Romans. James I. endeavoured to 
render the cultivation of the tree general, in the same 
way that Henry IV. had laboured to introduce it into 
France. The first Mulberry trees of England are said 
to have been planted at Syon House, Brentford, the seat 
of the Duke of Northumberland, in 1548, and one of 
these, at least, was living and bearing fruit only a few 
years ago. A branch had fallen upon the ground and 
put forth roots, but the parent trunk had almost 
entirely decayed. Of its hardihood there can be no 
doubt, for Sir Thomas Browne, in 1663, quotes a letter 
from an Iceland clergyman, which testifies to the 
Mulberry being one of the few trees growing in that 
semi-polar region. 
The Mulberry is probably the latest tree to put forth 
its leaves, and so it escapes the ravages of late spring 
frosts. It appears to be susceptible of cold, too, for it 
is said to drop every leaf on the night of a severe frost. 
Trials have been made of Mulberries trained against a 
south wall, and the result has been a great improvement 
in the quality of the fruit. I have seen in late districts 
of the north of England, Mulberries having the help 
and protection of walls, in order to get the fruit ripe 
enough for use. 
In point of cultivation the Mulberry appears to do 
best in a fairly light rich soil, and in an open sunny 
position. Under such conditions I have seen trees 
grow to a good size, and produce an abundance of fruit. 
When fully ripe there is a very pleasant and piquant 
acidity, while sweet and luscious also, and compared 
with other edible fruits the Mulberry is remarkable for 
the large quantity of its sugar, being excelled in this 
respect only by the Fig, the Grape and the Cherry. 
The Mulberry being a tree of slow growth, time is 
required to make a standard, the form in which it is 
usually planted. The best method of propagation is 
by means of layers. These are allowed to remain 
for two years, and when rooted are potted, tied to 
upright stakes, and in another four years or so they 
will make serviceable plants. 
I have alluded to the tradition which sets forth that 
the fruits of the Mulberry, originally white, became 
empurpled by human blood. In referring to the 
introduction of the Mulberry by the Greeks, Rassin 
writes :— 
“ Hence Pyramus’ and Thisbe’s mingled blood 
On Mulberries this purple dye bestowed. 
In Babylon the tale was told to prove 
The fatal error of forbidden love.” 
Mr. R. Folkard, in his book on Plant Lore, gives an 
outline of this tale as related by Ovid :—“ Pyramus, a 
youth of Babylon, and his neighbour, Thisbe, became 
mutually enamoured, but were prevented by their 
