112 



IRISH GARDENING. 



from blemishes. Before earthing up the earliest crop 

 remove all suckers from the plants and make sure that 

 the roots are sufficiently supplied with moisture. If 

 necessary give a g-ood soaking of liquid manure the day 

 before. Wheii collars are not used the earth must be 

 prevented from entering the hearts by careful handling. 

 Continue to put out plants for main ci op and succes- 

 sional supplies as soon as strong enough, and water and 

 shade immediately and until established. .\s celery is 

 naturally semi-aquatic it must never be allowed to want 

 water to get good results. 



TOM.\TOES. — Remove all side growth from the axils of 

 the leaves as they form and fasten the main growth as 

 it ascends. Water when required, but liquid manure 

 need not be given till some few clusters of swelling, 

 green fruit call for assistance. If the weather is dry and 

 hot a mulch of sliort manure is beneficial. 



Sowing Cabbage for Spring. — In the south the sow- 

 ings of early cabbages made during the last w-eek of 

 Jul}' and the first week of August proved more satis- 

 factory last year than these made earlier, as the season 

 continued mild and summer-like milil on towards mid- 

 winter, and the plants in many cases from the mid-July 

 sowing became too forward for standing well over 

 winter. This may not occur again, but as coming 

 weather is always uncertain, and as the character of the 

 season decides how plants behave, it is wise not to 

 confine our seed sowing to any date. Make sowings of 

 Ellam's Early Flower of Spring, or of some of the other 

 trustworthy spring kinds, first, about the middle of the 

 month ; second, during the last week and again early in 

 August. By this means, if we miss in one we hit in 

 another, and so all's well. Remember that nothing 

 can make up for the loss of such an important crop 

 as early spring cabbage. Now is the time to look to 

 this. 



Tlrnips. — About the middle of the monih, or as soon 

 as enough early potatoes are lifted, a large sowing of 

 such varieties as orange jelly, \'eitch's red globe or 

 Black Stone turnip should be made to give a winter 

 supply. This crop can be pitted, like potatoes, at the 

 end of the season. It may be necessary to water the 

 drills before covering the seed. .Allow at least one foot 

 between the lines. The use of a fertiliser raked in 

 hastens growth. 



Vegetable Marrows. —When they first extend wind 

 often damages the growths of marrows ; to prevent this 

 make secure with forked pegs, or with sticks thrust in 

 the ground on each side. If the weather is dry and hot 

 mulching and watering must be attended to. 



Winter Spinach. — Towards the end of the month, in 

 friable soil, make a sowing of prickly spinach. This 

 crop succeeds in ground cleared of early potatoes. 

 When the ground is dug over and made fine, and dressed 

 with soot and wood ashes, the seed may be sown in ruts 

 drawn one foot or fifteen inches apart and about an inch 

 deep. If the soil is dry, water the drills before sowing. 

 This sowing gives an autumn supply, and most of the 

 plants generally remain without bolting on into winter 

 and spring, and yield a supply when the variety of a 

 dish is usually appreciated. 



Bees. 



By T. Maglire, The Orchard, Eiiniskillen. 



SO far the season has been a favourable one for the 

 bees, though no real glut of honey has come up 

 to the time of writing. It is the month of July 

 that makes or mars the bee-keeper's balance sheet for 

 the year. Strong stocks have been doing very well in 

 this district, notwithstanding the slight coolness of the 

 weather now and then. Some have their second crate 

 ready for completion, and most good stocks have one 

 finished. Swarming has been very prevalent, and this 

 seems to be the greatest worry of all beginners, and a 

 good many older hands too. Some are inclined to get 

 quite into despair over it. If the queen is not clipped, the 

 swarm goes off, and if she is clipped, she gets lost in 

 the grass, with the result that swarming will be wor.se 

 than ever when the young queens hatch out. It is very 

 hard to get some people to deal with the swarms in the 

 proper way when increasing ; they 'vill put it up on a 

 new stand instead of returning it to the old stand, 

 giving it the supers, and moving the old hive to a new 

 position. When this is done almost as much honey is 

 gathered as if the stock were not divided, for all the fly- 

 ing bees are gathering into the supers, whereas under 

 the other plan the best part of the working population 

 are engaged in building out their new home, just at the 

 very time when their gathering services are most needed 

 and would be most effectual. 



Most beginners baulk at cutting out the queen cells 

 too. It is a very necessary operation if swarming 

 is to be checked. Very often when a stock is about 

 to swarm, if all the queen cells are cut out and a 

 fresh crate of sections given, swarming will be aban- 

 doned for the time being. If the first swarm is lost, or 

 put on another stand, it is absolutely necessary to 

 reduce the queen cells, as if left the stock will probably 

 throw several casts according to its strength, and it 

 will be quite useless for gathering purposes for the 

 season. But the hives are now so crowded that timid 

 or inexperienced people dread the operation of pulling 

 them asunder to look for cells, and they let the matter 

 slide, particularly if the bees are inclined to be cross. 

 When handling a wicked stock it is better to use two 

 control cloths, and also to put a carbolic-steeped feather 

 across the entrance before opening the hive. Then, 

 only one frame need be uncovered at a time (using one 

 cloth in front and the other at the back), and the bees 

 never get a chance to come out in force. Sometimes, 

 particularly in very hot weather, a cloth merely damped 

 with water is the most effective in subduing. Some 

 strains of bees are very excitable, and smoke or car- 

 bolic fumes set them crazy. Very often they will be 

 quite gentle under the damp cloth. When cutting' out 

 queen cells, care should be taken that none are missed ; 

 the}' escape detection very easily, and if allowed to 

 remain may upset calculation. Giving room, shade, 

 ventilatiop, and attention to the queen cells once a 

 week will carry most stocks through the swarming 

 period. 



This month should see the young queens raised and 

 mated. 



