144 



IRISH GARDENING. 



SEPTEMRER 



Bees. 



By T. Magtire, The Orchard, Eimiskillen. 



A UGUST must have been a revelation to the bees 

 jJ~Y^ this year. They had practically nothinsj to 

 gather from but blackberries, yet during those 

 few weeks of glorious weather quite a respectable 

 quantity of honey was gathered. Some of my stocks 

 got as much as 90 lbs., and the average would probably 

 be 60. It makes one's mouth water to think of what 

 we should have got had the hot spell come a month 

 earlier. The clover was in sheets everywhere, but, 

 alas ! without the necessary heat it might as well have 

 not been there at all. However, the bloom of black- 

 berries was something extraordinary also, and certainly 

 the bees have made the most of them. The moral of 

 this season is, nil desperandum — keep your stocks in 

 good form, for you never know what may happen. 

 Those lucky bee-keepers who have lime trees beside 

 them must have got a fine pull off them also. Un- 

 fortunately lime trees are not extensively grown in this 

 country, and it is only in a few favoured localities they 

 are to be seen. This is a great pity, for lime honey is 

 very fine, and the tree when in fiill flower yields 

 enormously. 



Few stocks will have any difficulties with regard to 

 stores this season, nevertheless all should be gone over 

 at oni-e, .ind any which seem short of _^o!bs. should be 

 fed up to that amount immediately. There is no doubt 

 that autumn is the proper time lo feed, and when done 

 now the bees can be trusted to take care of themselves 

 till May next. 



When honey is being taken off the bees are generally 

 in a robbing humour. Every stock should be protected 

 vj'ith the perforated zinc strips referred to in last 

 month's article. 



A great many sections will be unfinished this season. 

 These can be filled back into crates, and left on all 

 winter. With warm packing overhead Ihey make a 

 capital winter passage over the frames, and the honey 

 comes in useful for the bees ; besides, this is an ideal 

 way of storing them for next seaso?i, when they will be 

 found very valuable for the first supers. 



Prices for honey have been somewhat lower this 

 season ; why, it is hard to say, for the quantity will not 

 be nearly equal to last year all round. In all probability 

 prices will improve when the foolish people who rush in 

 and sell their honey at whatever they can get have dis- 

 posed of their stock. Sections should be stored in a 

 warm place, and, if possible, packed in tin boxes so as 

 to exclude insects, &c. If cleaned and wrapped 

 in waxed paper the flavour and aroma will be pre- 

 served. 



Driven bees can now be had from those who keep 

 skeps. Two driven lots added together, and hived on 

 six or eight sealed combs of honey, will make as good 

 a stock next year as any that can be got. It is too late 

 now to hive them on sheets of foundation — they would 

 hardly get them drawn out. Driven bees w;inter 

 capitally at the back of a main stock on four or 

 five combs, and come in very handy for building up 

 other colonies in spring and for supplying spare 

 queens. 



Correspondence. 



Si'R.AVING Kriit Trek.s. 



•Sir, — I think it would be very useful if j-our paper could 

 get the opinions and experience of those who have used 

 copper sulphate in various forms for the spraying of 

 fruit trees to prevent "spot "or "scab," as there can be no 

 second opinion but that the arsenate of lead is most usefiil 

 in destroying caterpillars without damage to the foliage. 

 I will now give you my experience of the effect of the 

 copper sulphate spray. In 1907 I sprayed those 

 kind of apples liable to spot with a 1% per cent, mix- 

 ture of copper sulphate and lime that is equal to x]^ lbs. 

 copper sulphate to \c gallons water, with necessary 

 lime. The result was that the spray did more damage 

 to the fruit than the " spot " did. 



In 1908 I sprayed with a weaker mixture, less than i 

 per cent, copper sulphate, made up with soda, and care- 

 fully tested with litmus paper to make certain that the 

 spray was neither too acid nor too alkaline. The result 

 was, however, not satisfactory, much fruit being 

 damaged by the spray, while the " spot " fungus was not 

 killed. This year (1909) I have tried the Woburn paste, 

 made up according to instructions sent with it. This sprav 

 has much less colour than the home-made mixture, and 

 dc»es not show much blue on the trees, but the effect on 

 the fruit is much the same, while the " spot " remains 

 active. It should be noted that the effect on the fruit is 

 not apparent for some time, but goes on increasing for 

 some weeks after spraying, when it often presents a 

 rough or burnt appearance. 



The effect is mech more severe on some kinds oi 

 apples than on others, Ecklinville, Cox's Orange Pippin, 

 and Alfriston being badly marked, while King of Pippins 

 did not suffer much, and was the only apple that seemed 

 to benefit from the spray. If others have a similar 

 experience to this it is clear that we require a less 

 injurious and more effectual spray for apple " spot." 



Knocklinn, Bray. E. D'Olier. 



Roses .\t Shows. 



Sir, -Can we kindly ask if some of the rose experts 

 will kindly answer through Irish G.-^rdening what class 

 of roses they consider should be shown in vases under 

 the name of roses (garden), as it would be a great help 

 both to exhibitors and judges? \t the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Societj' of Ireland grand summer show, July 20 — 

 Class 1 1, roses (garden), six bunches in six kinds shown 

 in vases, not more than five spra3's to each bunch, and only 

 one variety in each vase— the judges placed first and 

 second vases containing some H. P. sand H.T.s, scented, 

 anything but good blooms of the varieties, but shown up 

 in the centre with their other vases of Climbing roses. 



Most of the exhibitors in this class show all Climb- 

 ing roses, and beautiful bunches, the one placed third 

 staged .AimcV Vibert, .Mister Stella Grey, Reve d'Or, 

 Reine Olga de Wurtemburgh, Gruss an Teplitz, Dundee 

 Rambler. It is evident most exhibitors in this class con- 

 sider the proper roses to show are the Climbing roses. 

 We would like to hear the opinion of others, as it would 

 be helpful lo exhibitors in the future. 



.\N l.NOllRER. 



