i6o 



IRISH GARDENING. 



where his weakness lav. Point judg-ing-, besides 

 this advantage, is of great educational value, and ought 

 to be .sfenerally adopted. The scale of points was as 

 follows :— Comb honey, lo points each for (a) perfection 

 of filling, (A) capping, (r) aroma, flavour and consistency, 

 (d) neatness of glazing, (e) uniformity and cleanliness ; 

 run lioney, lo points each for («) density, colour, con- 

 sistency, (A) aroma and flavour, (c) freedom from 

 suspended matter and candying, (d) uniformity of filling, 

 suitability of covering, (f) uniformity and appearance 

 of whole exhibit; \va.\, lO points each for («) appear- 

 ance and brightness, {b) absence of dross, (r) colour. 

 Strange to say, nearly all the prizes fell to novices, and 

 almost invariably to those lucky ones located near lime 

 trees. The poor blackberryites were in the halfpenny 

 place, though the blackberry honey this season is very 

 fine. The beautiful pearly capping got off the limes is 

 very hard to beat. I heard that one inveterate exhibitor 

 who for years has been accustomed to collar the 

 principal prizes everywhere he goes turned up with 

 his little box of sections. He glanced down the stand, 

 gasped, and then quietly shoved his little box of sections 

 into a secluded corner unopened, and stole away with an 

 air of assumed nonchalance. How our county instructor, 

 Mr. Brock, succeeded in bringing out that splendid 

 display is a marvel. He seems, like Father O'l-'lynn, 

 " to have a wonderful way with him," and can work up 

 enthusiasm in the most unpromising material. He flies 

 about on his three-speed like a colossal fairy, and works 

 miracles. To day jou hear a cottager making primitive 

 inquiries about smothering bees. In three months' 

 time the fairy has been at work, and behold that 

 cottager is found deliveriiig impromptu lectures on 

 ventilation across the hedge or airing a new system of 

 queen-rearing over the tail of his donkey-cart, and he 

 turns up smiling at the next show with his honey and 

 wa.x, and beats the veterans all to fits. 



The class for " get up " was interesting and bene- 

 ficial. The local shopkeepers got a few tips which 

 they should profit by. There is great room for 

 improvement in the display of honey in shops, and 

 the ingenuity brought to bear in local shows ought to 

 help. The parcels post class is also very important and 

 instructive, and was well contested here with sixteen 

 entries ; the crate arrangement recommended by the 

 Department's book seeming to be favourite, though a 

 rather expensive-looking box came in first. Run honey 

 was lacking the usual display of clover, not so fine as 

 other j'ears. Here again the lime trees scored. 



The Herbaceous Border. 



By Frank Hudson. 



THE work for this month is to cut away all dccaj ed 

 flower stalks and leaves. All bulbs should be 

 planted as soon as possible. Plant-out all 

 spring and early summer plants, such as wall flowers, 

 polyanthus, forget-me-not, silene, sweet Williams, 

 Canterbury bells, &c. ; also put out rooted cuttings of 

 pinks, pentslemons, layers of carnations or other plants 

 grown from seeds or cuttings intended for the border. 

 Before the plants are put out the ground should gel a 



dressing of manure forked in. Do not be in a hurry to 

 plant if the border is very dry, unless you are prepared 

 to water artificially until the plants are established. 



October is a good season of the year to start the 

 making of a border for herbaceous plants, as in many 

 gardens other work could be left over while the mak- 

 ing of the border was going on. It is essential that the 

 work should be done thoroughly, as the soil must be fit 

 lo support strong-growing plants for years. Select a 

 site facing south or south-east. See that the drainage 

 is perfect. If the soil is shallow, add fresh soil laken from 

 clean, old pasture if possible. If the soil is heavy, add 

 sand ; if loo light, add heavy clay. In making the 

 border add plenty of manure. The plants can be put in 

 at once or left over until next March. 



Answers to Corresponrients. 

 Mushrooms. 



A CORRESPONDENT asks for information by which she 

 will be able to distinguish the edible mushroom from 

 similar fungi not edible. This is difficult without going 

 into a technical description. We mav, however, indicate 



The Common (or Edible) Mushroo.m 

 ( Agurlciis Camfieslris) 



a few of the more easily recognisable characters of the 

 ordinary mushroom — (I) the stalk is solid, not hollow, 

 and relatively stout ; (j) it is provided with a "collar" 

 round the (approximately) middle length of the stalk ; 

 (3) the gills are pinkish in colour, passing to a brownish- 

 purple when ripe ; (4) the cap remains convex until it 

 becomes quite old ; and (5) the flesh is comparatively 

 firm. 



