IRISH GARDENING 



119 



unless such honey is in demand for home con- 

 sumption, it would be advisable to have sections 

 removed befoi'e it appears, as it is objectionable 

 in appearance, aroma and flavour, though it 

 seems to suit the bees for wintering on as well as 

 the choicest honey. 



Robbing must at all times be guarded against, 

 and especially at the end of the season. Preven- 

 tion is better than cure. Weak stocks, which 

 are unable to defend tViemselves against their 

 stronger neighbours, cairlcss exposure of honey 

 or syrup during a time ul m arcity, careless open- 

 ing of hives for mauiimlat ion when honey is 

 scarce, and queenless stocks which have lost 

 heart for defending their home, are the principal 

 causes for starting the trouble. When once 

 robbing is fairly started the looting of Sackville 

 Street was a mild affair compared with the 

 determination with which bees loot the stores 

 of their weaker neighbours ! Tliere are many 

 devices for checking robbing, providing it is 

 detected at the start, such as narrowing the 

 entrance with perforated zinc, laying a piece of 

 glass against the entrance, making dark 

 passages, 6ic., but thcif. is no form of entrance 

 to equal the Swiss iiutal iiitiance as a ^irotection 

 against robbing by eitliri- hccs or wasps. 



Queens in nuclei should now be utilised to 

 supersede those that are due to be deposed. The 

 nuclei may then be united, allowing for an 

 occasional comb that has to be discarded through 

 having too n\any drone cells or other cavise ; 

 tliree good nuclei are generally sufficient to make 

 one good stock. Change of blood is as essential 

 in maintaining a vigorous constitution in bees 

 as it is in stock-breeding, therefore it is most 

 desirable that a queen from unrelated stock 

 should be occasionally introduced. Some of the 

 most valuable queens to be met with for this 

 purpose are to be found in casts from skeps that 

 may be too weak for wintering. If procured at 

 a distance of fiftcm, luil preferably not less than 

 twenty, miles, Ihe |ii(iu(k\ either in queens or 

 drones have a ((ni-idei alile influence for good. 

 Be careful not to attempt re- queening if there is 

 any inclination to robbing. The Simmins' 

 " fasting method " of introducing queens direct 

 is in my opinion the most satisfactory, and I find 

 that beginners invariably perform it successfully. 

 The stock to be re-queened should be deprived 

 of its queen early in the forenoon of the day the 

 young queen is to be introduced after dusk, 

 it is of the utmost importance that the stock- 

 to be re-queened sliould realise its queenless con- 

 dition. It is equally important that the young 

 queen should be alone and fasting for thirty 

 minutes, and that the introduction be performed 

 after dusk. I find the " Swan " match box a 

 very suitable box in which to retain the queen 

 alone for thirty minvites before introducing. Be 

 careful not to cause any disturbance in removing 

 the roof or coverings, and place the box with 

 queen mouth downwards over the feed hole, or 

 if that should be too large make a new opening. 



Fairview, Enniskillen. Peter Brock. 



Hints for Amateurs. 



By li. .M. Pollock. 



T11I8 is the month for cuttings, and, generally 

 speaking, what cannot be propagated l)y cuttings 

 can be increased by seed. In small gardens 

 cuttings are by far tlie least trouble, and give a 

 (piicker return, as they can be left in the cutting 



beds until well rooted and then transplanted to 

 their permanent positions, whereas in the case of 

 seeds, they usually have to be raised under cover, 

 pricked out when fit to handle, and then planted 

 out. Most plants of which cuttings are wanted, 

 and which do not show signs of producing suitable 

 shoots for cuttings, can be induced to do so by 

 cutting them back, and so forcing them to make 

 short growths at the base. This applies to 

 such plants as Double Rocket and many other 

 plants of that type of growth. Pansies, Carna- 

 tions, Pinks, and, towards the end of the month, 

 shrubs may all be pricked into sandy soil in a 

 shady border, and covered with a cap glass. 

 Aubrietias and Alyssums may get the same 

 treatment. 



Where time, space, and patience allow it, 

 there is no work in a garden more fascinating 

 than growing one's own plants from seed. 



Experience and practical work teaches far 

 more than any reading or writing on the subject 

 can ever do, but there are a few points which hold 

 good in the case of seed sowing. The drainage 

 in the pots or pans is a very important matter, as 

 on it dei^ends the consistency of the soil during 

 the early life of the seedling. The soil, too, should 

 in all cases be firm, so that the young roots may 

 take a good hold in the pot. This remark does 

 not mean that the soil is to be brick hard, but 

 sufficiently firm to allow the water to pass slowly 

 through, and not so loose and open that when 

 watered the water runs away quickly down the 

 side of the j)ot between it and the soil. As to 

 covering the seeds, this should always be done 

 with fine soil shaken on through a fine sieve or 

 fine riddle, and in this soil a fair proportion of fine 

 sand might be mixed, as it to sonie extent 

 prevents the moss from appearing on the surface. 

 It is a good plan when sowing very small seeds 

 to immerse the pots filled with soil in water 

 until thoroughly saturated, and then sow the 

 seed. This prevents the seeds Ix-iiii:, washed out 

 of the pot or washed to one side of Ihe pot when 

 watered after sowing. Where piotertion can be 

 given during the wintei most seed is better sown 

 directly it is collected and cleaned, and not kept 

 until the spring. These notes, of course, do not 

 apply to the ordinary garden annuals, but to 

 herbaceous plants, alpines and many biennials. 



The shoots of Dahlias will need thinning out, 

 keeping only the strong, well-placed shoots, and 

 removing all weak thin ones. 



Earwigs will also be troublesonre, and a little 

 straw placed in the bottom of a flower pot, and 

 the pot hung on the top of the stake, is as good a 

 method of cateliinv; jliese iusecls as anything. A 

 piece of new >|ia|)ti' jilaced Inlufen some of the 

 shoots, or tied ioosely idiiud the stake and 

 removed in the morning, will also be a good trap 

 for them, and is less unsightly than the inverted 

 pots, which remain all day long. 



Loganberries and raspberries may have the 

 old canes removed as soon as the fruit is gathered, 

 and the young shoots, which are already a con- 

 siderable length, tied in. This will save trouble 

 and time in the busy and shorter days of autumn, 

 and it is far easier to tie in the new growths while 

 tliey are young. The same remark applies to 

 the' Rambler Roses, such as the well known 

 Dorothy I»erkins, White Dorothy, Dorotliy 

 Dennison, Coquina, American Pillar, Excelsa, 

 Hiawatha, Lady Gay, Minnehaha, &c. As soon 

 as the flowers are over, all the shoots that have 

 carried flowers this season should be removed. 

 If the plant is strong and healthy then; will be 

 plenty of new growth to replace the old. 



