142 



IRISH GARDENING. 



2(1 drops (.r l/.al slu.ul.l !..• a.ldr.l a Irw iiiiuutrs 

 after rt'inoval Iroin tlir liif. 'I'lu' syiup sliould 

 l)f fiivcii ill \\\v fvt'uiiiu,. and as rajjidly as the 

 lifcs i-an take it from a louiid tin ffcdiT. oi- any 

 oliicr fccdci' suital)l«' for rapid feeding. It is 

 iiiori' (Hoiioinital to make ii]) auv dclicifiic\ tiiis 

 iiioiitii tliaii to fffd with randy later on. or 

 lia\inti to ii'sort to feedinti with syiup in spiin;^. 

 'Pilose wlio aim at ^^ettini: maximum results witi\ 

 a minimum of lahmir should see that eaeh stock 

 on nine or ti'u fram.'s has about :i(l il>s. of seal.d 

 stort's at the end of tliis tnojith. (iiven ample 

 stores, a \ iLicrous younii' (lueen. aiul a well pio- 

 leeteil iii\c. liees iii\arial)lv manage their own 

 allairs. and eome out sti'onjier the followini; May 

 than those that I'eciuire nui'sing with eandx oi' 

 (Irihhle feeding- with syrup in spring. 



I"'ine I'oofs should be made safe against an> 

 possibility of leakage during the coming winter 

 b\ painting with good lead paint. Any roofs 

 sliowiug traces of shakes or rents should first 

 get a hea\-y coat of paint, then a slieet of calico 

 or other similarlv thin cloth slundd be ])ressed and 

 rui)bed on to the fivsii i)aint. and after a few days 

 drving. paint over tiie cloth : two coats of good 

 lead i)aint over tlie .lotli forms a reliable i)rotec- 

 lion against leakage. 



Wasps are not so plentiful as we liave often 

 experienced at thi.s date. It is. however, advis- 

 able to keep up a continual war against this 

 enemy by destroying all nests as they are found, 

 and by placing traps with water sweetened with 

 jam. or light lieer sweetened wath sugar, in wide- 

 mouthed l)ottles near the hives. l-'or desti-oying 

 the lU'sts there is nothing to equal cyanide of 

 potassium in a strong solution, which may be 

 a])plied by winding a piece of woollen cloth or a 

 piece of tow on the point of a pliable stick : insert 

 it in the solution then into the passage to the 

 nest. If the nest can be reached it may be dug 

 out and broken up in five minutes after inserting 

 the plug damped with cyanide. There is no 

 danger of being stung by the wasps returning to 

 the nest. The cyanide may also be applied by 

 jdacing a piece of the crystal about the size of a 

 shilling well into the entrance, and to hasten its 

 action throw a little w'ater in after it : in this way 

 the combs may be safely dug out the following 

 day. The destruction of a nest should never be 

 considered complete without destroying the 

 combs, as if they are left a considerable number 

 of queen wasps may escape to give trouble the 

 following year. 



In late districts bees in fixed comb hives that 

 aie usually smothered with sulphur may be 

 driven about the middle of the month and 

 utilised to strengthen colonies in frame hives 

 that are too weak in bees. 



Marketing Honey.— This is a very important 

 part of the beekeeper's care, and it is the aprt in 

 which for lack of business aptitvide so many fail. 

 It is only by co-operation and turning out the 

 article in the best possible manner and in large 

 ([uantity in the best consviming centres that 

 maximum prices can be obtained. It is here the 

 great advantages of forming associations of 

 beekeepers come to the relief of the small 

 producers. The large producer is generally a 

 person who started in a small way and worked up 

 gradually and formed connections with reliable 

 merchants who went on getting his annual crop 

 of either sections or run honey as the seasons 

 come round. The crop of sections is considerably 

 vmder average in quantity this year, and it is 

 generally expected that prices will rule higher. 



Peter Brock. 

 X^"' air view, Enniskillen. 



The Month's Work. 

 The Flower Garden. 



H' 



•I'KN, (lardeU 

 Castle |{oro 



Lord Ca 

 Wexford. 



TiiK viul of the summ. 

 with good weather the 

 many good things must I 

 iiefore tlu-v pass out o 

 ig i.lants. 



and Forester ti 

 ('lunr.pch.', Co 



nil 



be,!. 



IS upon 

 garden is at its best : 

 • noted foi- our guidance 

 llow.-r. The stocks of 

 mostl\- I'ooted cut tings 

 now. must be grown as liard\- as possible, and 

 the more teiuler plants will be'graduall\ broiiglit 

 into the warmer houses as the days get colder ami 

 the atmosphere more damp. Towards the emi 

 of the month, and in any case before frosty 

 nights come, stock i)lants used in the summer 

 bedding, and which will be needed again next 

 season, must be carefully lifted and brought into 

 a cool house ami sprinkled overhead for the 

 following week dui-ing sunny moi-nings to keep 

 them from (lagging : most of these will have 

 been plunged in pots, and they can be taken out 

 without undidy disturbing the beds, so as to 

 leave the rest of the plants as long as the frost 

 permits. Wher(> Begonias are used, especially 

 named varieties, it is well to run a light covering 

 over them when there is danger of frost. A light 

 frost may cut the tops of the plants, but if care- 

 fully lifted at once, and the bulbs with some soil 

 and roots attached left to dry slow'ly in a dry 

 airy shed or greenhouse for ten days or so. the\ 

 .will not be damaged for another year. After 

 the tops have partly decayed, the stems can be 

 cut of? to within two inches of the bulbs and tlu; 

 bulbs put in trays and stored in a cool, dry, fiost- 

 proof place. 



Look over all the plants for spring bediling 

 which should be done, if possible, early in 

 October, to enable these plants to make new- 

 roots and establish themselves before colder dayH 

 and nights with rough winds, rain and frost are 

 upon them ; all bulbs should be at hand, as this 

 work must be done quickly as soon as the summer 

 plants are done. If the soil is in good heart no 

 manure will be necessary, but where Wallflowers 

 are planted, some well-rotted and short farmyard 

 manure should be dug in the beds ; in some ca^es 

 it is necessary to remove a portion of the old soil 

 and replace with an equal quantity of new loam 

 or old enriched potting soil, thoroughly mixing 

 with the soil left in the beds ; plants must vary 

 according to situation and taste. Undoubtedh 

 the wallflower in the beautiful varieties now in 

 cultivation is the most popular of spring bedding 

 plants, but these are usually planted in masses 

 alone. Where Myosotis, Aubrietias, and other 

 dwarf plants are used, Hyacinths, Tulips and 

 the early Narcissus may be planted through them 

 with a much better effect. Where masses of 

 Narcissus are used, the large trumpet varieties 

 are best, but for planting through a bed of 

 dwarf plants I prefer the small cupped varieties, 

 of which Stella Sviperba and Barii Conspicuous 

 are the type which I mean. It I'equires a 

 nurseryman's catalogue to enumerate the 

 varieties, many of them very cheap and 

 within easy reach of anyone who has a garden. 

 Do not inake the mistake of thinking the 

 expensive varieties are the best. The price is 

 usually regulated by the scarcity of the variety, 

 and it takes some years to get a lot of bulbs from 

 what was probably only one bulb in the beginning 

 even in the most expert hands. Usually it is not 



