48 



IRISH GARDENING. 



Bee-keeping. 



By T. MAGUIRE, The Orchard, Enniskillen. 



THE winter, so far, has been favourable to the 

 bees. The weather has been sufficiently cold 

 to keep them confined to the hives — the cluster 

 is ths most economical place for them during these 

 months — whilst there have been occasional opportu- 

 nities, not too frequent, for the necessary cleansing 

 flights, so that the consumption of stores and wear 

 and tear of bee life must have been almost at a 

 minimum. 



When snow is on the ground it is most important to 

 shade the entrance in some way ; without this precau- 

 tion the reflected light from the snow deceives the bees 

 as to the state of the weather ; they come out and get 

 chilled, and are unable to make their way back again, 

 sometimes also falling victims to birds, which often 

 work great havoc when other feeding is scarce. The 

 "blue-bonnet" and "sally-picker," as they are some- 

 times called, are among the worst off"enders. It is 

 amusing to watch these little wretches at work— they 

 will hop on the flight-board, and peck the board. 

 Sometimes they actually whistle into the entrance ! 

 The unsuspecting bee comes out to reconnoitre, and is, 

 of course, immediately pounced upon, carried to a 

 neighbouring branch, and devoured. During snow 

 the dismembered bodies of dozens of bees can be seen 

 Iving around where these birds have been feasting upon 

 them. They generally keep to one particular hive, 

 and will thin it seriously in a short time if not pre- 

 vented. It is a pity to kill these birds, which, apart 

 from their beauty, are exceedingly useful in the garden, 

 destroying myriads of insect pests. A piece of netting 

 stretched from the porch will check their ravages con- 

 siderably. 



Hive roofs should be examined to see if they are 

 leaking, and if any dampness be found prompt measures 

 should be taken to make them waterproof; any damp 

 coverings should be removed, and replaced, by dry ones. 

 Bee-keepers intending to increase their stocks this 

 season might occupy spare time in the winter evenings 

 profitably in making hives. A spare hive is a most 

 desirable thing to have, one never knows when it may 

 suddenly be required. Every bee-keeper should be 

 able to make his own hives — no wonderful skill is re- 

 quired. Unless the hives are intended for a prominent 

 position there is no necessity for going to much ex- 

 pense. Grocers' boxes will make as useful hives as 

 the most expensive material ; the only vitally important 

 point is the accuracy with which the brood-chamber 

 must be made, and, of course, the weather-proof 

 character of the hive. Bees will work in almost any 

 kind of fixture, and the perfection of modern hives is 

 more for the convenience of the bee-keeper than of the 

 bees. 



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From statistics issued by the Department of Agricul- 

 ture, it appears that during the year 1907 there was a 

 considerable decrease in the area devoted to tillage in 

 Ireland. The decrease (amounting to over 88,000 acres) 

 took place chiefly in the province of Ulster and Con- 

 naught- The same return shows a fall in the average 

 yield of potatoes. The average for the last ten years 

 is represented by a yield of 4-1 tons per statute acre. 

 The average for last season was only 3.8 tons. (In 1906 

 it was 4.3 per acre.) 



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Early Express is on& of the very best cabbages for 

 spring sowing ; it grows very quickly if sown thinly 

 in lines on an old onion bed, assisted later with a little 

 nitrate of soda. P. J. K. 



Answers to Correspondents. 



Correspondents 7vhen asking more than one question 

 ivill please 7vrite the queries on separate sheets of paper. 



The Black Currant Gall Mite. — A "Correspon- 

 dent " sends us specimens of black currant twigs, and 



asks if they are 

 a fife c t e d with 

 "mite." They are. 

 As it is most im- 

 portant that all 

 fruit-growers 

 should be on the 

 look out for this 

 destructive pest we 

 give an illustration 

 of a twig the buds 

 of which are suffer- 

 ing from an attack 

 of these terrible, 

 yet exceedingl}' 

 tiny, creatures. It 

 will be noted that 

 the " diseased " 

 buds are bigger 

 and plumper than 

 ordinary ; hence 

 the common name 

 of " big bud " ap- 

 plied to this trouble. 

 When discovered 

 all such twigs 

 should be cut out 

 and burnjcl, as the 

 little pest migrates 

 from their old win- 

 ter quarters to 

 newly formed buds 

 in early summer, 

 and in this way 

 it spreads through 

 t h e plantation. 

 Growers should be exceedingly careful not to take 

 cuttings from affected bushes If any particular bush 

 is badly affected the best thing to do is to uproot it, 

 and at once destro}' it with fire. 



WiREWORMS AND LEATHER-JACKETS. — "Troubled," 

 sends the larva; of Daddy Longlegs or " Leather- 

 jackets," and asks if they are wireworms. As the two 

 things are entirely dis- 

 tinct, yet frequently 

 not differentiated by 

 gardeners, we give 

 illustrations of them. 

 The wireworm is the 

 larva of the skipjacks or click beetles. They are slender- 

 jointed creatures, with three pairs of jointed legs (from 

 which, by the 



way, they _ may ^_^,,,f^r^^^:^^^m^fm^^rT;^m^!f^ 

 be distinguished 

 from millepedes, 

 which have many Leather-jacket, 



pairs of legs). 



The leather-jackets are bigger and legless. Wire- 

 worms remain in the destructive larva state in the soil 

 for three seasons and the leather-jackets for one only, 

 until they pass into the pupa condition. Obtain Leaflets 

 10 and 51 from Department of Agriculture. 



Winter-flowering Primulas (" H. P.').— Several 

 weeks ago a writer in the Gardeners Chronicle drew 

 attention to certain yellow-flowered species and hybrids 

 of primula that will suit your purpose exactly. They 

 were P. floribiinda, P. p. IsahelUna, and P. Keivensis. 

 They are all handsome, fragrant, and floriferous, and 

 are excellent as cut flowers for table decoration. 



Branch of Currant showing 

 " big bud." 



Wireworm, 



