Farm and Garden.

Lake County Press, Issue 2300, 25 November 1909, Page 2

Farm and Garden.

ORIGINAL ARTICB.KB. (All Rights Reserved.) BEGINNING BEE-KEEPING. The present is a very good time for those who are thinking about keeping bees to begin by purchasing a good stock that has safely passed through the winter. instead of waiting till September or October, and buying a swarm then, the intending bee-keeper should look out for a stock in a straw skip at once, and such ought to be procured for about 15s. Purchase the bees from a reliable firm to ensure a healthy stock. A stock of bees may be judged to be in a healthy and prosperous condition if numbers of them are observed in fine weather carrying into the hive large quantities of pollen, in little coloured balls, on their hind legs. In bar-frame hives the internal state of affairs is easily ascertained by examination of each bar of comb, after having injected a little smoke to subdue the inmates. If the stock to be examined is in a straw skep, the operation is a little more difficult. The combs in all cases should be built straight, and reach down to the bottom of the skep or the bottom bars of frames; they should be dry and free from mould, and of a light colour, dark or black combs being an indication of age. The hive should contain large numbers of bees, as well as a quantity of brood in various stages of development. Stocks in a straw skep should travel in an inverted position, with a piece of cheesecloth tied over, to allow of sufficient ventilation while confining the bees. If in a bar-frame hive, securely fix the frames in the hive, and fix a sheet of perforated zinc on the top, in place of the quilt, while another piece of perforated zinc secures the entrance. SHORTHORNS. The shorthorn is undoubtedly the most popular breed of cattle in the kingdom, and those who are fond of cattle and who know what a shorthorn is, will readily agree that the shorthorn is usually a first-class animal, and one which, if farmers generally were able to breed and rear, would bring them a satisfactory profit. The great advantage of shorthorns seems to be that they are so readily adaptale to the various districts of England, not to say Scotland. There are, j however, shorthorns and shorthorns. Those commonly spoken of belong to what is commonly recognised as the "shorthorn" breed, but the other class of shorthorn is known as the "dairy" shorthorn. The first is particularly a butchers' animal, in other words, far-

mors who go in for grazing rind it ad- ! mirable for their purposes. The other class of shorthorn is a pretty fair doer," from the point of view of putting on flesh; but its chief claim to consideration is that it is a firstclass animal for milking purposes. In these days when dairy farming is making such strides, and when milk-sell- ; n>;- is becoming more and more a feature of our farming operations, we cannot bat think farmers would do well to pay some attention to securing animals of the "dairy" shorthorn type. \hiist we do not believe we shall ever secure in one animal the merits of a first-class beef-producer and also those of a tip-top milker, we do think that the "dairy" shorthorn is as near that particular sort of animal as any breed now before the public. HERBACEOUS AND MIXED BORDERS. A border of hardy herbaceous plants, well made and properly attended to, is a continual source of plea-

sure, and this is, perhaps, more especi- I ally the case with a mixed border of well-selected plants which need not all be hardy kinds. A very charming arrangement for a border is to fill in the back portion with herbaceous perennials, and plant the front portion with annuals and biennials. There is, however, one great objection to the latter class of plants being planted near to perennials or climbing plants, and that is, their roots rob the others, but then there is always the ready remedy in the case of such as extend themselves too far, and that is to cut away their active feeders by trenching deeply right along their entire front.

In the accompanying illustration the roots of the perennials in the background are feeding upon the soil in ie space set aside for annuals, the result being a very poor show ot bloom. To ensure a good display of oiossom open out a trench two feet deep as shown in the sketch, between ilie space devoted to annuals and the perennials which remain, thus severing the roots. After well working over ie front to remove severed roots the ■trench may be filled in. This is the first preliminary to a good display of bloom, and it is a work that should be carried out in a mo6t thorough manner, by beginning at one end of the border and carrying the trench right through and finishing off at the other end. DUCK HOUBEB. Ducks should always have their own houses, and in no case be allowed to share the use of the hens' quarters. In most circumstances the best position for the ducks' house is on or near the water, hi many cases- a floating house is used, the house resting on a large wooden foundation wide enough to form a landing stage or platform all round the superstructure. A similar kind of house may be fixed over the water upon stout poles driven into the bed of the pond, access to the platform being by means of a duck ladder, i.e., a sloping board with pieces of wood nailed across to give foothold. One great advantage of houses floating upon, or fixed over, the water is the absence of stale ground, which is more or less unavoidable in the neighborhood of permanent buildintrs on land. A more convenient style of house for ordinary purposes is one built upon the margin of the water, with a door at either end for the use of the ducks; one door opening to the land, and the other to the water, with a platform in front of the latter and a ladder down to the pond or stream. Simple in construction, it needs only

to be made of stout wood, well seasoned, ana pitched to keep it weather and rot proof. The whole of one section of the roof may be made to open, to enable the attendant to thoroughly clean the interior, change the bedding, and see that the flooring remains dry. A house of this kind is shown in the illustration.