ON THE LAND

New Zealand Tablet, 19 September 1918, Page 43

ON THE LAND

•; : -v .-; GENERAL. An excellent hint to tomato growers was given by Mr. L. Shearman in an address at a meeting of the Canterbury Fruitgrowers' Association. He stated that in the Channel Islands movable glasshouses were used. If growers made use of such glasshouses the structure could be moved about the garden from time to time as the soil became exhausted. This would save the labor of changing soils.

At the meeting of the runholders of the district held on Wednesday, September 11, in the Lake County Council Chambers, for the purpose of taking combined action in dealing with the kea pest, several of those present gave their experiences relative to this destructive bird. These showed that the runs of the district are affected in varying degrees, some being fairly heavy losers by its depredations, and others escaping its attentions , almost entirely. All were agreed, however, that some very drastic steps must be taken to combat the evil, which threatened to become a very serious menace. "Either the keas or the runholders must go, is the position in a nutshell," said one of the speakers. A strong indictment of the kea was afforded in a small tin which was handed round by a runholder for inspection at the meeting. This contained some of the fat of a sheep found in the stomach of a kea when it was opened. An official document from Dublin tells us (says a London paper) that Ireland grows more food for Great Britain than she does for herself, even proportionately to her population. This is her main agricultural business. She is, in an increasing degree, an essential base not only for the British food supply, but for British agriculture itself, whose meat-raising and dairying depend on Ireland's breeding and production. " Although having only 10 per cent, of the population, Ireland produces 40 per cent, of the cattle and 30 per cent, of the pigs of the United Kingdom. She consumes only one-fourth of her own cattle. The rest are for Great Britain. Of the beef cattle two out of every five killed in Great Britain were bred in Ireland. These facts are perhaps sufficient to illustrate Ireland's importance as a food base. A Victorian dairy farmer adopts an admirable idea of removing old stumps. The big trees and stumps are burnt out by "stoving," which means taking out a spit from the surface all round the stem of the trunk and filling it up with chips and other small bits of inflammable material. Then this is covered over with well-packed earth all round, so that when it is set alight the fire smoulders and eats its way not only into the stem of the tree but also follows along the roots and burns them out to their furthest extremities. This process requires that a man is kept continually going from tree to tree keeping up the earthen covering by putting on another spadeful wherever any flame is seen to be breaking through. The time taken for the stoving process to burn out every vestige of a root even of the biggest timber is shortened, and is in proportion to the attention given to this part of the work, while also the completeness of the burning out is according to the manner in which the fire is kept burning underneath without being allowed to escape to the surface. When this work is done by contract the ordinary price is at the rate of 2s 6d per tree. STARTING AN APIARY. The beginner who is desirous of starting an apiary may commence at any time now (writes Mr. E. A. Earp in the Journal of Agriculture for August). For the next month or two he will only be able to obtain established colonies, as swarming is still several months ahead. If he decides to commence at once, and thus obtain the full benefit of the season's experience, he should get into communication with a reliable breeder and obtain nothing but absolutely guaranteed stocks. On no account must the tyro be led away by the ap-

parent cheapness of bees offered for sale. If he should contemplate purchasing any other than those of any apiarist who makes the sale of bees his business, he should have his prospective purchase examined "by some person of experience, and be quite certain of the cleanliness of the colonies before taking possession. The sale of discarded bees is forbidden by law, but apart from that they are a dear ,bargain, as they will cost' much in money and time to bring them to a healthy condition, and, moreover, yield nothing during the first season. A good hive purchased now, placed in a sheltered position, and carefully watched to see that its stores are sufficient to last it till nectar is abundant, will probably (if the apiarist desires' it) yield a good swarm, and both parent hive and swarm should give a surplus when the main honey-flow arrives. There are a few points which every beekeeper should bear in mind when starting an apiary. The stocks must be clean and in good condition. No beekeeper can hope to succeed with poor bees, and no one but a novice would tolerate anything but strong colonies. The hives should be well made and painted ; cracks and knot-holes may be of use for ventilation in the summer, but at any other time of the year they absorb a lot of the bees' time in gathering propolis to stop the draughts; moreover, any holes" besides the entrance offer an inducement for robbers to investigate, and necessitate the bees employing extra guards to prevent attack. A careful watch should be kept on the stores in order that the bees do not starve. It is far better to overfeed than underfeed, because it is amazing how quickly a colony will deplete its stores when broodrearing commences in the spring. More feeding means more brood, but once commenced it must be continued until the hives show actual proof that they are gathering sufficient nectar to keep themselves going. Feed only in the evening, inside the hives, and use" a syrup in the proportion of 2 parts water to 1 part sugar; dissolve thoroughly,' and feed as soon as it has cooled sufficiently to be harmless to the bees. Provide permanent shelter. A live hedge is the best if kept trimmed to a height of about Bft or 10ft. Failing this, some kind of a break-wind is essential. The hives should never be exposed to high winds, as, in addition to the danger of the roofs being removed, cold draughts check brood-rearing to an enormous extent. Only open the hives on warm still days. Make your observations as quickly as possible, and make a note of them at once. The inside of the cover makes a good rough diary and does not get lost or mislaid. Mark the date of each examination. Endeavor to distinguish the sex of the brood at a glance, and keep a sharp lookout for the queen : she is easily distinguished by the length of her body and the comparative shortness of her wings. Try to make a rough estimate of the weight of each frame as you lift it comparing it in your mind with an empty comb, thereby arriving at some idea of the quantity of stores in each hive. Do not try to run many hives until you have grasped the rudiments of the business, but content yourself with one or two strong colonies until you have passed the learner's stage.