jouenaIj of hoeticultuee and cottage gaedener. 



[ January 4, lft72. 



first. Three pairs of good clear Blues were respectively second, 

 third, and highly commended. This is a colour seldom seen. 

 Blues are very pretty when they are as good as these. 



Tumblers (Clean-legged). — The first prize went to a pair of 

 Eed Mottles. Pleasant-faced Yellow and Black Baldheads were 

 second and third. A pair of Self-coloured Yellows were highly 

 commended. 



Dragoons (Blue). — A good and sound-coloured pair of well- 

 matched perfect birds were first. Both second and third-prize 

 pens consisted of good birds. In a highly-commended pair the 

 hen was good, but the cock was far too coarse for its mate. 



Dragoons (Silver). — This was a good class, and numbered six 

 pens. 



Dragoons (Yellow or Red). — Yellows first ; good for head and 

 bill, though bad in colour, being slaty in back, tail, and thighs. 

 Ct lod Reds were second ; Yellows third and highly commended. 

 We preferred the third to the first and second-prize pairs. 



Dragoo7is {Any other colour). — The first prize went to a good 

 pair, the hen perfection. Most of the other pairs in this class 

 were not up to the mark. 



Antwerps (Dun). — This was a good class. Good birds fuUy up 

 to the standard were first, second, and highly commended. A 

 very good pair came third. 



Antwerps (Blue). — First, the Blues that were first at the late 

 Bingley Hall Show. This was a good class. 



Antwerps (Blue-chequered). — The prizes went to good birds 

 splendidly marked. A highly commended pair were very little 

 inferior to it. 



Antwerps (Red-chequered). — This was a good and strong class. 

 The Antwerps as a whole were good, and such as only can be 

 seen at Birmingham. 



Any other Variety (Pairs). — Brunettes, Turbiteens, and Black 

 Swallows were respectively first, second, and highly commended. 

 Ice were third. Several good pairs of Satinettes, Turkish Rollers, 

 and other new varieties were shown, and included many varie- 

 ties that hiive been imported from the East. 



Any other Variety (Single bird). — Blondinettes, Satinettes, 

 and Brunettes took the prizes. This was a very strong and 

 pretty class. 



Antwerps (Cocks). — First was the standard cock, which well 

 deserved his position ; the second was a Dun cock very little 

 inferior ; third a good Blue-chequer. A good Dun was highly 

 commended. This was a good and strong class of fifteen pens. 

 The Judges remarked that twice the number of prizes could 

 easily have been awarded. 



The attendance was not up to the average. This was to be 

 accotmted for by the weather, as it rained hard all dav. Through 

 illness in his family Mr. Easten, of HuU, was not able to send 

 any birds, although he had entered twenty pens. We never 

 saw any show better carried out, and are pleased to find that 

 the Society is gaining ground, having now upwards of sixty 

 members. The whole of the 323 entries were contributed by 

 twenty-six exhibitors. Too much praise cannot be acceded to 

 the President, Mr. Allsop, to the Hon. Sec, Mr. Ludlow, and 

 to the Committee for the assiduous and courteous manner in 

 which they worked. 



Mr. Allsop, Mr. Child, and Mr. Careless were the Judges. 

 The former gentleman refrained from judging in the Dragoon 

 classes, as he was an exhibitor, and entirely -n-ithdrew his 

 birds from competition for the cup in the young Dragoon, Ant- 

 werp, and Variety classes. 



YOUNG BIRDS. 



CiERiEiiB.— Btaefc. — I, H. Hallam, Lozells, Birmincham. 2. Eqnal 3, and 



8. J. A. Cooper. Walsall. Equal 3, ti. HodRkin- 



r. _j,_ „ y Hallam. S an.l he. J. Isaac. Keuil- 



2 and S, J. Watts, King's Heath, 



ftc, G. Gordin, B: 



sou, Erdinaton. Dun.—l, G. Gordin. -, 



■worth. Any other Colour.— 1, G. HodgkinSi 



Birmingha: 



-1 and 2, — Pralt, Lozolls, Birmingham. 



-\ and 2, T. Hallnra. Lozells. Birmingham. 3, J. Watts. Any 



ALHON _, ^„^^,..o i^.,i^iu«u»,u 



o(/i<T Slior(./<ir^,l.-Cnp 1,2. and Ac, - Hallam. S. J. Watts! 



wltts'"'^''" ' ''■ '"'• ^"'"°"' Birmingham. CUarUeoged.-l, 3. 



.TicoBiNS.-Cnp, 12. 3. and he. F. Waitt. King's Heath, Birmingham. 



ToBBiTs.— 1, 2, and S, F. Waitt. b"""". 



Babbs.— 1 and 2, F. Smith, Selly Oak. Birmingham 



NnN3.-land2, J. Watts. 8, F. Waitt 



OwLS.-l and 2. J. Watts. 8 and he. T. Mills. Wa'sall. 



0WI.8.-I. S. A. Cooper. 2. T. Mills. 3, F. Waitt. 



Jacobins —1, 2, 3. and he, F. Waitt. 



TUBBITS— I, F. Waitt. 



NriNs.-l, S. A. Cooper. 2. J. Watla. S. F. Waitt. 



Trdmpf.ters.— 1, W. Crook. 2. J. Watts. 



TuMBLEHS.— Lonp-mHiTetl.— 1, J. Watts. 2 and 3, J. Masaey. Clean-legged. — 

 1, J. Watts. 2 and 3, T. Hallam. he. J. Masaey. 



Draooons.— Blue —1, H. AUaop. 2, a. Green. 3. J. Walts, he, C. Gamon. 

 Silver.— 1, 2, and S, H. AUsop. he, F. Graham. Yellow and Bed.— 1. J. Watts. 

 2, — Thompson. 3 and /le, F. Graham. It'Ai(c.— 1. H.R. Wright, a, F. Graham, 



AKTWEBPS—Cun— 1,2, and )!«,H. B.Wright. 3, J. W. Ludlow B(u<-.— 1, C. 

 Gamon. 2, J. W. Ludlow. 3, J. Watts, he. J. Massey. Blue-ehequered.—l, 2,. 

 and 3, J. W. Ludlow, he, H. R. Wright. Red-eheqiiered.—l. H. R. Wright. 2, 

 3. and he, J. W. Ludlow. C'ocfcs.— 1, C. Gamon. 2 and he, H. K. Wright. 3, J. 

 W. Ludlow. 



Anv other Variety.— Pairs.— 1, 2. and he, J. W. Ludlow (Brunettes, Swal- 

 lows, and Blondinettes). S, W. Crook. Stnale.—l, 2, 3, and he, J. W. Lualow 

 (Brunette, Booted Owl. Hyacinth, and Blondinctte). 



r?,n!;^°ci;r-^'"t";'- ^•/S''^' G. Green. Birminsham. he, G. Green; C. 

 Uamon. hilver.~i, 2, and 3, H. Allsop. Birmingham, he Q Green Anu 



igsy;s;^'i?r^.^ri/;^i^g;ir"si,^??^;.=v^;S- 



A^-TV.-F.KPa.—Blue-eheguered.-l and he. J. W. Ludlow. 2, J. Masaey. >. H. 



bi\ Ai,Lo\\ s.— 1 and 2. J. Watts. 



Aki other Vabietv.-I, 8, and he, J. Watta. 2, J. W. Ludlow. 

 „, , BIliDS OF ANY AGE. 



CAEBirn3.-Bfacfc.-Coc4j.-Cup and 1, F. Smith. 2 and 8, H. Hallam. he J. 

 Isaac. SfrM.---l, G. Gordin. 2 and 3, F. Smi'h. Ac, S. A. Cooper 

 r„,'..?"^?'-rr""~'!,'"i'-:7.' .'"'* '■ H. Hallam. 3. J. Watts. Hcn.,.-I, G. 

 GordiD. 2, J. Isaac. 3, H. Nightingale, he, .-i. A. Cooper ■ ', ^■ 



.„'^dT".f "Itr.l"" °o'*."- '5V,'<'"'-W.e?'^*'-T'v.H-.Nigh>ingale. Birmingham. 2 



Fiye Silver Cups, as Special Pr 2 



3 giTen by this Society. 



DBAGOON PIGEONS. 

 I AM glad to see Mr. Frank Graham's remarks respecting 

 this breed, as there socms to be a great difference of opinion 

 as to the proper standard of a Dragoon. In my experience of 

 fifteen years as a breeder of this class of Pigeon, I have found 

 some difficulty in producing the birds stout in the bUl, a 

 property which represents the only true-bred Dragoon, pro- 

 vided alwaj's the bird is perfect in head, carriage, and markings. 

 I have bred Dragoons of almost every colour except Black, 

 which I maintain does not exist in this breed. The bars of 

 a Silver Duu Dragoon cannot be too narrow, and must be 

 raven-black. These markings are a very great point of ex- 

 cellence. Blues also require narrow jet-black bars. I have for 

 years bred spindle-beaked birds which never obtained me a, 

 prize in a show pen except once, and had I been Judge they 

 would not have been placed. Fanciers of the spindle-beaked. 

 Dragoon are fast dying out, and many Judges are changing in 

 favour of stout-beaked birds. Dragoons should be almost free 

 from wattle, and in size nearly as large as a Carrier. — John G. 

 Dunn, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 



""po'lf;^- "^"^I'J' ^- "!."„»• J^'"'--l' H.'N.ghtingale 2 ind 3, J. Watts. 

 roDTERs -C'ocJrs.- 1 and 2, W. Crook, Swansea. 3 and he. — Pratt Eens 

 and 2, -Pratt. 3, W. Crook, ftc, J. Watta. ^ »"" "». "an. ains. 



ALHosns — Cup. I, and 2. T. Hallam. 

 SHoRT-rACEn.-^iiK varieti/.-l, 2, 3, and he, T. Hallam. 

 Barbs.— 1, F. Smith. 2, J. Watts. » »"■• 



WINTERING BEES. 



I NOW resume my remarks on the wintering of bees, referred 



to in last number. This, as I have already said, has always 



been a fertUe theme of discussion among apiarians, and various 



have been the modes suggested as the best. 



Some, like old Bonner, the celebrated Scottish apiarian, 

 plastered the skirts of the hive all round the board with 

 lime, covered it over with a large quantity of pob-tow or straw, 

 and placed a divot, or turf, upon the top, to hold it close down 

 and keep the bees dry and warm. The only apertures for air 

 were two small holes cut in a piece of wood which formed the 

 entrance, and these were so small in size as scarcely to exceed 

 a quarter of an inch each. During snowstorms even these 

 small apertures were loosely stuffed with tow also to keep the 

 bees prisoners. Some, again, like the Swiss apiarian, Jonas 

 de Gelieu, who also wintered out of doors, having been equally 

 careful, with Bonner, that the hives had ample provisions, 

 covered them with matting, an old blanket, fern, or other 

 similar substance, in order to preserve the bees from rain, 

 frost, or cold ; the entrances also being contracted, so as only 

 to admit the passage of a single bee at a time, and closed up 

 every crevice by which the external air could penetrate. To 

 prevent internal moisture, however, Gelieu placed small caps 

 on the top cemented all romid with mortar, by means of which 

 " the moisture ascending evaporates through the opening as 

 by a chimney." To attain the same end, Taylor, Richardson, 

 smd others, place bell-glasses, " well covered with flannel, over 

 the aperture on the top of the box or hive, removing it from 

 time to time, and carefully wiping away from its interior the 

 damp formed by condensed vapour." 



Again, some apiai-ians, to prevent internal dampness, like 

 Miner, the American apiarian, do not resort to top ventilation 

 at all, but allow a free current of air to pass underneath the 

 hive, by openings at front and rear during all the winter, 

 and only shut these when breeding commences in spring, or 

 when snow is on the ground, by using perforated zinc sUdes. 



According to Mr. Langstroth, Mr. Quinby, who is said to 

 have probably the largest apiary in the United States, winter* 

 his bees with great success within-doors,in a special repository 

 fitted up for the occasion ; and to get rid of the damp " he 

 inverts the common hives and removes the board that covers 

 the frame." 



The Rev. Mr. Scholtz, of Lower SUesia, a German apiarian 

 of considerable celebrity, is said to ■winter his bees in what are 

 called clamps. The hives are piled in a pyramidal form, and 



