JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



tbe Turkeys doli'i^'bt to roost at night, imil whtre they were suspected, which 

 has since proved to he the case, ol depositing theii* eggs, with an egg in its 

 beak. On the Turkey reaching the ground the egg fell from its bill and was 

 instantly devoured. This feat was not mtnossed by the boy above mentioned 

 alone, for an older person was in the yard at the time and saw what happened. 

 —Walter B. Arvsd^l, PotitefracL" 



[Our remark applied to hens of the common fowl varieties, ^Ve doubt if 

 the Tm-key could have giasped the egg unless the shell had been previously 

 broken.] 



Brahmas orx of Order (U. M.). — Tou overfeed. We must tell you, and 

 we wish to publish it to all om- friends, you must alter the " bill of fai-e " 

 somewhat as the weather alters. Discontinue the wheat, as a i-ule it is not 

 good poultry food; discontinue the Indian meal, it is too fattening, and has not 

 staple in it. Your fowls are fevered; the egg-passage lacks natural lubrica- 

 tion ; all the functions of the body are impeded by excessive fat. Just as 

 Abemethy advised the gouty patient to live on 12s. perweek, and to earn them, 

 so we advise that you withhold all food from yoiu- fowls for a week or ten days,' 

 or till they aie ciued, save some scanty handfuls of whole baiiey scattered 

 broadcast in the grass as far as you can tlu-ow them. In many cases the 

 " dragging " you mention is occasioned by an eg? that cannot be laid from the 

 causes mentioned above. A wing feather satiurated with oil and introduced 

 into the egg-passage will give inuneihate relief, and until the present appeai"- 

 aaces have passed, if they are watched and this process is adopted, you will 

 save your birds. 



Brahma Pullet Lame (Gleaner). — We fear it is a case of pai-alysis arising 

 fi-om injmy to the back. It is not uncommon at this time of year. We can 

 only advise you, but can hardly hope for success. Confine her in some place 

 where she con have diy hay to sit upon, feed her sparingly on soft food. Let 

 her have nothing to diink but strong camphor julep. 



Beginning to Keep Pigeons, &c. (R. E. K).— Write to our office for a 

 copy of '* The Pigeon Book," price Is. Id., post free, and you will have the 

 information you need. Yoiu- chickens are cramped with the damp cold 

 weather. Give them chopped egg, and keep them in a woi-m place. 



Jacobin Pigeon (Pa(/an(ferJ.^Nothing is the matterwith your bird. Give 

 it less food. 



AviAKY Birds Dying {Subscriber).—! can assign no cause for the sudden 

 Olncss and death of the inmates of the a^iaiy ; and I think that if inquii-y 

 were made of dealers in the foreign birds which are usually selected for the 

 pmT)0Be, they would say that they are at best but veiy precarious stock. It is 

 nothing unusual to see in the foreign bird department of our shows appa- 

 rently healthy specimens which, without any premonitory symptoms, die in 

 an hour or two. This mortality is more usual among the small birds than 

 the larger specimens, such as Parrots or PaiTOkeets. Your treatment is 

 eveiything that can he desired. No injury can possibly result from the gas 

 apparatus, and the diet appeals liberal. As youi- bu-ds are of all sizes, h-om 

 the Canary to the Pan-akeet, would it not be well to have nest-boxes of all 

 sizes? My Canary nest-boses are about 3i inches square and 2 inches deep, 

 but I a]so use circulai- tin nests with perforated zinc bottoms and lined with 

 felt.— W. A. Blaeston. 



Canaries* Throats Diseased (J. BarJcer).~-Yon do not detail any of the 

 symptoms. Simply to say that the disease lies principally in the thi-oat is to 

 give but little data from which to diagnose. The general complaint at this 

 season of the yeai- is that they die. "WTiether it be that when the pairing 

 tune comes on they are more susceptible to chills, or whether it result from 

 overfeeding, I cannot say, but the death rate is higher at the opening of the 

 season than at any other time. If a bird have a soft place the fuss attendant 

 upon setting-up house seems to find it out, and it dies. That's all— it dies ; 

 from what cause I cannot pretend to say. Colds and inflammation ai-e, how- 

 ever, very prevalent and frequently fatal. To a gieat extent we ore in the 

 dark on the subject of bird-doctoring. I am. A friend of mine, who has 

 embarked in a homoeopathic medicine- chest, swears by aconitum and bella- 

 donna, two drops of either in an ordmory drinldng tin on alternate days. I 

 myself have invested a shilling in two smaU phials of these tinctures, and so 

 far these medicmes seem to act favourably. But my great receipt is, Give 

 two or three big drops of castor oil and got the bowels emptied. If the sick 

 bn-d be a hen inject one or two drops, or as much as the vent will take up by 

 Its spasmodic action ; then feed on bread and milk, and, above aU, keep the 

 patient m a warm place— no place better than m the fender. I may add that 

 heaped-up teaspoonful of moist sugar added to one chopped 

 a mild pm-gative for a score of bu-ds ; bat do as you may, they 



as much as 

 ' egg will act 

 icill die.— W. A. Blakston' 



Lllac Flowers for Bees (B. S. J?.).- WUl any of our readers say if they 

 '"" ""■"'■■5 of the value of lilac flowers as affording honey pasturage for bees ? 

 1 bees visit this shrub when i 



bloom, 

 understand 

 ! should say 



We do not remember to have 



HiTE Deserted {Charlie).— V,'e are not quite sure that 

 your case. Are robbers nttarkinq v,,ur deserted hive ? If s 

 Stop-up the entrance at ni-hf an.l la tp them out; then rec _ 



and keep it for a first r^ aim. pr,.vi.]ra the comb is clean and good. If any of 

 It 18 decayed or veiy black cut it awny, and let the bees i-eplace it with fresh 

 white combs. ^ 



Removing Stock Hives {Lancjlcj). —Bees mil move very well now pro- 

 vided they are removed sufficiently far from their old stances'to prevent their 

 returning to them. You would be quite safe, we beheve, in removing them 

 three miles. If you must remove them now to any neaier place, we would 

 advise youtoimpnson the bees the evening before their removal (taking care 

 to have abundant ventUation), and to release them the next day,if war^, im- 

 mediately after then: removal, when they aie in the highest state of excite- 



1. ^nfT^;L^n^,? ^^; ^- ^'™"''^Tl-Mr- Pagden-s method of driving swarms 

 PithPv ^fn.\ nr ct^™"^ he fouud to auswer admirably without detriment to 

 eithei stock or swarm if well managed-that is, if caiTied out faitMully ac- 

 corthng to mstructions. We have worked oui- swarms on this plan for many 

 yeai-s. Ants do not kke gas tar or petroleum. An occasional wash of eUher 

 apphed to your bee-house stand will effectuaUy drive them away. 



AiiDiNG A Ligurian Qtjeen {Consfant Suhscriher).—'Vhe co'nseauence of 

 uniting a Ligunaoi queen and a few workers to a hive of common bees would 

 aU probability, the death of the whole of the strangers. Havin- first 

 nay destroy or otherwise dispose of her.^ You 

 queen with a veiy few of her own bees in a 

 serted among the combs. After the lapse of 

 be quietly 



captmed the black qni 

 must then 

 queen cage. 

 &om twent 

 withdrawn ; 

 by her new 



hours the cover of the cage „^ h— j 



: hbei-ty, when she most hkely will be received 

 > IS by no means quite certain of beins 



result of all your care. If your bees are in common hives we should adviso 

 you not to attempt to Ugurianise them, as you would in all probabiUty be 

 doomed to disappointment. 



Starving Hivb {Margin.) — Your bees were evidently suflfering from stai- 

 vation, and would have been totally lost if you had not administered to their 

 necessities at the time you discovered that there was something amiss. The 

 combs cannot he wona-out from old age, as the hive is only four years old. 

 You may save the stock by feeding Uberally with sugar syrup^ — 6 lbs*, of sugar 

 to 4 lbs. of water boiled for a few minutes. If the queen is hving, and has 

 not been injured by the starvation, the stock may become tolerably populous 

 during the summer, but we should doubt its recovering sufficient strength to 

 be able to throw off a swarm, or work a super of honey. The bees will most 

 likely he able to renew the combs where too rotten or brittle to be used in 

 their present state. Observe the hive during fine days, and see if the bees 

 carry in pollen pretty fieely. If they do, you need not despairof their recovery. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Cahden Square, London. 



Lat. 51° 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0' 8' 0" "W. : Altitude 111 feet. 



KEMARKS. 



24th.— Warm and fine though rather windy morning, sharp shower at 2.30 p.ir., 

 and again between 3 and 4, heavy shower at 5.30 p.m., beautiful rain- 

 bow, fine evening. 



25th.— Fine in early morning, shower at 10.30 A.M., sunshiny and bright after- 

 wai'ds, evening rather cloudy. 



26th. — Beautiful moi-niug eai-ly, rather cloudy about 7 a.m., bright and sunny 

 afteiTvai'ds, a wai*m and agreeable day, cloudy and beginning to rain 

 slightly at 9 p.m. 



27th. — Much warmer, beautiful day, but cloudy and heavy after 6 p.m., rain at 



7 P.M. 

 2Sth. — Windy and wet morning, fine afternoon and evening. 

 29th. — Very cold in early morning, but warmed up rapidly fine in mid-day^ 



but rather thick in the after pai-t of the day. 

 30th. — Very fine in early morning, came over cloudy and thick soon after 



9 A.M., close and warm, beautifully bright and sunny after 1 p.m., 



lovely afternoon. 

 A fine week with rising barometer, and veiy little rain. There were 

 thundei-stoi-ms at the mouth of the Thames on the evenings of the 25th and 

 26th, but they did not reach the metropoUs. — G. J. Simons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— May 1. 

 We have had a vei-y free supply during the week both of home-gi-owu and 

 foreis^Ti produce ; that from the Channel Islands has also been large ; the staple 

 articles are early Potatoes and the various Broccolis. Hothouse Grapes and 

 Strawberries are now offered very fi-eely, and prices are rapidly tending down- 

 wards. Choice quaUties of old Potatoes have again advanced. 

 FRUIT, 



Apples J sieve 3 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries per box 4 



Chestnuts bushel 10 



Currants i sieve 



Black do. 



S. d , 



Filbert3 lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Grapes, hothouse.... lb. 10 



Melons each OtoO 



Nectarines doz. C 



Oranges \HOQ 4 10 



Poaches doz. 21 41 



Pears, kitchen doz. 4 6 



dessert doz. 8 15 



PineApples lb. 6 « 10 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries ^Ib. 8 



Walnuts bushel 10 



ditto ^100 1 



TEGET.^BLES. 



Artichokes doz. 4 



Asparagus '¥^100. 4 



Beana, Kidney.... per 1&3 1 



Broad bushel 



Beet, Red doz. 1 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels Sprouts. .J s" 



Carrots bunch 



Cauhflower doz. 2 



Celery bundle 



Coh'worts.. doz. bunches 



Cucumbers each 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish bundle 



Leeks bunch 2 to 



Lettuce doz. 10 3 



Mushrooms pottle 1 2 O 



Mustard & Cress, .punnet 3 



Parsley per doz. bunches 3 o 



Parsnips doz. 9 



Peas quart 3 



Potatoes bushel 4 



Kidoey do. 3 



Radishes., doz. bunches 6 



Rhubarb bjndio 3 



Savoys doz. 9 



Sea-Kale basket 1 6 



Shallots lb. 4 



Spinach bushel 3 



Vegetable Marrows, .doz. 



POULTRY MARKET.— May 1. 

 The supply of young poultiy increases, and is above the avenge. Prices 

 .re well maintained, as, owing to the unusual cost of every other food there 



