166 



JOURNAL OP HOBTICULTORE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t August 2S, 1873. 



mighty refreshing. A Scottish medical journal also says of 

 oatmeal, that iu its raw state, when it ia mixed up with water, it 

 is becoming a favom-ita dish. The brose of "Auld Scotland" 

 is becoming a favourite dish with the hunters and trappers of 

 the West, who are substituting oatmeal in this form for parched 

 Indian corn. The same brawny fellows have found out that a 

 very acceptable drink is made by putting about two teaspoon- 

 fuls of oatmeal to a tumbler of water. This the hunters and 

 trappers aver to be the best drink they can use, and it is at once 

 nourishing, unstimulating, and satisfying. — {Ohio Farmer.) 



[The addition of oatmeal to water for quenching thirst may 

 be a discovery which the American hunters have recently made ; 

 but it has long been known in this country to the workmen in 

 foundries and other places where men are exposed to fierce 

 heat. Indeed, in some places, there is, or was till recently, a 

 money allowance for the purpose. — Eds.] 



CUPS FOB SILVEB-GBEY DOBKINGS. 

 I HAVE just been informed by the Secretary of the Crystal 

 Palace Poultry Show, that unless a cup for adult Silver-Grey 

 Dorkings be given by private subscription they will be obliged 

 to curtail the classes for this breed. This would be a gi-eatpity, 

 and I therefore offer 10s. &d., if nine other fanciers will give the 

 same sum, to procure a five-guinea cup for the best SUver-Grey 

 Dorking adult, cock or hen. I may also mention that I am col- 

 lecting for a cup for Nankin Bantams at the same Show, towards 

 which the subscriptions at present given are — Mr. Pigott, 

 10s. Gd.; Mrs. Cross, 5s.; 0. E. Cresswell, 10s. 6d. — O. Eenest 

 Ckesswell, Early Wood, Bagsliot, Surrey. 



QUE LETTER BOX. 



Feathers on Houdans' Eggs — Fowls for Table {An Inquirer). — Almost 

 all Houdan chickens have the stubs of feathers on theii- le^'s. They never 

 gT'iw to feathers. If they did they would be a disqualification, and might 

 raise doubts as to purity. To show that it is immaterial, we may add that 

 the same thing frequently occurs iu Dorkings. They must, however, never go 

 beyond being stubs. In that state we view them merely as sports, just as in 

 the same family one mau may be hirsute and another smooth-faced. Houdans 

 are a hardy and excellent fowl. They will answer your purpose if you ai-e 

 content to submit to the expense and inconveuieuce of buying broody hens 

 to enable you to keep up your breed, as the Houdans do not sit. We think 

 Bralimas would suit you as well in other respects, and save you the last par- 

 ticular, being good sitters and mothers. 



Erahmas— BrcKWHEAT AS PorLTRV FooD (0. S.). — We do not think the 

 result of your hatching proves anything about Brahmas in general, but in 

 your case it speaks badly for tbe strain from which you had your eggs. We 

 should say it is decidedly an inapnre one. A single comb in a Brahma is a 

 decided disadvantage. We consider buckwheat bad food for fowls. Good 

 honest ground oats or barley slaked with water, with occasional feeds of 

 whole com or maize, are all that are necessary for good feeding. The new 

 and modem introductions tend only to disease and disappointment. 



SoUTHPORT AND Ormskirk Show {W. Wliitch'i/). — The Secretary having 

 duly acknowledged receipt of the enti-y fee, but not having sent the usual 

 printed label, nor answered your inquiry if you might send the birds without 

 a label, will, of coui'se, return the entry money. Write to the Secretary agaio. 



Artiticial Hatching {H. T. K.).—li we obtain a drawing of Jlrs. Cheshire's 

 " artificial mother " we will have it engraved. All experience is against the 

 nee of incubators. 



Nutt's Hive (C McD.). — Write to those who advertise hives in our 

 columns. They all make those hives. 



Scarcity of Honey (Kidlin'jton). — You are no doubt correct in your 

 opinion, that the cold weather of the early part of summer had much to do 

 with the scarcity of honey in your neighbourhood, as elsewhere. 



Various (.4 Young Apiarian). — The brood you wish to save would not sur- 

 vive three, or even two days' chill and starvation if in open cells. Remember 

 the voracity of all insect lar\';T^, and the high temperature to which they are 

 accustomed in the hive. A good proportion of the sealed brood would probably 

 survive. We should advise you to transfer youi' bees, either very early in the 

 morning, or, better still perhaps, after the main work of the day is over. You 

 need not fear annoyance from the bees who are straggling home, e>^pecially if 

 you operate upon them at some little distance from the hives. Can any of 

 our readers furnish our correspondent with the number of the English Me- 

 cluinic in which there appear sketches of the various parts of the hive as pro- 

 mised by Mr. Abbott ? Yuur experience of the honey season appears to be 

 similar to that of most apiarians — httle honey and few swarms, and these 

 mostly very late. 



Transporting Hives of Bee3 [A Regular Stibs;criber). — Nothing is easier 

 than the removal of wooden hives by rail. Simply screw the hive firmly to 

 the floorboard, nailing with tin tacks pieces of perforated zinc over the entrance 

 way and over the hole or holes for supers at the top of the hive for ventilation. 

 Turu the hive topsy-tm-vy, and let it travel so ; cord it well, and if not too 

 full of bees, and the weather not too hot, they will travel any distance. We 

 Bhould prefer October or November, when the population is reduced iu number 

 and the weather is cooler. If your straw hives have wooden rims they can be 

 screwed in the same manner to the floorboard ; if nut, you must secure 

 the iiive to the board iu such a manner with stout cord as to prevent all risk 

 of its shifting, and treat otherwise as mentioned above. All the work should 

 he done the evening before they travel. 



Feedinc, Bees \B. G.).— From your use of the words "captured" and 

 *' cap "' we hardly know whether yon mean to imply that you ciught a swarm, 

 or placed a cap or super on an already established stock. If the latter, you 

 fihovild remove the cap, and, if the combs are clean, wrap it up and put it by 

 in a safe place till next summer, when it may be again given to the same or 

 some other hive to be filled. But, whatever you meant to convey, the bees 

 in your hive must be fed, being, as you say, very light ; for which purpose 

 you must boil G lbs. of loaf sugar and 4 lbs. of water by weight, for five 

 minutifs. "When cold fill a pickle bottle, tie some rather coarse muslin or net 



over the mouth, and invert the battle on a piece of perforated zincplacel 

 over the hole in the top of the hive. If there is no suitable hole you must 

 cut one of about S inches in diameter, and fix on a piece of wood having a 

 2-uich hole to correspond, on which the bottle will stand securely. It must 

 ba well covered up to prevent the access of robber bess, aud, if possible, the 

 food should be suppUed at night aud the bottle removed in the morning, 

 when, if the stock is pretty strong, all the food will have been taken down. 

 This board, if large enough and properly clamped at the ends to prevent 

 warping, will also be found available for working a super. Send five stamps; 

 to our office and order " Bee-keeping for the Many," in which you will find 

 ample information on feeding, and on many other matters in connection with 

 bee-management. 



Removing Sopers (Bank Villa, Dewshury). — On our return home from, 

 om- usual summer hoUday we were distressed to find that your query of 

 July 21st had been overlooked. Accept our sincere apology. We fear any 

 remark of ours is too late to be of service, but we may say ^^eaerally that, except 

 on the moors, all supers of honey should be now removed, except such as 

 have but little honey in them, which may be stowed away with advantage for 

 another year after the bees have taken down the honey. 



Preserving Kidney Beans for Winter Usb (The Gardetier). — We 

 published the following receipt last year: — " Put a layer of dry salt, about 

 half an inch thick, in the bottom of a weU-glazed earthenware pan, on this a 

 layer of beans about 1 inch thick, another layer of salt, then another layer of 

 beans, and continue in tbe same order untU the pan is full. Keep iu a dry 

 cool place. When wanted for use they must be takeu out in layers." 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Square, London. 



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



REMARKS. 



20th. — Morning fine, but cloudy day ; very heavy rain for a few minutes about 

 8.40 P.M. 



21st. — Fine morning and tUl noon, then cloudy, but fine from 4 p.m. 



22nd. — Fine early, rain at 9.30 a.m; fine at noon; sunshine aud showers all 

 day. 



23rd. — Fine early, very thick at 8 a.m., fine by noon ; lightning at 8.53 p.m. 



24th. — Dull early, fine by 10 a.m ; cloudy by 4.30 p.m., very dark at 5.30 : very 

 heavy rain at 6 p.m. for about eighteen minutes, measui-ing during 

 that time 0.66 inch ; thunderstorm commeuciug at 7.30, and con- 

 tinuing more or less till 2 a.m on 25th, thunder at no time very loud or 

 near. Storm commenced in the S.W., went round to N.W., and back to 

 S.W. in the early morning of 25th. 



25th.— Fine all the day. 



26th. — Rather dull at 8 a.m., but fine soon after, and so continued all day. 

 Weather very similar to preceding weeks. — Q. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— August 27. 

 Supplies not so large this week. CiiiTants, Ra'^pberries, and Gooseberries 

 are nearly over, but heavy goods are plentiful, remaining at last quotations. 

 Pears and Apples from the Continent, with various kinds of common Plums, 

 find a good sale at auction just now, chiefly for the north. 



FRUIT, 



Apples i sieve 1 



Apricots doz. 2 



Cuerries ^r>' lb. 



Chestnuts bushel 



Currants i sieve 2 



Black do. 2 



Figs doz. 2 



Filberts lb. 1 



Cobs lb. 1 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 2 



Lemona ^100 



Melons each 



1 

 

 8 

 3 

 S 

 

 

 

 5 



14 

 5 



Mulberries v>'lb. 1 



Nectarines doz. 8 



Oranges ^ 100 6 



Peaches doz. 12 



Pears, idtchen doz. 



dessert doz. 2 



Pine Apples lb. 3 



Plums 4 sieve 2 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries ^;*' lb. 



Walnuts bushel 8 



ditto ^^100 2 



d. 8. d. 

 too 



12 



16 



2J 







S 



6 



6 5 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparagus %•• 100 S 



French u 



Beans, Kidney.... * sieve 1 



Beet. Red '.. doz 1 



Broccoli bundle 9 



Cabbage doz. 1 



Capsicums f*- 100 1 6 



Carrots bunch 6 



Cauliflower doz. 3 



Celery bundle 1 6 



Coleworts. . doz. bundles 2 6 



Cucumbers each 3 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 2 



Fennel buuch 8 



Garlic lb. 6 



Herbs bunch 3 



Horseradish bandit S 



Leeks bunch 6 



Lettuce doz. 1 U 



. d. s. d. 



0to6 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard Ot Cresa. .punnet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley i^erdoz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Round do. 



Radishes., doz. bunchca 



Rhubarb bumllc 



Salsafy bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Scorzonera bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vettetable Marrows 



s. d. g. d. 

 2 0to4 

 



