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JOURNAL OP HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



I October 16, 1873 



called on the sight-seeing public to " go and see the wonderful 

 Bemrose & Orme Canaries ! " It richly merited all the suc- 

 cess it achieved. — W. A. Blakston. 



In quoting from my letter, Mr. Bemrose omitted to mention 

 one of a few weeks' later date, wherein I stated that I had tried 

 Nature, the best of all possible tests in such a case, and that I 

 found the bird to be a perfect failure. Thus in a little over two 

 mouths after the exhibition the colour could not be sustained, 

 the chemical test being to all appearance useless in tliis case. 

 To this I did not receive a reply. 



I think Mr. Bemrose may as well attempt to maintain that a 

 good Belgian would moult-off all the best points, as that the 

 colour would entirely fail in the second moult of a true-bred 

 Norwich. I believe that to maintain the colour over the moult 

 would be a portion of the best evidence of the genuine character 

 of the bird, and to fail to do so would be likewise evidence to 

 the contrary. If Mr. Bemrose's birds are genuine, why do they 

 Bo utterly fail to maintain or reproduce the colour when this 

 can be fairly accomplished by the birds of other exhibitors? 

 By Mr. Bemrose's own showing, the colour on the birds is 

 brought about by a pecuUar mode of feeding, and I believe I am 

 correct in stating that Mr. Bemrose can take an ordinary bird, 

 and if the treatment be commenced previous to the moult, he 

 can produce on this colour equal to the birds shown at the Palace. 

 This being purely artificial, they have no power to produce or 

 maintain it, and in the next moult the feather would be restored 

 to the original colour. Consequently, I contend it becomes 

 merely a matter of process for colouring, and that a bird coloured 

 by hand would be equally valuable and eligible for all purposes 

 with those by feeding; the difference is simply the means em- 

 ployed, the result being the same. I beg to thank Mr. Bem- 

 rose for the information afforded me, and to call his attention 

 to the eighth rule in the regulations for exhibitors at the Palace 

 Show. — E. J. Tboaxe, Clifton, Bristol. 



THE HONEY SEASON. 



A PREJUDICE against the use of supers and improved hives of 

 modern invention will, I am afraid, be engendered in conse- 

 quence of the unproductive yield of honey this season ; there- 

 fore, perhaps, the record of the result in this neighbourhood, 

 where the straw cottage hive is the only one in vogue, may be 

 beneficial. With most persons there was not an ounce of honey 

 in the hives, and the wax was not of much use, as it was crisp 

 and brittle, and unless active steps are taken immediately to 

 commence feeding liberally and systematically, most bee-keepers 

 will lose their stocks altogether. Although I fed my bees last 

 winter regularly, I have had a very few pounds from three hives, 

 only about an inch in the uppermost part of the comb contain- 

 ing any. The present honey season has been the worst one 

 within the memory of " the oldest inhabitant." The general 

 opinion is, that in whatever description of hives, in whatever 

 part of the country, with but a few exceptions, the result of the 

 season may be summed-up in one little word — none. — A. T. W., 

 CarmarthensJiire. 



OUE LETTER BOX. 



Fowls Moultino (Jack). —Birds are late moalting this year, and as they 

 get older they moult more slowly. With them, as with some other bipeds, 

 the reparative process or power decreases with age. Stimulating food will 

 retard rather than accelerate the operation ; it causes a hot fevered skin, 

 wherein the stub uf the feather, instead of being nourished, is dried up. The 

 best food yuu can give is ground oats mixed with milk, and lettuces. 



Sale of Table PouLTRi' (H. H. C). — You cannot do better than write to 

 Mr. Howard, Leadenhall Market, Gracechurch Street, London, E.G. 



Fowl's Foot Sole Swollen {Frenchnutn).—!! there is matter forming 

 you will do well to open it, and after the ba<j is thoroughly cleaned out bind 

 the loot up in soft linen on which citron ointment has been spread. Wrap 

 the whole in wash-leather to keep out the dirt, and confine him to a run 

 where he will he always on grass. He must not walk on anything hard till 

 the foot is healed. It is a tiresome disorder, and difficult of core. 



Tumour on Fowl's Breast (M. S.). — You must open the swelling. The 

 ttunour will easily come out. You can then sew up the opening, and rub the 

 suture well with grease. In sewiug-up you will find you have two skins, an 

 inner and an outer. You must be careful not to sew them together. It is 

 not an uncommon case in a large bird. It would be a disqualification at a 

 ehow if it were seen. 



Varieties Running Together (Perplexed). — If the birds are separated 

 six weeks you may depend on the eggs. We believe a month is sutticient, but 

 advise six weeks in order to be safe. 



Brahm.\ Unable to Stand (H. F. H.). — The bird is in a hopeless state 

 either from atrophy, or stoppage, or from injury to the back. A hen sits in 

 the position you describe (on the tail and legs wide apart) when she is egg- 

 bound, but the moment she is relieved of the egg she resumes her proper posi- 

 tion. A young awkward cockerel that has overgrown his strength sits on his 

 knees, but as growth ceases power returns, and he recovers his proper carriage. 

 Bat when an ftld or ac adult bird makes himself into a tliree-ieggej stool with 

 the help of his tail, we consider the case a very bad, if not a hopeless one, 

 "With regard to the seller replacing hiui. much depends on the time you have 

 had him. Y^ou should have returned him at once. As, however, the seller 

 admits he was so (iickly (whether from mouU or otherwise), that the journey 

 was too much lor him, wo think he is bound to send you another at a con- 

 siderable reduction in price. 



Altrincham Snow (J. H. T.). — If a committee does not advertise a show, 

 we conclude it is a mere local one. 



Pigeons Diseased (Timepiece). — Your Pouter cock is scrofnlons. Dress the 

 wound when healed with iodine paint once a-day to absorb the moisture and 

 prevent a recurrence of the boil. At the same time give a tea-spoouf ul of cod- 

 liver oil daily, or some capsules of the same. These remedies may do good, 

 but absolute cure there is none for scrofula in any being or bird. Dress the 

 Carrier's eye with alum and water, or only warm water, or lotion of lunar 

 caustic, according as you see which suits. 



Scouring in Pigeons (iVij;).— Give a piece or two of old mortar as piUa 

 each day, and feed on old beans. 



Crested Canaries (J. C). — A crested Canary has a tuft of feathers on 

 the top of its head, and is not called Crested frum merely raising its feathers 

 at times. They ai-e very beautiful bu-ds, especially when the body of the bird 

 is a clear yellow or buff, and the crest a dark green. — W. A. B. 



Canary with Thirteen Tail Feathers (C. K.). — The modern Canary 

 is a remarkable bird. He ought to have twelve feathers in his tail, bat he 

 occasionally has more. This seldom happens : seldom enough to be called 

 uncommon, but not so seldom as to be worth more than a passing notice. He 

 more frequently has leas. That is decidedly common; but that is generally 

 to be attributed to the caprice of the exhibitor. Some men have such a keen 

 eye for mathematical exactness, that when they see a black feather on one 

 side of a bird's tail and not one on the other, they pull the black one out, and so 

 equalise matters. But inasmuch as there is still an unequally balanced tail, 

 and the obnoxious black feather will persist in growing to the great discomfort 

 of the honest soul, he improves the bird and removes all cause of offence by 

 inserting a white feather in the hollow stump of the black one. There is no 

 accounting for the pranks birds play with their tails. Two years in succession 

 I discovered that a lovely Goldfinch Mule had had a black feather cut out of 

 its tail. Last Crystal Palace Show that same Mule (or its ghost) stood first, 

 and in the anonymous notice of the Show it was stated that the Mules were 

 exceptionally good, *' tail feathers all told." So that Mule must have taken 

 into its head to grow a white feather for the occasion, or else there was a 

 wtiite one put in, or else the tail feathers were not all told. I incline to the 

 latter opinion. — W. A. Blakston. 



Belgian Canaries (if. T. .ff.j.— Write to W. A. Blakston, Esq., 5, Doui'o 

 Terrace, Sunderland. 



Crystal Palaces of Honeycomb at Manchester [Sussex). — These large 

 supers were filled by single swarms, which doubtless had special and extra 

 attention from their owners. Next week Mr. Pettigrew will commence in our 

 columns a series of articles on the best modes of supering, and of inducing 

 the bees to hll supers, large and small, with honeycomb. 



Moth in Honeycomb (Idem). — Remove the moth's nest from the combs 

 of your super by the use of a knife or strong knitting-needle. If the combs 

 are broken a little by the operation, they will be repaired next spring when 

 you place it on the hive again. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camdf.n Square, London. 



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



REMARKS. 



8th. — Wet morning ; fine afternoon and evening ; but much colder. 



9th.^Fme morning, clouding over by noon ; rain at 4 p.m. ; rather disagree- 

 able though warmer. 



10th.— Dull all the morning, fine at noon; cloudy afternoon; high wind at 

 night. 



11th.— Dull morning; fine in the middle of the day, but wet evening and 

 night. 



12th. — Kain from early morning to 9 p.m. without intermission, at times 

 heavily. 



13th.— Dull early ; fine soon after 10 a.m. ; dull afternoon ; a Uttle rain in 

 the evening. 



14th. — A bright clear day throughout. 

 Mean temperature about 6- lower than last week, caused by frequent rain 



and absence of sunshine. The fall of rain on the 12th was very large, its 



amount being the more striking as it had nothing of the thunderstorm 



character; though occasionally hea\'y, it was rather its persistence than its 



violence that produced so large a totsd. — G. J. Symons. 



COVEXT GARDEN MARKET.— October 15. 

 We have not anything frosh to report, the markets being well supplied with 

 fruit and vegetables both home-grown and continental.^ 



FRUIT. 



s. d. 3. d. 



a. d. 



Mulbei'ries v-lh. to n 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges ^ 100 10 



Peaches doz. 8 



Peara, kitchen ooz. 1 



dessert doz. 2 



Pine Apples lb. S 



Plums 4 Bieva 2 



Quinces doz. 1 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries ^ lb. 



Walnuts bushel 10 



ditto ^J-lOO 2 



