3-i6 



JOUENAL OF HORTIOULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



I October 80. 1878. 



put on the wooden lid with combs going downwards, I place 

 some pieces of comb so that they will fill the widest parts of 

 the glasses. These side pieces are sometimes placed one way 

 and sometimes another. It does not matter much whether 

 they run alongside the glass or radiate from the centre to 

 the outsides. I think that all supers whose combs radiate 

 from their centres to the sides, like the spokes of a cart-wheel, 

 look better than those whose combs are flat and straight from 

 top to bottom. 



When the combs are well united and the supers nearly full, 

 the wooden lids are cut off with a table knife orbit of fine wire, 

 and the glass ones put on. If these glass lids are dome-shaped, 

 with a cavity to flU, I place a few pieces of nice comb on the 

 tops of those broken by the knife or wire, so as to fill the cavity, 

 and then finally put on the glass Uds. The bees will soon finish 

 the work thus given them to do. Let me here say that I seldom 

 permit my bees to fill every cell with honey and put lids over 

 all. When every cell is filled and sealed over, the super is said 

 to be " finished," but it never looks so well or appears so inter- 

 esting as supers which are not quite finished. A few inches of 

 cells half filled and open give supers of glass an appearance 

 more artistic and pleasing to the eye of a naturalist. 



If I have not combs enough to half-fill or quarter-fill a super 

 of glass, I put a guide-comb on the wooden lid, give the bees a 

 ladder up to it, aud thus induce them to commence at the top. 

 When the combs reach the sides of the super the wooden lid is 

 cut off and the glass one put on. Bees can hold by rough wood 

 aud straw, but they cannot hold by glass, hence the use of 

 wooden lids and ladders. The introduction of large pieces of 

 comb into supers may be compared to travelling by express 

 tram. _ The other way of letting the bees do all the work is 

 travelling by the old parliamentary train, which is longer on 

 the road. I prefer the express to the parliamentary train. 

 _ Let me here press on the attention of my readers the neces- 

 sity of covering glass supers warmly and thickly with some 

 soft material. If they are not warmly covered the bees will 

 not work well in them ; aud if not quite dark the bees will try 

 to shut out the light by plastering and bespattering wax on the 

 inside of the glass. 



" Well, sir, you have so far unfolded the art of supering that 

 I long for the coming of another summer that I may obtain 

 from my own bees some glass supers of comb. Do you think 

 I may attempt to fill a crystal palace?" Yes, by following 

 the line of procedure marked out, you will succeed in filling 

 with virgin honeycomb a palace of glass as large as the glass- 

 blower can produce. "But what shall we do when a bad or 

 unfavouriible season comes?" In another article this question 

 will be answered.— A. Pettiorew, Sale, Cheshire. 



Boss PooLTKY Show.— In the list of awards sent to us it was 

 not mentioned that the premier prize in poultry was awarded to 

 Mr. H. B. Morrell (Brahmas) ; and in Pigeons to Mr P R 

 Spencer (Pouters). Mr. Hewitt was prevented by illness from 

 ofhciatmg as Judge, and the awards were made by Mr. Teebay. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Hartlepool Show,— Mr. P. Bauks informg us that he did not exhibit the 

 Long Sutton pnze Rabbits at Hartlepool Show. 



Calomel FOR Fowls (GZcri,..,).— Calomel is useless to fowls, and takes no 

 effect upon them. We expect that on examin.ation von will find near the 

 vent a knob of hard cheesy matter. If it Meeds, the skin is already broken. 

 Generally It you enlarge the opening a little with knife or scissors, and then 

 squeeze the bottom of the ball or knob, it will shoot out. The cavity that is 

 left must be thoroughly washed out two or three times per day. The 

 liciuid shonld bo injected with a syringe, aud after it shows an inclination to 

 heal, alum or any other astringent may be used in warm water. The evacu- 

 ations shonld be giecn, white, and figured. Your feeding is good, but do 

 away with the sharps. Bread and milk and ground oats shonld cure anything. 



Marking Fow-Ls (»>s(,-ro/V).-NothinK is easier than to mark poultry by 

 putting a wire ring or sewing a piece of hst round the leg, and this last is 

 capable of developmeut by enabling those who wish to do it to mark the 

 different broods by using wor.-ted or list of different colours. There is 

 always difliculty in telling the age of hens. A very good Judge may feel 

 tolerably sure and justified in giving an opinion, but if he were asked to name 

 the grounds on which his decision was based, he would be unable to do so, 

 and would hide behmd generalities. 



Light Brahmas (Don Quijrote).~The "Light," there are no "White," 

 Erahmas should have black flights and tails, and striped hackles. Any more 

 colour than this is a defect, and would in a close competition be fatal to suc- 

 cess. We know few more attractive poultry sights than a yard of Li.'ht 

 iirahraas, and hardly any fowl that shows so well in a pen. Like all other 

 light-teathered fowls they reqaire a clear atmosphere, and are not calculated 

 lor a smoky climate. 



Ground Oats lEllceel-yfe are glad to receive your testimony, but we are 

 /<tZ ?, "^^.T'^o ^"o ever tried ground oats will speak lightly of them, or 

 deny that they are the most satisfactory food he ever used. They cost 

 much, but well managed we are not sure they are much dearer than inferior 

 lood. ihcy can only be ground where the stones are dressed on purpose, ond 

 mllUhTcrnnV" ""TP'^'^'-h" "'•'"=""'• We were told there was a steel 

 ^ is ?L^ be worked by hand, and we bought one. It was worse than 



little floor ^ ^""^ '"''^ " I"""'"!' °' ''^"^ "'-"^eJ «i'li an 



ScuHTY Legs (Coc/iinl.-The disease is called ■• the poultry elephantiasis." 



It IS unfortunately becoming very com mon. The first cases we saw were 

 about ten years ago. The only treatment is to keep the legs constantly oiled, 

 and rubbed with any softening ointment. There is no cuie for it. 



Dimensions op Woodbdry Hive (O. B. I.— The box of the Woodbury hive 

 being S inches deep, and the frames 8 inches deep outside measure, leaves an 

 lucn to be divided between the top and bottom. Mr. Fox thinks three-eighths 

 of an meh for each space preferable. This is also the space between the ends 

 of the frames and the sides of the box. The bar is 13^ inches long; the 

 notches cut in the two uprights of the frame to receive the bars leave about 

 three-sixteenths of an inch on each side, to which the projecting pieces, five- 

 eighths of an inch long, are nailed or dovetailed. The entire length of tbo 

 top of the frame is 14Z inches full. Mr. Woodbuiy worked with very shallow 

 notches for the ends of the frames to rest on ; the frames being easier of re- 

 moval, and less likely to crush bees during manipulation. From centre to 

 centre of each frame is 17-16 inch ; any deviation in space con be thrown to 

 the sides. It is best to measure from centre to centre of the frames, as then, 

 as far as the proper spaces between the combs ore concerned, it makes no dif- 

 ference whether the bars are wider or narrower than the dimensions given. 

 The spaces between the frames must come right. For easy manipulation, 

 however, it is important that all the frames should agree in measurement. It 

 you are still in any doubt or difficulty, we should recommend your obtaininB 

 a hive from Messrs. Neighbour, Eegent Street, and havmg all your other hives 

 made from it. It is important that all the hives and parts of the hives shall 

 be exactly similai- in dimensions, so it is advisable to construct all from one 

 pattern, and not copy from each other indiscriminately, as in the latter case 

 the various parts are suie to get wrong. 



Canary Losing its Voice after MorLT (C. ^.).— This is not unusual. 

 Some birds will make an apology for a song all through the moult, but they 

 seldom break into full song till the change is complete. Your bird, however, 

 seems to have caught cold, and a cold at such a time is dangerous. Keep him 

 warm, and indulge him with a little sopped bread and milk in the morning, 

 but do not allow it to rem.ain to get sour. If you remove the water-vessel for 

 two or three hours, and then replace it with a few drops of cod-liver oil float- 

 ing on the surface, you will find it a simple way of administering a good 

 medicme. I have never tried thistle-seed, but should be veiw sceptical as to 

 Its being " a cure tor all diseases of birds."— W. A. B. 



Killing and Preserving Insects.— J Subscriber wovM be glad if any- 

 one could inform him of the best mode of killing and preserving from de- 

 composition butterflies and other insects. 



Transferring Bees (T. Bradhiil—lt is not always necessary to put a 

 swarm into a common straw hive first before introducing the bees to a Wood- 

 bury hive ; but there are many cases in which it is decidedly more convenient 

 to do 80. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Square, London. 



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



EEMARKS. 

 22nd.— Fine waiin moraing, but getting more and more cloudy and windy tiJl 



about 10 A.M., when rain commenced, with a strong wind lasting till 



10.30, when the sun shone, and it continued line till 4 p.ii. ; rain again 



commenced, continuing at intervals all day. 

 23rd.— Vei-y wet early, drizzling at intervals till'a p.m.; rain and sunshinfr 



alternately during the remainder of the day. 

 2'ith.— Foggy morning and dull, with occasional rain all day. 

 25th.— Fine morning, cloudy about noon, but soon dealing off ; fine afternoon 



and starlit night. 

 26th.— Very fine all day. but particularly so In the early aftemom. 

 27th.— Fine morning ; rather dull in afternoon, but fine evening. 

 28th.— Fine, but frosty and cold morning ; very dark and thick from 11 a.m. 



to 4 p.m., though the sun was shiuing during the time. 

 Temperature considerably lower, especially towards the end of tlie week. 

 Great range of barometer, exceeding IJ inch. The darkness and fog oa 

 28th were very local, not extending to the west of London.— G. J. S\'MOxh. 



COVEKT GARDEN MARKET.— October 29. 

 The last few days of fine weather have enabled the growers to send largo- 

 quantities both of frnit and vegetables to maitet. Kough descriptions of 

 Apples and Pears, however, realifo very low prices — so much so, that they 

 barely pay the cost of transport. Ilothouse frnit is limited to Grapes, Pines,, 

 and Melons. A few Salway Peaches ai-e to be had, hut the regular October 

 varieties have Bcarcely been seen this season, 



FRUIT. 

 ^* B. d. I B. d. 8. d- 



Otol 6 I Mulberries q? lb. otoo 



Apples i Bicve 1 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries ^ lb. 



Chestnnta bushel 10 



Currants 4 sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 1 



Cobs lb. 1 



Gooseberriea quart 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 1 



Lemons ^100 8 



MelODs each 1 



I Nectarines doz. 



I Oranges f^ 100 10 



20 , Peaches doz. 8 



Pears, kitchen doz. 1 



01 dessert doz. 2 



OipineAppiea lb. 8 



16 Plums 4 sieTG 2 



6 Quinces doz. 1 



Raspberries lb. 



5 1 Strawberries ^ lb. 



12 , Walnuts bnehel 10 



5 0| ditto VlOO 3 







20 0' 



12 



2 



8 



6 



4 0- 



8 











16 



SI G 



