410 



JOURNAti OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



{ November 20, 1873. 



My own income from bee-keeping this year is .i'47 17s., and 

 expenses £32 16s., giving the very small margin of £15 profit. 

 The income is of course derived from the sale of honey, honey- 

 comb, wax, swarms, and hives of bees. The items of expense 

 were these: Rent, £'G; carriage, £5 10s.; cab fares, ^1; empty 

 new hives and boards, i'll ; feeding, £Q 12,s. ; sundries, i'2 14s. 

 Total, f;y2 16s. 



I sincerely hope that no one will be deterred from bee-keeping 

 by such heavy items of expense — for as I manage bees the ex- 

 penses are always considerable. I hire carts to take the hives 

 miles from home, and pay rent for small corners in cottage and 

 market gardens, in which they are placed from April till August. 

 Then tliey are removed to the heathery hills of Derbyshire, 

 where they remain till about the middle of September, when 

 they are brought home. Bee-keepers in the country have 

 nothing to pay for rent, or carriage, or cab fares ; and many 

 working men make their own hives. It will be observed that 

 these items add i'23 to the expenses of the balance-sheet this year. 



At this time last year I thought my stocks were too heavy, 

 and valued them at prices ranging between 20s. and 40s. each — 

 on an average at 23s. each. Though the stocks are lighter this 

 year, I value them at the same figure. — A. Pettigrew, Sale, 

 Cheshire. 



Consumption op Eggs. — The importation of eggs increases. 

 According to the official table jast issued, the declared value im- 

 ported in the last ten months was ^'2, 105, 631, against £1,545,938 

 in the preceding year, and i'1,033,391 in 1871. 



the former are long-bcabed powerful birds, and would persecute tally the 

 little Tumblers. Keep one sort only, whichever fancy inclines you to. Begin 

 with three pairs, they will soon breed more. Feed on tares, or small Indian 

 com, or peas, or mix the three. Have a laige wired-iu place in front for the 

 birds to get air in. 



Proposed Pigeon House (E. U.).— Your place will do well enough. Have 

 a copy of our '* Pigeon Book " free by post for 1<. Id. in stamps. In it you 

 will see how to divide a loft at page 85 ; and in the book are full particulars, 

 which, mastered and followed, will lead to success. This will be better for you 

 than any directions which in a brief space we could give. 



Salt Cat for Pigeons (Q. E. S.).— Have it in their cote, and let them 

 pick it as their iuelination dictates. 



High-coloured Canaries {R. J. Troake). — We cannot spare more space 

 for this controversy. Mr. Bemrose says that the high colour of his bu'ds is 

 caused by the feeding he adopts. Ton say this ought not to be encouraged. 

 Let the admirers of Canaries judge for themselves. If those admirers do not 

 choose to run any risk of the birds declining, they will not buy them. 



Exhibiting Canaries (J. ^.).— We cannot insert your letter, you must 

 insert an advertisement announcing your dissolution of partnership. 



Bees Breeding in Winter (C. F. 0.).— Bees breed at this or any time 

 of the year when vigorously fed. The half-hatched bees found on the ground 

 below your hive were produced while you were feeding it. The fertility of 

 queen bees in summer, and their latent powers to produce eggs in autumn 

 and winter, are two of the wonderful things noticeable in the history of bees. 

 It is dangerous to excite bees at this time of the year by feeding. In the- 

 excitement thus produced queens will lay eggs and the bees nurse their young. 

 The danger is from frost coming and chilling the brood to death. Hence it 

 is advisable to finish feeding early in October. 



Asparagus Kale. — A Stibacriber will be obliged by any of our readers 

 stating the best mode of cooking this kale. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



DoRKtfiG Cock's Soles Swollen (IF. E. C).— You should have told us 

 the age of the bird. If he is an old one, he is bumble-footed, and the case is 

 hopeless ; it is the fate of all heavy birds. If he is a young bird and has been 

 running on ashes, or roosting in a house with stone, wooden, or brick floor, it 

 may be remedied. In the first case it is possible that the sole of the loot 

 may have become softened and rendered sore by the action of ashes till 

 particles have pierced the skin, and are causing inflammation and the form- 

 ation of matter. This may be cured by making a small incision, removing 

 the foreign substance and its effects, thoroughly cleansing the opening, 

 wrapping the foot after the wound is dressed in a wash-leather bag, and 

 shutting the bird up in some place where he will have only soft things to tread 

 upon, sich as hay, &c. In the second case, ihe bird is suffering from con- 

 stant strain. In the case of a heavy cock, the pressure ou the ball of the 

 foot is very great. On grass or soft ground this is relieved by the yielding of 

 the surface, and by the holding of the nails where they enter the ground. On 

 any of the hard surfaces we have mentioued there is no yielding, nothing for 

 the claws to hold, and all the weight of the bird falls on the ball of the foot. 

 If this be the case, and you have no reason to believe in the formation of 

 matter, use any hardeniu:,' agent you have at hand, and when you have dressed 

 the foot wrap it up as described above, and put in such a place as that re- 

 commended. The cure will be speedy. 



Kats in Poultry-house (J. H. iJ.).— We, also, are much infested with 

 rats, but we keep what our man calls " up-sides " with them by means of six 

 of Brailsford's traps, two terriers, and a number of cats. They never disturb 

 oar sitting hens. The moment a fresh hole is seen the old ones are stopped, 

 and a trap set at the new one. You are sure to catch within three nights, 

 and very often the first. Our experience is, that if these traps are pcrseveringly 

 set, they are more than a match for the rats ; all tbe young ones are caught, 

 and it is as bad for them as for a pople to lose the rising generation. If the 

 Bitting hens are disturbed, you should move them to another place. Your 

 eggs will come o£f badly if the hens are disturbed. 



Pullets Laying (Idem). — Pullets ten months old should lay now. We 

 believe they do, and if it were our case we shonld accuse rats of some kind of 

 being fond of the eggs. 



Varieties of Brahmas (Don Quixote), — There are only two sorts of 

 Brahmas; the Dark, hen pencilled all over; the cock black or speckled breast, 

 black tail, blue-barred wing, light hackle and saddle ; the Light Brahma, 

 cock and hen alike, with white plumage, save the tail and flights, which are 

 black, and the hackle which is black-striped. Both sorts should have pea- 

 combs, and weU-feathered yellow legs. There is no such thing as a white 

 Brahma. 



Ducks for Exhibition (ii'.>uf»i).— You had better begm with early-hatched 

 Daoks of 1873 mated with a drake of 1872. 



Dorking Pullets Laying (D. A. 5.).— Fast-grown, well-developed pullets 

 DOW six months old will generally lay in January, but we should put more 

 faith in those two or three months older. We recommend stimulating food 

 to hasten their laying, but should give it by adding to their ordinary meal a 

 little pot liquor in which meat ha'' been cooked, table scraps, stale bread with 

 beer, all of which are natural and healthy helps. 



Fo^xs FOR Profit (A. fl.).— Much must depend on the locality in which 

 you intend to keep your birds, and the range you can give them. If yon pro- 

 pose to give them full liberty Dorkings thrive well in Warwickshire. If your 

 accommodation be limited we advise Dark Brahmas. With ordinary pains- 

 taking you may make your fowls pay a good fair profit. 



Breeding Dragoon Pigeons [G. F.).—U you wish to breed good Dragoons 

 we should advise you not to use the two birds you describe as a Blue and a 

 Mealy. To match your two hens you want long light-headed birds showing 

 but little wattle. From your description, we think if you were to mate 

 the birds as you now have them, the result from the Blue and Dan would 

 be m>re satisfactory than that from the Dun and Mealy. Your best plan 

 would be to apply to one of the successful breeders of pure Dragoons, and 

 get from him a good cock bird to take the place of the Mealy. You would 

 then be trying with a double chance. Tbe best Pigeon food when procur- 

 able is the small bean called by the factors " Pigeon beans ;" in default good 

 clean peas and tares, with the addition of a little hemp and wheat daring 

 the moulting season, will he found to answer. 



Wh\t Pigeons to Keep (W. Chirkc).~\Ve would not recommend you to 

 k:ep Dragoons and Tumblers together in confinement in so small a space; 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Square, London. 



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



REMAKES. 

 12th. — Fine frosty moniing; sunny at noon, and very fine all day. 

 13th.— Rather foggy morniug.bub soon cleai'ed off; very fine till afternoon; a 



very slight shower at dusk. 

 14th. — Fine till noon, then rather more cloudy, but fair all day. 

 loth.— Very line early, and lovely day throughout. 



16th. — A fair but not by any means a fine day; slight rain about 3 p.m. 

 17th.— Rather dark and dull all day. 

 18th. — Another fair but sunless day. 



Very little rain, and sunshine nearly equally scarce ; temperature lower 

 again, with shai-p frost on 13th. — G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Noyem bee 19. 

 We have nothing to report different from last week as to the conditions and 

 suppUes of the markets. 



FRUIT. 



Apples i sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cberries V lb. 



Cbestnuta bushel 10 



Currants J sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



FUberts lb. 1 



Cob3 lb. 1 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 2 



Lemons v 100 8 



Melons each 1 



8. d. S. 



1 Otol 

 



























6 



Mulberries V- lb. 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges V 100 6 



Peaclies doz. 8 



Pears, kitchen doz. 1 



dessert doz. 2 



Pine Apples lb. 3 



Plums i sieve 



QttiDces doz. 1 



Rispbcrries lb. 



Strawberries ^ lb. 



Walnuts bushel 10 



-" 2 



d. a. 

 OtoO 

 



ditto r 100 



VEGETABLES 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparagus t*- 100 



French 



Beans, Kidney.... i sieve 



Beet, Red doz 



Broccoli bundle 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums 1^100 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Colewortfl.. doz. bunches 

 Cucumbers each 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bun ch 



Horseradish bundle 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce doz. 



0to6 

 

 

 

 3 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress, .punnet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley per doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Round . do. 



Radlyhcs., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Scorzonera bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



d. B. 

 0to2 



a 



4 

 6 

 4 

 9 1 

 

 4 

 

 



1 







1 



2 









 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 G 8 G 



Vegetable Marrows 



