70 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTHRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t July 25, 1867. 



Boyol Agnealtnro] Society of England, bearing in mind the importa- 

 tion of 400,000,000 of eggs annually, offered liberal prizes for the three 

 beat known French breeds. Good birds were shown in every class, 

 ftnd it is probable that if many more had been exhibited the awards 

 would have been the eame as regards the first prizes, bnt the entries 

 were disappointing in nnmbers. The Houdans were more numerous 

 than both the others put together. 



Spanish were very good. All the prizes went to the north. The 

 Game showed the Brown Reds in great perfection. In size, colour, 

 shape, and handling they were perfect. We greatly admired the 

 chiciens shown by Mr. Wood ; they will be hard to beat when they are 

 adults. The Black Reds and Duckwings were good, but we did not 

 think the FUes up to the mark. 



Both in Spangled and Pencilled the Golden were better than the 

 Silver Han^Jmryhs. The Golden-spangled were very strong. 



There were thirty-seven pens of Bantams entered. The Game were 

 not BO good as we have seen, although the prize pens were not without 

 merit. In the Bantam variety class we greatly admired the first-prize 

 Buff Cochins. We also much admired two pens of Indian Bantams 

 belonging to Sir E. C. Kerrison. 



Nothing could improve the quality of the Turhcys shown, but the 

 entries were not so numerous as they should have been for the prizes 

 offered. The three first pens in the prize list were of unusual weight. 

 We may say the same of the Gc^e. Nothing need be better, but there 

 should have been more entries. The Duclcs were numerous, but not 

 fiufficiently meritorious to coll for remark. 



Many good pens arrived too late for competition, and were labelled 

 to that effect. We published last week the prize list and the names 

 of the Judges. 



It is nnneeessary to add that all connected with the Society were 

 zealous in the discharge of their duties. We know no other so fortu- 

 nate in its selection of officers. 



BUDE POULTRY SHOW. 



This was held at Bnde Haven, Cornwall, on the Ifttli inst. The 

 following are the awards : — 



DoBKlNOS (Coloured).— First and Second, Rev. A. C. Thynne. Third, 

 Rev. J. R. Wbyte. Fourth, J. Brock. CorS:.— First. J. Tarrett. Second, 

 J. Bines. ChUkcns. — First and Second, Rev. A. C. Thynne. 



SPiNlBH.— First, J. H. Eeed. Second, W. Leach, t'dicicns.— First, J. 

 Reed. Second, H. M. Bazley. 



Game.— First, W. H. B. Cohim. Second, .J. Francis. Third, J. .Joce. 

 OMe*fn*.— First and Second, W. H. B. Coham. 



CkjoHiN-CHlKAS.— Prize, W. L. Trewin. 



BaiHMis.— First, J. H Reed. Second, Rev. C. N. Sillifant. 



Malays.— First and Second, H. Darch. 



CoENlSH. - First and Second, D. Maynard. 



Hahburohs iGoldcn-pencilled).- First and Second, J. F. Delinar. 



Hambdrghs (Golduu-bpansled —First and Second, J. F. Delmar. 



EAKBOEons {>ilYcrpencilled).— First and Second, J. Walter. 



HAMBOROns (Silver' spangled). — First and Second, W. M. Lancester. 



Hambdrohs (Golden-pencilled and bilver-pencilled). — C/iicfcejw.— Prize, 

 J. F. Delmar. 



PoLANns (Golden-spangled).- First, F. Eanett. Second, A. Wonnacott. 



PoLANDs (Black).— Prize, W. L. Trewin. 



BARHnooR Fowl.— First and Second, H. Francis. Third, W. J. Lyle. 

 Fourth, T. Glass. Filth, J. B. Lyle. 



Bajitamb (White).— First, S. Lyle. Second, T. M. Medland. 



Bantahs (Black).— First and Second, H. M. Bazely. 



Gdinea Fowls.— Prize, W. M. Lancaster. 



BncKB (Aylesbury).- First, J. Bines. Second, W. Bines. Diu^klings. — 

 Prize, Rev. T. 8. Carnsew. 



Ducks (Common).— First, T. Pickard. Second and Fourth, J. R. Cotton. 

 Third, G. Piper. Dufklings.~Vu%i, T. Shephard. Second, J. Bines. 

 Third, W. Paddon. 



Docks (Kouen).— Prize, Rev. E. R. Wright. 



Geebk.— First, J. Sanders. Second and Third, — Pandrey. 



Tdbkess.— First, J. Heal. Second, H. Heal. Third, — Risdon. 



PlGEoKB.— First, J. M. Braund. becond, J. Heal. Third, T. Medland. 

 Barht, Pouters, Fantaila, Jacobins, and Turbits. — Prizes, J. M. Braund. 

 Trumpeters, Tu.mbUrs, and Wuaa.— Prizes, Rev. J. R. Whyte. 



Rabbits.- ioBfl-tarcd,- Prize, W. Gist. Common.— First, H. Sanders. 

 Second, R. Francis. 



EiTBA Prizes.— ^4)11/ Pure Breed.— Tiiet, T. Wood (Anconas). Second, 

 Rev. C. H. Sillilant (Black Cochins). Cocls.— First, J. tt Reed (SpanishJ. 

 Second, A. West (Game). Third, H. Darch (Malay). 



Extra Prizes Given by Wllliam Mabklll, Esq. — First, J. Stanbury. 

 Second, J. Penfoond. 



THE SEX OF EGGS. 



Tod may smile, Messrs. Editors, at my simplicity in attri- 

 batiiig a gender to eggs ; btit, of course, you knuw what I mean 

 — the Bex of the chickens which the eggs will produce. This 

 season I have been unfortunate in having a preponderance of 

 male birds, and on mentioning the matter to an elderly lady 

 friend who has had great experience in the rearing of poultry, 

 she informed me that it is as easy to detect the sex of eggs as 

 it is to detect the sex of grown birds, and that before she re- 

 tired from her farm she took care that all her early chickens 

 ■were pullets and her late ones cockerels, the latter being more 

 valaable in the market. Her mode of ascertaining was this : — 



She took the eggs into a dark room and held them separately 

 in front of a lighted candle, thick end upwards, and on placing 

 her eye against the egg the fertilising agent could be very 

 clearly perceived. If this was exactly at the top of the egg a 

 male chicken would be produced ; if on one side, a female. I 

 intend trying the experiment another season, and, probably, 

 some of your subscribers who may have been equally unfor- 

 tunate with myself may be induced to do likewise. — Lindcm. 



MAJOR MUNN'S BAR-FIIAME HIVE. 



In your reply to " Wax " in your last number, I observe the 

 statement that " Major Munn'a three-cornered frames were 

 hinged to the hive, and were not interchangeable." Now, I 

 think this matter ought to be put right as early as possible ; 

 and I, being pretty well acquainted with the hive referred to, 

 beg to state to your numerous readers, that one of the main 

 features in Major Munn's bar-and-frame hive i?, that the frames 

 are interchangeable — just as much so as Huber's, Baron Von 

 Berlepsch's, or the Langstroth hives. 



Major Munn's hive is not generally made with the frames 

 " hinged to the hive ;" and the only one I ever saw with hinges 

 to the frames is in the Edinburgh Museum, and these hinges 

 do not at all interfere with theiuterchaugeability of the frames. 

 — Sddbdkt. 



[We only spoke of Major Munn's hive as wo had seen it, and 

 were not aware that alterations had been made in its con- 

 struction.] 



HONEY HARVEST. 



I AM sorry to see in " our Journal" so many complaints of 

 the bad honey harvest this year. The early part of the season 

 was, no doubt, very unfavourable for honey gathering, but I 

 think that those of your correspondents who expected such a 

 famine in their hives when they wrote a few weeks ago will be 

 able to send a much more satisfactory report now. 



During the recent hot weather honeydew has been very 

 abundant on the oak trees, and the bees have made good use 

 of it. 1 was surprised to see in your number for June 27th a 

 doubt expressed that tees benefited directly from honeydew. 

 I have studied considerably the sources from which they collect 

 their food, and am convinced that when honeydew is abundant 

 (which, however, does not frequently occur), it affords them a 

 more plentiful harvest than auy flowers. 1 have seen hundreds 

 of bees on a single oak tree licking the saccharine matter from 

 its leaves ; but when I consider that thero are, perhaps, as 

 many oak trees as bees in the country, I am not surprised that 

 the latter have not often been noticed on them, and that, con- 

 sequently, people are incredulous as to bees procuring honey 

 from this source. 



I have several beautiful supers, containing, perhaps, 20 lbs. 

 each, all collected within the last month. I had no swarm 

 until the end of June, but one has given me a splendid glass of 

 about 6 lbs. already. — An Isle of Wight Bee-keepek. 



BEES ENTERING SUPERS. 



Wishing to effect this, I this year placed supers on two 

 stocks, when, by increase of the number of bees and fine weather, 

 it seemed advisable to give them room, so as to try to prevent 

 swarming. The weather afterwards became cold, so I shut off 

 the bees from the supers until it became fine again, as they 

 had not yet made much comb. This practice I carried on 

 during the changes of temperature until the bees seemed 

 securely at home in the supers, and now these are nearly filled. 

 I may add that each time the sides were removed to allow the 

 bees to pass up, I put honey in tile guide-combs, and slightly 

 smeared the sides of the supers (which are of wood), with a 

 little honey. 



There may be nothing new in this plan, but it havinf; been 

 successful, I venture to bring it under the notice of the readers 

 of " our Journal." — C. A. J. 



Success in Hatching. — In one of my first hatches of chickens 

 this season a Cochin hen brought off nineteen chickens out of 

 nineteen eggs, and a twentieth, which was laid to the others 

 a week after sitting, had a chicken in it also. — J. li. Aldked. 



