August 15, 1867. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICDLTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



129 



Game Cock (Any variety).— First, C. W. Brieiiuy. Seeoml, Admiral 

 Hornby. Highly C'ommencUJ, C. W. Briovley. 



Gamk Bantam Cock (Any variety). — First, (i. R. Davios, Kniitsford. Se- 

 cond, J. Ilulinos. Highly Cbmmendod, J. Bryors.Orinskirk ; C.W. Brierk'y. 



DccKS (Aylesbury). — First, E. Leech, Koehdale. Second, J. Kobinson. 



Diu-Ks (Uuueu).— First, .Admiral Hornby. Second, K. Ijoocli. Highly 

 Commended, K. Musgrovo: .1. Wood. 



fiEEsK (.\ny variety). — First, Admiral Hornby. Second, J. Bryers, 

 Ormskirk. HiRhly Co'mmended, J. Fairhurst, Ormskirk ; S, H. Stone, 

 Hochdiilo ; J. Bryers. 



TuuKKYS. —First, Admiral Hornby. Second, E. Locch. 



PliiF.oNS.— 7iun(*. — Prize, Conntess of Derby, Knowsley. Wltite OicU. — 

 Prize, Countess of Derby. InaheU. — Highly Commended, Countess of 

 Derby. Blue Carrirrj*.- Highly Commended, ,1. Birch, Sefton. Dun 

 Carriers — Prizo, H. Yardloy, Birmingham. White PoHrrr^.— Highly Com- 

 mended, H. Yardley. Black Barbs. — Prize, H. Yardloy. Higlily Com- 

 mended, H. Yardley. 



.Fudges. — Mr. Joseph Hiudson, Everton ; and Mr. Tato, Preston. 



BANTABI AWARDS. 



The great poultry shows will soon be upon us, and I venture 

 respectfully to call tho attention of judges to one or two small 

 matters. Tho first is the awanl of a silver cup for Bantams, 

 any variety. It seems to be invariably the rule in a general 

 competition to a^vard the cup to Game, no matter how good 

 and perfect tho other competing pens may be. It would be 

 only fair to breeders of other varieties to vary it occasionally, 

 when a pen of any certain breed is exhibited with all points so 

 perfect as to leave no room for improvement. I hope the pre- 

 judice in favour of Game will this season bo overcome when 

 first-class specimens of other breeds compete for a general 

 cup. 



Another matter is the trimming of rose-combed birds. Those 

 that have their combs grown naturally and true should have 

 the preference over those that have been manipulated so as to 

 bring them to the proper shape and size. I have often seen a 

 winning pen with the mark of the scissors and wire on the 

 comb of tho cock. — Kose Comb. 



raBBITS' EAIW. 



In answer to tho inquiries of " W. E." respecting long-eared 

 Uabbits, and your request for information, I can assure him 

 that it is impossible to lay down any rule as to the length at 

 throe months old and subsequent growth per week. I am fond 

 of breeding long ears, and have found them not only to vary in 

 different strains, but also in the same litter. Some grow rapidly 

 for the first eight weeks, then more slowl3- ; others the contrary. 



I have now three young grey and white Rabbits twelve weeks 

 old, two bucks and one doe. At eight weeks the doe's ears 

 were nearly an inch shorter than the best of the others ; now 

 her ears are 1'.)! inches long, measured without pulling at all, 

 beating her brothers by at least three-quarters of an inch. I 

 have also two yoUow and white Rabbits, a buck and a doe, eleven 

 weeks old, whose ears were short up to nearly eight weeks old, 

 when they shot out, and now they are long for their age, and 

 growing fast, being ID! inches in length. In this measurement 

 I calculate upon 1? to 2 inches, in some cases more, as being 

 the actual sliow measurement, which would make them more 

 than 21 iuchos long at eleven weeks, and this, as I remarked, 

 after being short at the commencement. 



With proper care and feeding, and with good stock (not 

 manufactured long ears), I do not think it difliciilt to have 

 Rabbits at from five to six months old with ears from 21 to 

 22 inches long, with occasionally a prize one with another inch 

 or nearly ; but never tamper with their ears, never pull them or 

 rub them, it only irritates them, and makes their ears hard or 

 harsh. .\ good ear is always soft and velvety, a manufactured 

 one more like cotton goods. 



If any of your contributors wish for any further information, 

 I shall be happy to supply any that I can give. — C. Felton, 

 ilravclhi Hill, >i<(tr nirmiiigJiam. 



money prizes in fifty-six classes, no less than eleven silver 



cups are offered. 



A RAimiT at a month old ought to measure 13 inches ; at six 

 weeks old, lo inches ; and grow 1 inch per week until it is four- 

 teen weeks old. I find but a very slow growth, if any, after 

 Babbits reach fourteen weeks old. I have at the present time 

 some young llabbits fourteen days old measuring 9 inches. 

 The greatest perfection can be obtained only by nursing, breed- 

 ing, and feeding. — W. Whokwell, Siiaiyati- Street, Dover. 



STRENGTHENING A WEAK STOCK OF BEES. 



I AM an amateur bee-keeper. I bought two stocks last Oc- 

 tober — No. 1, a strong heavy hive, a May swarm, and that had 

 been enlarged or " imped," or " eked," as it is termed in this 

 neighbourhood (Garforth, near Leeds) ; No. 2, also a good 

 stock, but of ordinary dimensions ; both in common straw 

 hives, and both of them with ample store for winter consump- 

 tion. Early in .January we had a few sunny days, and I ob- 

 served unusual activity outside No. 1, and on looking closely 

 afterwards I discovered a large quantity of dead bees on the 

 ground. My neighbours told me my hive had been visited by 

 robber bees. About the end of May No. 1 was again very busy, 

 and I expected a swarm from it very shortly, while No. 2 ap- 

 peared to have scarcely any bees at all. Then came cold wet 

 weather, and then came also those thieving rascals above 

 mentioned, or others ; and No. 1 has gone on from bad to 

 worse ever since, till at length, on looking in, I find a consider- 

 able quantity of the comb has disappeared from the lower parts 

 of the hive, and, to judge from tho weight, there can be very 

 little honey indeed. On tapping the hive there appears to be 

 a goodly number of bees, but very few show outside, and of 

 these few the majority seem to consider it their sole business 

 to air themselves on the fioor-board ; or if a plunderer comes 

 with his provoking buzz they do indeed show a semblance of 

 fight, but if he is determined they usually allow bim to enter, 

 and, I suppose, help himself. 



No. 2, I may remark, is now a vigorous stock, with plenty of 

 honey and abundance of bees. 



Now, what should I do ? Can I do anything but let matters 

 take their own course ? Had it not been so late in the season 

 I might, I suppose, have united the two stocks in No. 1, and 

 taken the honey out of the other, but this is out of the ques- 

 tion now. Would you recommend me to feed my weakened 

 stock and try and save it ? I would gladly do so if it would be 

 of any avail, for I really take a great pleasure in my favourites. 

 If I am to feed, what food would you recommend ? — A Yobk- 

 SHiBE Novice. 



[No. 1 might possibly be resuscitated if you were to drive 

 and add to it the inhabitants of a stock of condemned bees, 

 (two would be still better), in the manner described in page 59 of 

 the last edition of " Bee-keeping for the Many." Sufticient 

 food should then be administered to enable it to stand the 

 winter.] 



Bristol and Clifton Podltry Show. — This Show is to be 

 hold on November Gth, 7th, and 8th, and in addition to liberal 



PROTECTING HR'ES— LIMITING DRONE 

 PRODUCTION. 



Will you allow me to bring under the notice of tho nu- 

 merous readers of the .Journal interested in bee", an exceed- 

 ingly simple, inexpensive, and efficacious mode of protecting 

 hives which are not under a shed '.' I have no sympathy with 

 those bee-keepers who, (unintentionally no doubt), make a 

 harbour for moths and earwigs out of rushes or straw, and 

 then place a milk-basm on the top to keep them cosy and dry ; 

 and, therefore, when I had occasion this summer to protect a 

 swarm, for which there was no room in the shed, I set about 

 devising something different from the rush-and-basin system. 

 I knocked together a few rough boards in the shape of a house, 

 making the boards overlap to insure dryness : but this had too 

 much of the appearance of a dog-kennel to please me, though 

 the bees might not have been so fastidious. I then procured 

 two American cheese-boxes, one of them tho exact circum- 

 ference required, the other much larger. Had this been the 

 same size as the other, it would have saved me the trouble of 

 drawing it in : but this was soon done. It had then the ap- 

 pearance of a drum with the ends knocked out. Cutting a hole 

 for the entrance I fitted this down in the Live, and placed the 

 other, bottom upwards, upon it. I then knocked the top ont 

 of the lid of the smaller box, and fitted the hoop over the part 

 where the two boxes joined, and thus fixed the upper part to 

 the lower, and the whole was finished. 



I might have procured one box of the requisite circumference 

 and depth, and in this case all that would have been required 

 would have been to have cut an entrance and turn the box 

 upside down upon the hive ; but by using two boxes I secure 

 sufficient depth to allow of a super upon the hive, and when I 

 wish to examine the super I have just to lift off the upper half, 



