■248 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 26, 1867. 



rapi<l au'l excessive alternations of weather. Then their stores 

 rapidly decreased, while, even in fine weatljer, they failed to 

 find food enough even to keep the population up to the mark. 

 In fact, the flowers contained no honey. Hence multitudes 

 never returned home at ail. They were starved to death in the 

 fields, and ainuug the flowers. To keep fee-ling so many stocks 

 was out of the question. With the exception of about half a 

 dozen, the rest were left to their fate. The result was that two 

 hives peri:>hed of starvation in JMay ; hut this was before I h^id 

 lotuid out how matters stood. Of the remainder, one of the 

 weakest became the strongest, and gave me 12 lbs. of honey- 

 comb in a super. This was the Italian stock "D.," in my 

 bee-house, as given iu the last report of my apiary. The 

 strongest of all gave me 4 lbs., also in a super. From this 

 stock (Tasmanian), I also took about 12 lbs. iu August, when I 

 broke it up, the bees being saved and jnlned to another hive. 

 At present ihis is all my honey harvest for the year, plus the 

 half pound just taken out of the straw hive. Of my remain- 

 ing stocks 1 think there are six sufficiently well provided to 

 outlast the winter without feeding. The rest I must feed up, 

 which, in fact, I have commenced doing. 



So far as I know, I have not had a single swarm, although I 

 have reason to fear that one of my purest Italians has gone oft' 

 unsuspected. This is "A" in my bee-house. The hive had 

 been t-o feeble all the summer, that I never dreamt of such an 

 occurrence till piping was accidentally heard. This was quite 

 at the end of July. Of course something may have happened 

 to the old queen. Availing myself of the presence of so many 

 young queens, I destroyed the queens of two other hives, and 

 gave them live queens or royal cells instead. These seem to be 

 doing wfcll. There being plenty of Italian drones in several 

 hives, I drove my second pure Italian stock '* E " at the same 

 time, compelling the bees to rear artificial queens. In due time 

 I cut out several royal cells, and Italianised another of my own 

 Mocks, " C," and one belonging to a neighbour. The young 

 queen of one of the latter stocks (my own), is breeding very fast, 

 quickened by the liberal supply of food now being given to the 

 hive. 



Thus my bee-house is filled with pure Italian queens, six of 

 them, and as there were quantities of Italian drones, and 

 scarcely an English drone in my apiary, I feel very hopeful that 

 I have at length succeeded in establishing this breed iu per- 

 manency. But of this I shall have more to speak anon. 



To revert to the recent honey harvest. I remarked in one 

 of the recent numbers of this Journal, what one of your cor- 

 respondents said about Jwneydtnv. I, too, again, after the 

 lapse of some years (so far as I can recollect), have seen my 

 own bees cullect it from the leaves of a sycamore tree in my 

 garden, also from a cob-nut iu the same locality. For three 

 days Ihebees were very busy about it; some fifty or one hundred 

 bees at a time might have been seen flitting and buzzing about 

 these two tiees for several hours each day. There were other 

 sycamores and nuts in the garden, with an abundance of 

 honeydew upon them, apparently the same as that on the 

 aforementioned trees, but the bees took little or no notice of it. 

 Doublless, there was something in the condition of those par- 

 ticular trees which led them to be visited with assiduity ; but I 

 -find here only a corroboration of an opinion I have long held 

 on this subject, different from that of your correspondent. He 

 thinks that our main supply of honey comes from honeydew. 

 My conviction on the contrary is, that while, doubtless, at 

 -times, more in some years than in others, especially when, as 

 recently, bees are halt starved, they will gather the honeydew 

 (so called), still it is only when flowers are scarce, or barren 

 of honey, that they will take notice of it. How few are there 

 •who can tell us of bees actually seen in large numbers on other 

 than rare occasions collecting honeydew ; whereas, everybody 

 knows how they throng the apple trees when in bloom, not to 

 speak of our other garden trees and shrubs, and how they fre- 

 quent a bean field, or a field of buckwheat, or white clover iu 

 ■bloom, aud with what result. These are the times when our 

 caps and supers fill, whereas, I never yet have been aware of 

 the gain of a single pound of honey from honeydew. — B. &AV. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Bbeedtnr Game Fowls (Lavra«hirc).~ In onr Inst volume, the 

 tweliiii, there ia a series of coiunninications which apply fuUy to ex- 

 Jiibiliuu birds as wefl as to fighUug birds. 



DoitKiNG Chicken (P. B. F.).~li it be cramp— but of which we can 

 form no jiiilRment, as you do not mention any svmptom— you had better 

 feed it gentrously, giving bte-.d soaked in ale daily. 



What are Considered Chickens at Exhibitionb? {J. L. TT.).— Birds 

 batched in the year nre considered chickens fur imrposes of exhibition. 

 Their af^e is not reckoned by mouths, imr is there any limited nge. 

 Chickens Iiatched on the 1st of January are eligible to show in chicken 

 classLS at Birmingham. 



Duck Management (i?aK7).— The food of Ducks and dncklinpts, and 

 thi'ir dipestive powers seem to be of that haiipy cbanicter, so e:\>y to find 

 and so L-iTectual when found, that we seldom expert to have much to say 

 about tliem. We do not believe much in tbeir weakness, unless they are 

 iraiiroijerly lodged or fed. No lod(*ing is fit for them that has a brick, 

 st()ne, or woodou floor. Either will inoduc:) cramp, find that will cause 

 the stag^jerina you speak of. Dry food is not Rood for thera, nor is 

 s(;rnpulously clean food desirable. If tbey aro kept tolerably clean, then 

 a'ld to thtir food a sod of grass put in the water. Give them oats, oat- 

 meal, lettuces, and if you want them to grow and fatten quickly, any 

 scraps of raw meat you may have. 



Securin'o a Hawk {H. H.).— You will hive no difficulty in securing 

 your Hawk. Take a piece of soft leather half an inch wide. Slit it like 

 a button-bole at one end, pass the other end through the slit, and then 

 having drawn it sufficiently tight round the leg, f isten the cbain to the 

 end of the strap. It will be perfeclly secure, and will never hurt the 

 bird. It you wish to keep any bird of prey healthy, you must be careful 

 to feed on food cither with the pelt or featliers on. wherewith they may 

 form their castings. It is a condition of their health that they should throw 

 them up. 



RoDEN Ducks* Beaks {B. C.).— The beaks of Rouen Ducks ahouid be 

 the counterpart of those of the Wild Duck; Ihe drake's of a greenish- 

 yellow, the Duck's dark ash-colour, or brown in the centre, with yellow 

 marks at its base and extremity, extending in some cases in a narrow 

 edge almost from one end to the other. 



GuELDRE Fowl {Idem). — This is a large up-standing bird, in shape 

 very like the La Fk-cbe, but not not in comb. It has a curiously-shaped 

 nostril, aud is Cuckoo-coloured. In France, whence tlie few iu England 

 have been imported, they rank, we think deservedly, below the Houdan, 

 La Fluche, and Creve Cceur, either aa layers or as tai)le fowls. 



Feather-eatisu Pheasants (Gwendoline) — Your Phea'^mts first eat 

 their feathers from disordered bodies, and continue to do so, fiither from 

 mischief or because they like it. You have, no doubt, over-fed them, 

 hence little bodily ailments. They do not over-feed when they ar« at 

 liberty, but if they do, Nature has taught them what to eat and where to 

 find it. It is not at hand in your pheasantry, but as they are very nice- 

 hungry and must have something, they eat feathers. Just so, doctors 

 siy when children get out of order at school, they eat slate pencil, sealing- 

 wax, string, paper, indianrubber, and so on. We know not what yoQ 

 have given, and cannot, therefore, give an opinion about it; but we can 

 tell you what you ought to give, and you can dnw your own conclusions. 

 Whole barley four days per week, Indian corn three days ; barley or oat- 

 meal slaked with water once or twice per week as a ch 'nge ; some brick- 

 lavera' rubbish, old ceilings, mortar, &c.. always within reach. If the 

 pheasanlry affords no grass thfty must h ive large sods of grooving grass, 

 cut with hits of enrth, thrown into their pen. Lettuces are among the 

 bi'St remedies for eating feathers, as their influence is cooling. Keep plenty 

 of clean water always by them. Fruit is excellent for them. Let bread be 

 given as a luxury by yourself when you visit them, but iu small quantities. 

 For the present and while they are as it were under treatment, add to the 

 above a goodly allowance of ripe blackberries every day. 



Chickens Drooping i Somersetshire) —Your chickfus are suffering 

 from chill, or from roup, or from some weakness. When they are first 

 attacked they should he freely fed with bread steeped in f trong ale ; after- 

 wards, both for cure and prevention, pot citrate of iron or cnmphor in 

 their water. The use of these two remedies will be found to save trouble, 

 anxiety, and loss. Your fowls must have a grass run, and should be fed 

 principally on soft food. Change of air, food, water, and, above all, of 

 roosting, will often affect poultry. 



Lady Kouiesdale's Poultry (T. i?.).— Wc cannot say whether tbey 

 will be sold by private contract or by auction. They will be advertised. 



HoUDANs' Legs (./. H.). — The legs of Hood in fowls should be black and 

 white Hpockled. They should be tive-clawed, but must not be feathered. 



Chitteprats ( ).— Chitteprat is a north-country name for Silver- 

 pencilled Hamburghs. 



Pigeons Diseased (J. O ). — The disease your Pigpons are suffering 

 from is highly contagious, therefore at once separate the healthy from 

 ihe ailing. This complaint usuallv kills younpbird'^. Remove the matter 

 with a small piece of wood, a knife would be too sharp, and then apply 

 eaustic to the place. Cleanse the Pigeon-house thoroughly. Continue 

 to vary tbe food, but give them young lettuces to eat ; for, as the impuiity 

 of blood is the cause of the complaint, green food ia sure to do good. 



Bullfinch Featherless (A Lover o/ Birds). — Your Bullfinch, we fancy, 

 must be infested by some kind of vermin. Save all tbe ashes ol cigars or 

 tubaeco, and well powder the little fellow all over, and change his cage in 

 case the lice or other insects should be in it. A good wash of benzine 

 on the cage would clean it, and destroy the vermin if there are any. If 

 gas is burnt in the room, and the cage hangs within 2 feet of the ceiling, 

 tliis would cause the feathers to fall off and prevent tbe young ones 

 growing; loss of feathers also frequently occurs for want of change of 

 food. When too much hempseed is given an irritation of the skin is 

 produced, which causes the bird to pluck its owa feathers. 



POULTRY MARKET.— SErTEMBEn ar.. 



TnF. supply of all sorts of poultry ia very Riufill, and wer« it not thai 

 there is little or no demand, the price would be Very high for the lime of 

 year. 



s 



Lnrpe Fowls 3 



Smaller do , 2 



Chickeus 1 



Geese 6 



Duckliogs 1 



Pigeouo 



d. p. d 

 to 3 6 



Pheasants 



Partridges (youn^) .. 1 



Grouse 2 



Guinea Fowls 



kahhits 1 



Wild do 



d e. 

 toO 



9 2 



6 S 



n u 



5 1 



8 



