494 



JOUENAL OF HOBTICULTDEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( December 26, 1867. 



the largest nnmber reared, so far as I know, by any one hive 

 on record. Half-a-dozen of these I had the pleasure of trans- 

 mitting, along with other specimens of the race, to Sir John 

 Lubbock, President of the Entomological Society of London, 

 who afterwards handed them over to Mr. Smith for the British 

 Museum collection. 



But to return. The summer passed away without much 

 honey-stores being collected. In some localities where white 

 clover was abundant several hives did remarkably well, and a 

 considerable quantity of flower honey was secured, but the 

 result was by no means general, and, so far as my own locality 

 was concerned, little good was done till the end of July, when 

 the lime tree blossoms appeared. The lime tree being most 

 profuse in its blossoming this year, and the weather being warm, 

 moist, and sultry, so suitable for the exudation of the nectar, 

 the honey collected from this source was unusually great, and 

 hives, in some instances impoverished before, now groaned 

 under the weight of accumulated stores. Artificial swarms 

 made from the Egyptians so late as the end of July, filled their 

 domiciles at this time in ten and fourteen days. One, con- 

 taining the whole bees, and weighing 8 lbs., filled an immense 

 hive with comb in an equally short time from the lime trees 

 alone. 



By the middle of August, therefore, most hives in the vicinity 

 of rich clover fields, and especially of lime trees, were in a tolerably 

 fair condition ; but something more, of course, was in many cases 

 needed. To such apiarians as were within easy reach of heath- 

 clad hills or moors, there still remained the chances of a good 

 heather season. Never did prospects augur more favourably. 

 The heath, though late, was well flowered and very luxuriant ; 

 but, alas ! day after day adverse weather prevented the bees from 

 collecting anything like the usual quantity of its precious sweets. 

 It was truly vexing to see, as far as the eye could reach on all 

 sides, the hills purpled with the richest of bee-flowers, the 

 heath, embracing myriads on myriads of its little flowery 

 receptacles laden with golden sweets, and yet for the most part 

 doomed to "blush" if not "unseen" at least unvisited by the 

 bees. 



" And waste their sweetness on the desert air." 



Bad weather, that but too frequent impediment to the welfare of 

 our apiaries in this fickle northern climate, ruled throughout the 

 heather season ; hence most of the hives were brought back 

 from the moors with only an average of eight or ten pounds 

 additional weight. 



Here again the Egyptians headed "the poll" as to weight, 

 the prodigious numbers composing their colonies enabling them 

 to make the most of every favourable hour, " pouring out and 

 in " on such occasions, to use the language of a visitor, " Uke 

 clouds of locusts." 



On the whole the autumn closed under not over favourable 

 circumstances, and not a few hives had to be fed up for keeping 

 accordingly. This being attended to, and the stocks being 

 generally strong in population, and, moreover, the wintering up 

 to the present time being very favourable, we may reasonably 

 expect to find our apiaries in the ensuing spring everything 

 which we could desire. — J. Lowe, Edinburgh. 



SILICWOKM REARING IN ENGLAND.— No. H. 



Silkworm rearing is stated to have been introduced into 

 Italy about the tenth century, and it now forms an important 

 branch of industry in Europe. In England little is done in 

 this way, although many successful experiments have been re- 

 ported at various times by different persons. 



The most useful breeds of the mulberry silkworm are the 

 medium-sized ; but at the present day there is great difficulty 

 in finding eggs wholly of good quality. The best of the 

 smaller breeds that give fine silk are those from Japan. These 

 are divided into the annual kinds y ving yellow, white, or green 

 sUk, and those that are called " Trevoltini," because producing 

 three crops the same summer. These are all worms of four 

 sleeps. There is a breed having only three sleeps, but not 

 much cultivated. 



There are some wild breeds, such as that called Tusseh. 

 Another is called the Arrindy. The silk of the latter is said to 

 be good and durable when spun and made into a coarse kind of 

 cloth. There is a worm, also, which feeds on the leaves of the 

 castor-oil plant ; but lately two new ones have been introduced, 

 of which I intend to speak at a future time. I allude to the 

 Ailanthns worm, eating the leaves of that tree, and the Yama- 



mai, or oak-leaf worm, and the latter more particularly deserves 

 experiment ; but it does not appear to me at present that any 

 of these can supplant the old mulberry breeds, and until 

 convincing proofs are established of advantages in rearing 

 any of them, it would be folly to abandon the sUkworm which 

 is so famous nearly throughout the world. 



I shall now offer short descriptions of the most useful of the 

 mulberry silkworms — viz. : 



Common I('»n»s nf Four Sleeps, producing white silk. — These 

 may be called the Chinese kind, and the most useful, deserving 

 every attention. It is this sort which is much reared around 

 the cities of Genoa and Novi, or was before the devastation 

 caused by the " atrofia," or silkworm disease. The superiority 

 of the white silk from this breed is well known in the market, 

 it being much sought for. There is another similar kind of 

 worm producing yellow silk, and which has been more gene- 

 rally cultivated ; but of late years both have much suffered 

 from the prevailing disease. 



Very Large Worms. — Very large worms are cultivated in 

 various districts of Italy, more especially a breed called " Ma- 

 cedonia." The eggs of these worms are larger and heavier 

 than those of the common kinds, and the worms weigh more 

 in proportion, and so do the cocoons. There does not, how- 

 ever, seem to be any particular advantage in rearing these 

 worms rather than the common ones, for they are more 

 troublesome and expensive, being from eight to nine days 

 longer-lived, besides affording silk of a coarser quaUty. 



Worms of onlij Tlirec Sleeps. — These are much reared in 

 Lombardy. They are smaller than the common worms, and, 

 of course, produce in proportion less silk ; but it is very fine. 

 They have advantages entitling them to be more esteemed than 

 they are. They are shorter lived than the common breed by 

 five or six days, consequently their crop is produced sooner, 

 and with less expense and trouble ; but the smallness of the 

 cocoons is somewhat disadvantageous, as the reelers will not 

 pay so good a price for them. 



Worms reproduciiifi thcmselres Three Times the same summer, 

 — It is stated by Moretti that these worms are cultivated in 

 India as a particular sort, observing that they are, doubtless, 

 of the same kind as those reared about Naples, where two crops 

 are produced, the third not being obtained because the tempe- 

 rature does not permit. Be this as it may, I have seen three 

 crops produced in Piedmont. I cannot say, however, that the 

 breed was the same, because it was obtained lately from .Tapan, 

 and therefore may not be that to which Moretti alludes. — 

 Leonakd Habsian, jdn. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Which is the Hackle? {Stalely). — The hackle is that part of the 

 plumage which grows on the neck and reaches the shoulders, hanging 

 down in front, and forming as it were a mane. The feathers composing 

 it, Uke those of the saddle, are long and narrow, differing from body 

 feathers, which are round. 



Whith DoRKTwa PuLi-ETS (Walton). — Your pullets nine months old 

 ought to lay, but their vary sometimes. Your food is too elaborate and 

 not good enough. The barley does not want boiling ; pollard is pnor food, 

 aud potatoes are unprofitable. Give them good ground oats mixed with 

 water in the morning, scraps or whole corn at midday, and ground cats 

 again in the evening. Let them have, as frequently as may be, large 

 sods of growing grass, with plenty of fresh mould. Jf you follow this 

 up they will soon lay. 



D1STINGTTI8HING THE Sex of Poultry (Idem). — The difference between 

 the cock and pullet is plainly perceptible at a few weeks old in either of 

 the breeds you name. The cock chickei: s show more comb than the hens, 

 and as soon as they begin to feather the hinder plumage of the cock 

 chickens differs in every way from that of the pullets. Mr. Stevens lots 

 and sells birds as they are sent to him. The catalogue is published a 

 week before the sale, and he sells according to the description supplied 

 to him. Cabbages are not good food for fowls; they affurd no nourish- 

 ment, and possess none of the qualities necessary for profitable or satis- 

 factory feeding. The fowls know it ; if you give them every sort of green 

 or root food, the cabbage will be the last they eat, 



Spanish Hen Featherless (E. F. IT.).— For a hen to have suddenly 

 lost all her feathers is very usual. You must keep her sliut up all day, 

 unless during one unusually sunny and mild, and feed her generously to 

 promote re-feathering. 



Mahogany Bee Hites.— In answer to " S. A ," wo are informed that 

 the price is twelve guineas, including polished oak stand. They may be 

 seen both stocked and unstocked at Mr. A. Young's, Hominglow, Burton- 

 on-Trent, Staffordshire. 



Vaccination (A Mother).— There is, we rejoice to say, an Act rendering 

 vaccination compulsory; and we wish, as in Sweden, that a death sen- 

 tence could be passed upon any one inoculating with the small pox. We 

 have seen the contemptible French work condemning vaccination; but 

 what is that compared to the unanimous testimouy of eyoty medical mas 

 of celebrity ? ^f .■ 



