80 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jannary 24, 1867. 



It wftfl a. remarkably strong stock, and appeared capable of 

 standing the severest weather. If egress had been possible, I 

 have no doubt it would have done well, but a period of chilly 

 ungenial weather set in, the temperature gradually fell, and 

 very few of the bees which came out of the hive were able to 

 return to it. About the middle of February following the ther- 

 mometer indicated IS"" of frost, and as the bees by that time 

 ■were filled to repletion, they could no longer take in more food 

 so as to enable them to keep up the requisite degree of warmth 

 in their hive. The consequence was the death,, in one night, 

 of nearly five thousand bees still attached to each other in a 

 cluster. .1,^ 



Such are the evils which I have observed to follow on an un- 

 seasonable interference with stocks ; but even when a hive is 

 removed in the ^vinter season to a strange place, and in the 

 gentlest possible manner, vast numbers of "the population 

 perish if a fine day do not immediately follow, so as to tempt 

 the inmates to come out in a body; -for if 'they leave; the hive 

 singly or by twos and threes, they 'generally do So -without 

 taking much notice of the^ aperture to their houses,, aaid as 

 they fly about for some time without being able to find it,' they 

 soon become benumbed, and so falldo,wn and die. Not one in 

 a hundred when the temperature is low can mak^, its .way back 

 to its home after removal to a new locality ; for the place^ is 

 strange, a considerable time has to elapseere.a.svifficieut survey 

 of it can be taken, and there are very few tlays in the winter 

 months when bees can with safety linger niiicli^more tlmn,a 

 minnte or two out of doors. It is different when the day sub- 

 sequent to removal is genial and fine. They then corrie out in 

 such numbers as to make an inexperienced person believe they 

 are going to swarm, and as they crowd around the entrance, 

 those on the wing examining the new situation are ai once 

 directed to the home which they might not otherwise have 

 found. ' 



With these facts many bee-l>eepers must be well stcquainted, 

 and it is only for the benefit of novices J state them. I,y/ould, 

 therefore, tender this advice. Never to remove .stock? ,tp either 

 a short or a long distance during the months of. December, 

 January, and February, or if you do, let it, be early In the 

 forenoon, and on a day when, about noon, in their new situa- 

 tion the bees may with safety be allowed to go abbjoad,— E.'^ S. 



.' V. ) ■ .ItP^Cf ' . 

 '■<■:' ■( : 'iy.iT.V-i:'"' 

 OUR LETTER BOX*'. 'i^ /ur:/^K 



Hen's Abi^omen Swollen fTiieho).— If the hen yf^U'fnetatfftti iirst'^'e a 

 Spanish heu, it is the l)epinniug of an iuourablo malady ; in ftU cases 

 such attacks are incnrablo. but very often tbcy clo not interfore with the 

 usefulness of the bird. We cannot guess nt tlie cause of illness in the 

 two pullets, but eating snow sometimes causes strange mala^Ues. 



Peomotino Laving (Novice).— Wery few f(m}a lay in tlii^ weitther. 

 Cooked meat chopped fine, bread soaked in ale, and griDund oats mixed 

 with milk, tallow chandlers' preaveseoaJted in boiling water, n liUlS hemp- 

 seed, are all stimulating food, and tend tomakefowld lay, but they injm-e 

 the birds. 



Game Fowls with DiFPEnENT- coloured Legs (Scot).~lt thb pen 

 included none but the finest and best birds that were evtir'seen or bred 

 it could not compete, as the diflference in the coloui; of tbe legs is a 

 positive disqualification. It used to occur at the shows in tlilS country 

 formerly, but of late we have never seen it. 



Height of I^ct.osvrr (Suffolk Subscriber).— A. fence 5 feet high will 

 keep almost any fowls within bnnnds, unless they are tempted by some- 

 thing on the other side which their confinement does not afford ; but 

 even then they will seldom attempt it, more especially if the fence is 

 made to slope inwards. i ■ , , , , ' 



HouDANs Confined (Wf?m).—Houdans do as well in CQttfinenient as at 

 Kberty, and a four-feet fence will It'eep them in. '^ ■'^' ' - 



Pheasants Confined {Z<Zem).— Common Piieaaents beaj: confinement 

 well, and can be profita^>ly kept. No license is j;equired for selling , their 

 produce. 



DijBBiNG Game Bantam Cooks (aallus).~Thej, as well as Game cocks, 

 may be dubbed at from five to seven months old. The best way is to use 

 a pair of curved scissors, and to cut from the back of the skull to the 

 nostril, keeping so close as to leave no comb whatever, but taking care 

 not to expose tho skull. Afterwards remove the gills and deaf ears with 

 the same instrument. Other birds than we havp mentioned may of 

 course he dubbed, but not younger ones, as, if the operation is performed 

 too early, the combs gi-ow after it, and it again becomes neocssary. 



Detecting Fertile Eggs (C. S.).— We can tell you of no way of 

 testing tho fertility of eggs till they have been sat upon for a few davs. 

 Take an egg that has been sat upon five days, and, choosing the strongest 

 light you can, sunhght if possible, place yourself in a dark house, and 

 open a chink of the door to admit a small str.mg ray. Then hold 

 the egg between the thumb and finger of the left hand, while with 

 the right you form a telescope, as it were, and fixing it close to the eye 

 at one end, if you press the egg against the othor,.no light will be ad- 

 mitted save through the egg, and if it bo fertile jt.u will after five days' 

 incubation distinctly see the streak of blood in the yolk. This is the first 

 formation of the chicken. If the egg is quiteiclearthere is no life in it; 

 at a later period the eggs show by motion when th&y arc put ir> warm 

 Water. 



Fowls with Disordehed Thboats (D. (?.).— To your fowls which make 

 a hiccoughing noise give some bread and strong beer. They are suffering 

 from cold. 



Number of Eggs a Hen Lays (T.).— Tho number of eggs laid by a 

 hen is not affected by the cock, but, as a whole, the hens do better, even if 

 there be but one cock to twenty hens. We do not know the price ol 

 feathers. 



Geesk with Long-pho-ikcting Feathers [E.N]. — Your Geese are 

 either Sebastopol or crossed with that breed. The pure bird is very 

 beautiful, generally white and covered with long curling feathers, bat 

 they are not very heavy. That is our reason for thinking yours are not 

 pure. 



Mixtdre of White and Bcff Cochin-Chinas (D. M., 01a.Mf}ow).—We 

 are nnable to say what colour the produce of the cross would be, but it 

 has always been said the Hlnck Cochins were produced in that way. It 

 is certain they could not be continued on account of their eccentricities 

 iu the way of colom*. 



Poultry tor a Small Yard (M. A. JTcaici/).— Any of the dark varie- 

 ties of Cochin-Chinas or Brahma Pootras will suit you. 



HANDLraa Poultry at Sales (IF. H. it/.).— Thero is no rule that we 

 know either sanctioning or forbidding the practice. The safest way would 

 be not to have a bird taken out or put into a basket, except by an 

 attendant appointed by the auctioneer. 



DoRKiNG-8 (Nemo). — If we were about keeping Dorkings we should pur- 

 chase pullets and a cock, either at one of t^ie exhibitions or at a sale at 

 Mr. Stevens's, King Street, Oovent Garden, taking care not to have 

 them a brother and sisters. 



Good Intention,— If ^^ Inqitiri:r"v:iti enclose to lis a stamped envelope 

 with his direction we will send him the address of a lady who will meet 

 his wis:hes as far as her stock of the various fowls will allow. 



Fern" Cloths (J. J'. S.). — We ha.ve seen ferns printed in black on a 

 white ground, but never white op a black ground. It must be effected in 

 the dying. 



Crkve Ocbtths at RnoREiiAM Show.— In the prize list of the Shoreham 

 Poultry Si^ow you gave me Credit for taking tho second prize for Game 

 Bantams, wliich.ijj a mistake, but I hadthesocond prize for Crt-ve Ooeurs. 

 —J. C. Phair. 



Flight Feathers of an Owl Pigeon (Elrtn).— The flight feathers 

 should not be of the same colour as the wing bars, but of the same 

 colrtur as the body of the Pigeon — thus : in Blue Owls blue, in Silver 

 Owls silver. , . 



Food for Game Fowls (TjqscIi). — Feeding on Peas is said to be best 

 for hardening the flesb and feather. Barley is beat for cold winter 

 weather, as being the wannest food. For warm summer weather red 

 wheat, oats, rye, huck\yheat, or brank, is best; the latter is also good for 

 winter feeding. I feed my Game fowls on barley in winter, and on 

 barley and red wheat in summer. The hardness of feather and flesh, or 

 what is termed "good coudition," of course, greatly depends upon the 

 strain or breed of birds kept. No good feeding can make soft birds hard, 

 and good condition also greatly depends upon a good healthy country 

 walk and great cleanliness, as bad walks often spoil good birds. My 

 articles iu this Journal begin with the Number of September 18th, 1S66 ; 

 pages 821, 415, and 436, give other information such as is required by 



" Bosch." ~^' i^EWMAmCE^." 



Poultry Keeping iM. I. E.). — To answer all your queries would fill a 

 coliunn of our Journal. If you enclose seven postage stamps with your 

 address, and order "The Poultiw Tiook," it will be sent to you free by 

 post. It contains all the information you ,a^ for, and much more that 

 will be useful to you. 



Bird De.vlers (I. S. R. Z) ).— In answer to your application we give the 

 following: — ^Mr. Hawking, Bear Street, Leic-ester Sqnare ; Mr. Judd, 

 2^, Newington Butts ; Mr. ITraser, The Green, linightsbridge ; Mr. Isaacs, 

 3*2, Prince's Street, Leicester Square; Mr. Jamrach, 180, St. George 

 Street, E, ; Mr. Rice, 156, St. George Street, E.. 



Maggots IN Combs— Brekmn-g IN Supers— Storing Combs (E. B.). — 

 You should go over the conibr; carefully, and pick out and destroy evei^y 

 maggot, or the combs may be entirely destroyed before the time comes 

 for making use of them. You run no risk in trying to utilise these combs 

 after destroying the worms, for if tliey are too far gone to be available the 

 bees will soon make an end of them. Queens ai-e not so prone to breed 

 in stipers when tho commiiuicatiori with the stock hive is at the sides 

 only. It is aaid that queens may be entirely excluded from supers by 

 the communication being restricted to naiTow slits one-fifth of an inch 

 wide. We should be glad if any of our readers who have tried this plan 

 would communicate the results of their experience. ■ We do not imagine 

 that any one sells wire suited for drono traps, but believe you must get it 

 made purposely for you. Empty combs after having been carefully in- 

 spected, to make sure that they are free from wax moth, should he 

 wrapped in paper and put away in a bos or diTiwer in a perfectly di-y place. 



Packing Eggs for Travelling iSpangltd Hamburgh), — We cannot 

 reply better than by quoting the following fi*om "The Poultiy-Keepcr'3 

 Manual," published at our office :— '' We know of thirteen eggs which, 

 after journeying 800 miles (from Winchester to Kendal), produced nine 

 chickens. They were in a strong box, 2 inches of bran at the bottom, 

 then an inch layer of oats, on this the eggs were laid on their sides, 

 covered an incli deep with oats, and then 2 inches deep of bran. A 

 gontleman of much experience wyote as follows U> ns on this subject :— 

 ' As an experiment to test my mode of packing eggs, I sent five eggs more 

 than 170 miles by railway; they were absent throe days, and twice 

 travelled through Loudon in tho railway van. On their return they were 

 placed with some other eggs under a hen, and four out of the five eggs 

 were duly hatched. These eggs were carefully packed, and the hd of the 

 box screwed down. The only objection to oats, as a packing material, is, 

 that sometimes, hut very rarely, an egg may be pierced with the sharp 

 end of an oat; I have only known, however, one or two instances of such 

 an accident. The plan I now adopt in packing eggs is to \vrap each egg 

 iu several folds of newspaper, and then place a thick layer of cotton- 

 wool and straw cut to the length of the box, both under and over the 

 eggs, fiUing up every interstice ^vith pledgets of cotton- wool. This plan 

 prevents any chance of the eggs being broken, and preserves their 

 vitality as well as is done by the oats. There is one thing I invariably do, 

 and I think oiight to be done by everyone who sells eggs for sittings, and 

 that is to wi'ite on each ep.g, legibly with a pencil, the date on which it 

 was laid. Egg-boxes should invariably have their lids screwed, down. I 

 have constantly received boxes of valuable eggs, of which not one has 

 hatched, and, I believe, solely in consequence of the lids being nailed 

 down, the jar ol the hammer destrojdng the vitality of the egg. No eggs 

 should be packed in sawdust, nor should eggs more than ten days old be 

 sent to any distance.' " 



