336 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



f May 9. 1887. 



distinguish the boards by painting or otherwise. I may add, 

 that on the day after I moved the hives, I placed pieces of 

 brick, wood, <te., on the stapjea, hoping in this way to stop the 

 slaughter, but have not succeeded. — W. Leakk. 



[The entrances to your bee-house are probably somewhat 

 near together, and similar in appearance. The mistake, and 

 the contests resulting from them which you notice, will pro- 

 bably diminish in number as the bees become accustomed to 

 their new abode ; but it will be well worth while to furnish 

 every alternate doorway with a distinguishing porch, which 

 should be painted in such colours as may furnish the strongest 

 contrast with that of the bee-house, and with each other.] 



MEAD OR METHEGLIN. 



AjJTiaPATTNG a good honey harvest this year, I have been 

 searching all my bee books for the best receipt for making mead 

 or metheglin, and finding scarcely two agree in recommending 

 the same proportions, I venture to ask the advice of others 

 more experienced than myself. Sir J. More says one gallon of 

 water to one gallon of honey ; Bevan, six gallons of water to 

 one gallon of honey ; Keys, one gallon of water to 3 lbs. or -1 lbs. 

 of honey, &c. 



Amid these distracting counsels to whom can appeal be 

 better made, than to the Editors of The .Tofiinal of HoRTicur,- 

 TUHE ? from whom we mav. pprhaps. receive accurate, and, 

 therefore, valuable hint?. —W. H. S., Yaxley. 



[We shall be glad of advice on this point from any of our 

 correspondents who had experience in the manufacture of 

 mead. The following receipt is extracted from " The American 

 Bee Journal :"—" Take 120 lbs. of soft water and 20 lbs. of 

 clear strained honey. Mix them well in a kettle of suitable 

 size, and boil down the mixture to 80 lbs., skimming it care- 

 fully while boiling, then pour it into a wooden vessel, and let 

 it stand to cool. While yet lukewarm put in a pint of good 

 stock yeast, stir thoroughly, and pour the whole into an oaken 

 barrel (an empty rum or wine cask is the most suitable), which 

 should be sufficiently large to contain ten gallons. The liquor 

 remaining over is to be put in bottles and used to fill up the 

 barrel or cask during fermentation. Now put into a small 

 linen bag \ o?.. cinnamon, i oz. grains of paradise, } oz. pepper, 

 i oz. ginger, \ oz. cloves coarsely pulverised, and a large hand- 

 ful of dried elder blossoms. Suspend the bag by a string in 

 the liquor through the bunghole, and place the barrel in a dry, 

 airy cellar. Let the fermentation proceed during six weeks, 

 keeping the barrel constantly full from the contents of the 

 bottles. Then, after gently removing the bag, rack off the clear 

 liquor into another cask, and close the bunghole lightly. Fer- 

 mentation will still proceed moderately for six or eight weeks 

 before the liquor becomes clear. It must then be carefully 

 racked off into bottles and well corked. The lees remaining in 

 the cask may be used in the preparation of an additional supply. 

 Mead thus prepared will keep for years. It is of a clear amber 

 tinge, and has a vinous taste."] 



but they eat the spawn and young fry of the gold fish. We 

 have known gold fish thrive and breed in a pond similar to 

 that mentioned by " W. W. E. W.," and they especially did bo 

 after water lilies and other aquatic plants were planted in the 

 pond. — Ens.] 



GOLD FISH. 



In reply to " W. W. E. W." (see page 288), I wish to tell 

 Lim that ha will find that it is the trout that kills his fish. 



Having had many kinds of fish together in a large glass 

 tank, I have been able to observe their habits. I find that the 

 common trout is the most ferocious of all the fi.sh I have kept. 

 It will not allow any other fish to approach its hiding-place. 

 No sooner does the poor gold fish pass by than out the trout 

 comes, savagely takas hold of tail or fin, and tears part of the 

 fin away. A continuance of this treatment for a few weeks 

 causes the tail part to decay, and a kind of fungus comes on 

 the tail, which seems to he quite useless, and after some weeks 

 the fish dies. Beetles and other water insects will soon cause 

 its remains to disappear. 



The trout is very cunning, and the only fish that seems to 

 see through the glass sides of the tank, for as soon as I ap- 

 proach it darts under its rock, generally in the same place, 

 although it his good places to hide near. It is quite a match 

 for the stickleback, even if they are of the same size. I have 

 seen these two fight like bulldogs. I may add I am compelled 

 to keep the two species separate, by placing a wire netting 

 across the tank, and then I have frequently seen master trout 

 leap the fence. — Hawkins. 



[Not only do trout in a pond, attack the gold fish as described 

 by our correspondent that they do in a glass aquavivarium, 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Mai-AT Fowls (J r.).— All that yonr friends have sairi about them xe 

 quite true, antl tothflir cbar.ictoristics we would add that we think them 

 llie u«Uo8t of all fowlH. The Rev. G. Hustler, StilUn«flfiBt Vicarage, 

 York, is to you the nparest breeder of them. If you wish to keep an 

 unusual variety, have Houdanfi, which have the additional merit of being 

 excellent birds as layers and for table ase. Mr. Bally, 113, Mount Street, 

 Grnsvenor Square, could supply you. 



Malt Comrs fou Fowls {John Tindall). — You can only attain them 

 of a maUster. nn I we do nnt know of one nearer to you than Ware. 



Death of Dorkinr Cock (A. B. C.i.— It is a ve'ry common thing lor 

 coclis to have dark combs when they have a difficulty in crowing; both pro- 

 ceed from cold, but death from thlG cause is linperinjr. Our own opinion 

 is. that most of the difieases of chickens are caused by parasites, and the 

 remedy for them js camphor. If the apparent worm in the roof of the 

 mouth was one in reality, contact with camphor would have killed it. In 

 these cascf. stimulants are the proper treatment to relieve, and the free 

 administration of camphor is the cure. 



Diseased L.ver in Fowls (.If. ilf.).— The appearances you describe, 

 wasting of flesh, and ulcere on the liver, are common in fowls that have 

 been overfed to induce laying. Such treitment always induce^ dropsy 

 or liver disease, and geueraUy both before it becomes fatal. Where no 

 undue feeding has taken place, it will result from ape. Great layers do 

 not last so loncj as those that are less productive. Potatoes have a ten- 

 dency to produce liver disease ; and preat alternations in feeding, a high 

 dietary for a time, and th^^n a low one, lay the foundations of disease. 

 We. however, believe you will find the sufferers are the aged among your 

 stock. 



Hatching Season— Spanish Fowls Losing theiii Feathers {M. D.). 

 — You have not neichhour's fare so far as Brahmas are concerned. They 

 have hatched well generally. Other varieties have not. Our experience 

 of hatching,' this season is that it is a bad one to the present time; 

 but better weather will give better hatching. We have wanted warm 

 niehts. Your Sp:inish fowls want grass, fresh earth, and green food. 

 Lettuce is the best. Thev pick the feathers from a craving for something 

 thny do not pet. After the feathers, they will eat the cock's face.'and will 

 strip each other. Cut largo sods of growing grass with plenty of fresh 

 earth to them, and supply them liberally every day. 



Various (.7. iS.). — We are not sure you should not take away two of the 

 roclvs, you must take away one. Take away the hens that are sickly, pive 

 them castor oil. and rub the naked parts with sulphur ointment. Give 

 tbem plenty of lettuce to eat. and let them have access to grass. Feed 

 on meal only for a time. We cannot tell you the quantity of food fowls 

 should eat, as it depends so much on that which they get in their wander- 

 inffs. We are nnt friendly to allowancing poultry. Let them always eat 

 till they leave off. butlet no food lie about. They eat more at sometimes 

 than at others. It will be, however, found that by feeding only while the 

 birds will run after the food, less will be consumed than when a given 

 qmntity is allowed. The birds will also be in better health. 



TuMODRS ON Turkey (S. F.).~We have never cured the disorder yon 

 name. We have had it in fowls, and it has always increased till the birds 

 died. None have ever laid while sufTering from it. and on opening the 

 body it was found to be a mass of disease, originating apparently with 

 the organs of biying. The lumps we have seen were between the skin 

 and the flesh, and could be moved. They contained a cheesy matter. 



Food for Young Turkeys iStihsrribcr).—The best answer we can give 

 is the following, from our "Poultry-keepers' Manual:" — "'The first diet 

 offered to Turkey chicks should consist of eggs boiled hard and finely 

 minced, or curd with bread-crumbs and thegreen partof onions, parsley, 

 &c , chopped very small, and mixed together so as to form a loose crumby 

 paste ; oatmeal with a little water may a'so be given. They will require 

 water; but this should be put into a very shallow vessel, so as to insure 

 against the danger of the chicks getting wet." 



Carbonnifr's IscvBATon {Tirnt Side). — We do not know where it can 

 be purchased. If of any special merit it should be advertised. 



Error.— At pige 320, column 2, line 12 from bottom, we ought to have 

 said " not prefer." 



Preventing the Loss of Swarms (S. S.). — There is no mode of 

 placing a hive and enticing bees into it which can be relied upon 

 to prevent the loss of swarms. You may, however, drive an artificial 

 swarm from your Ligurians, with the aid of one of your stocks of common 

 bees, in the manner described by us in No. 271 of our New Series. This 

 should be done as soon as both hives hccome crowded with bees. 



LiGLTtiANS IN Ireland (Sqiiih, Co. Kildnrc).— The word ''sealed'' was 

 accidentally omitted from the last line of our reply to your letter in our 

 last Number. It should read thus:— "a tolerable qmntity of sealed 

 drone brood " We shall he glad to receive particulr.rd of the future pro- 

 gress of Ligurians in the Emerald Isle. 



Obtaining Artificial Swarms with Frame Hives of DrFFEBENT 

 Construction (J. C. A ). — We fear that in your predicament we can only 

 advise you to endeavour to follow the example of the di^^tinguished 

 editor of the '*E,\tanRwilI Gazette" who qualified himself fur writing 

 on the somewhat abstruse subject of " Chinese Metanhysics," by turnins 

 to his Encyclopa'dia, perusing the articles headed " China " and " Meta- 

 physics," and combining the information thus obtained. In otherwords, 

 wo recommend you to refer to Mr. Woodbury's articles on "Artificial 

 Swarms," wbich'sppeared in Nos. 161, 162, and 217 of our New Series; 

 Iben peruse the one on " Propi?ating Ligurians" in the Journal of the 

 lltb ult., and combine and make use of as much of the information thus 

 obtained as the circumstances and the extent of your apiarian attain- 

 ments will admit. When using frame hives of different construction 

 nearly all the advantages of frames are, of course, forfeited, and the 

 easiest and simplest plan would probably be to treat them as common 

 hives ; but something may yet be done by cutting combs out of one set 

 of frames and fitting tbem into the others. How much that "some- 

 thing " may amount to must, however, depend entirely on the skill of the 

 bee-keeper. 



