June 6, 1867. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTDKB AND COTTAGE GARDENEE. 



401 



every year if winter ef»g3 are desired. In his hints on feeding 

 I coincide with him in his recommendation to give the last 

 meal in the day of whole corn. Indeed, all Mr. Wright's prac- 

 tical remarks are worth notice. Thus, the water-vessel he 

 recommends, having an opening at the top closed by a cork, is 

 much preferable for cleansing to the ordinary stone fountain. 

 The chapter on Incubation is full of good hints. The advice 

 about moisture is perfectly correct. I would advise that if yon 

 must sit a hen in a box on wood, as in a hayloft, cut a large 

 turf, and set the box on it, and wet the turf now and then. 

 Rearing, Fattening, and Diseases are noticed in their turn. 



Passing on to Section II. we come to Mr. Wright's advice 

 concerning " The Breeding and Exhibition of Prize Poultry." 

 Profit and fancy are usually two separate things, yet fancy 

 poultry may frequently pay well. Be it so, yet I wish the 

 English lower middle class could make ordinary poultry so 

 profitable, that the money spent on foreign eggs could go into 

 English pockets. The chapter " On Scientific Principles of 

 Breeding, and the Effects of Crossing," may not convince all 

 minds, but it is well written, and very interesting. One 

 remark is undoubtedly true, " without foundation by long- 

 continued selection no strain can be depended on." This I 

 have found to be true over and over again. The remarks on 

 " Treatment of Fowls Before and AftBr Exhibition," should be 

 tested by the reader's own present and future experiences. 



The third Section on "Different Breeds of Fowls," is less new, 

 as upon its subject so much has been of late written. All except 

 Brahma fanciers will, I fear, think the chapter on that breed 

 too long in proportion to the space given to other varieties ; 

 but, without doubt, those who have contributed descriptions 

 of the breed understand it thoroughly. I may instance Mr. 

 Pares, Mr. Hinton, and others. This latter remark applies to, 

 other contributors to this section. The chapter on Game fowls 

 is written by " Newmaeket," who gives his name, and of 

 whom I may, therefore, speak as Mr. Trevor Dickens. I wish 

 this gentleman would publish a separate book on Game fowls. 

 He understands this breed thoroughly, and combines the now 

 rare knowledge of the bird in its former pugnacious character, 

 and its present character as a bird for the show pen. I ask, 

 too, because even in a recent and large work the chapter on 

 Game fowls is very meagre. Such a book well illustrated would 

 be valuable, for it would record permanently facts already dying 

 out, because the pastime is gone; and certainly Mr. Dickens 

 knows thoroughly the Game fowl in all its varieties, and would 

 not pass them over as of mere local knowledge. After the 

 English breeds, the French varieties are mentioned at large. 

 I imagine the Houdan will in time be extensively bred in Eng- 

 land. Then the Bantams are briefly noticed — too briefly ; and 

 lest any fowl should be offended, the very barndoor bird is 

 written about. Looking at him in this pretty book, I say — 



" This bird we know is neither rich nor rare, 

 The only wonder is, how ever he got there." 



Section lY. treats of " Turkevs, Ornamental Poultry, and 

 Waterfowl." Section V. of " The Hatching and Rearing of 

 Chickens Artificially," and the sixth and last Section treats of 

 "The Breeding and Management of Poultry upon a Large 

 Scale," as shown in France, at Belair. The last section I read 

 in Cassell's monthly number. 



Thus I have briefly reviewed Mr. Wright's work, and pro- 

 nounce it to be what its title declares. More pretentious books 

 on poultry, and kindred subjects, are often made up chiefly of 

 quotations from well-known works, and have no claim to origi- 

 nality. Not so this book. The illustrations are not equal to the 

 letterpress, but the waterfowl are better than the land birds. 

 None but a poultry fancier can well illustrate fancy poultry ; 

 even to a good artist a fowl is a fowl, and no more, and its 

 points are not seen. Plainer backgrounds cause figures to 

 stand out sharper and clearer. 



In conclusion, I may state that Mr. Wright is the " Nemo " 

 of our columns; now " Nemo '' is somebody. — Wiltshike 

 RECTon. 



INCREASE OF PRIZES FOR CANARIES AND 

 RABBITS. 



Pekmit me to make a few remarks on the great falling off in 

 the entries of Rabbits and Canaries owing to the small amounts 

 given as prizes. For instance, fanciers living at a distance are 

 obliged to forward their stock by rail, the cost of so doing, 

 even for a single Babbit or Canary, being more than the value 

 of the first prize should it be fortunately obtained. 



Now, in the opinion of a large number of fanciers, and 



having the best intentions towards these exhibitions, the follow- 

 ing alterations would be advantageous, and I trust Com- 

 mittees will take them into consideration : — Instead of giving 

 the small prizes that are now given, and only charging small 

 sums for entrance, we wish for £1 as the first prize, and 10s. 

 as the second, and 2s. or some such sum to be charged for 

 entrance fees. The entries would be largely increased. 



It is well known that long-eared Rabbits are very valuable, 

 also pure-bred Belgian Canaries ; Babbits often being sold for 

 from £5 to £10 in these exhibitions, and Canaries often for 

 very large amounts. — John Taylor, Sliefield. 



BEE-KEEPING IN RUSSIA. 



{Continued from page 304.) 



A POUND of drained honey costs in these countries from Ijd. 

 to 3(2. Honey in the comb is somewhat more expensive, cost- 

 ing 3}rf. per lb. Honey is always filtered on a warm hearth 

 through a sieve of bast, in order to separate it from the wax. 

 Wax, which however is very often adulterated with tallow and 

 pea flour, costs from OJd. to Is. per lb. All this, however, ai 

 far as regards prices, holds good only for the more southern 

 governments, as, for example, laaratoff, Irenburg, &c. In the 

 more northern governments, especially Moscow, the prices are 

 different, and are often more than double what is above stated. 

 In Moscow, on the honey-feast, the 1st of August, a pound o£ 

 honeycomb costs from Is. to Is. id. per lb. ; in autumn lOd., 

 and in the months of February and March, during the great 

 fast (Lent), from Is. Gd. to '2s. During the great fast an 

 enormous quantity of honey is consumed, as all the orthodox 

 Russians are allowed to drink tea, which is the chief beverage, 

 only with honey or raisins, as sugar is not " pure for fast- 

 ing," because it is cleaned with burnt bones. A pound of wax 

 costs from 2s. to 2s. Gd. in winter. In Petersburg the prices 

 are the same. 



He who would send en gros fine honeycomb in frames from 

 Germany to Petersburg in February or March could make a very 

 good business of it, as honeycomb in Russia is comparatively 

 bad — i.e., it is in small pieces and broken, while those who buy 

 usually look out for larger pieces, which, however, as Dzierzon'* 

 system is not known there, it is difficult to obtain. 



In the western governments the bees are treated in an en- 

 tirely different way to the east. In the north-west of th« 

 Russian governments of Nowgorod, Pskow, and the formerly 

 Polish provinces of Ismolensk and Witebsk, they leave tha 

 stocks in the open air on their stands in winter without sur- 

 rounding them with straw, &c. ; nay, they do not even take 

 the trouble to close the rabbets, &c. with clay, &c. The stock* 

 being lagers, resting at a small height from the ground, aro 

 often buried so far in the snow that only the higher point is to 

 be seen ; (they do not lie horizontally as has been mentioned). 

 But, nevertheless, although they are lagers — as the head ia 

 raised they are to be considered as half-lagerstocks — and are 

 exposed for six months to intense cold, which often reaches 

 — 30" R. (32° below zero of Fahr.), and lasts long; most of 

 them winter well. The snow, which almost buries them, is per- 

 haps the cause of it ; nay, in one of two stocks belonging to 

 a neighbour of mine in the government Ismolensk, where I 

 lived in the years 18G0-1862, the lower door had fallen out in 

 the winter of 1860-1, and the opening, more than 1 foot by 

 G inches, remained open until spring without the stock dying. 

 I tried the same experiment with my klotzbeuter in the winter 

 1861-62, of course on purpose. The lower opening remained 

 the whole winter exposed to storm and snow, and on the 21st o£ 

 April the bees very cheerfully flew out for the first time to clean 

 themselves, and I counted at most from 100 to 150 dead bees. 

 The following day they carried in pollen of Anemone Pulsatilla. 



In spring, as soon as the bees have held their flight for 

 cleaning themselves, all the lower part of the comb in tha 

 stock is removed, so that only 18 inches remain. 



This is considered necessary, that the bees may " work more 

 industriously." After cutting out the combs, the stocks which 

 are poor in honey receive a few pounds of honey, which is mostly 

 granulated. The swarms which, in spite of the bad treatment, 

 issue rather early here, often in the beginning of the first week 

 in June, are all placed singly, in spite of their light weight of 

 2, at most i lbs. ; the latter weight only occurs exceptionally. 

 Only late swarms, which often weigh merely three-quarters of 

 a pound, are united together. In the mouth of July honey 

 is taken in proportion from all the old stocks, even from those 

 that have given swarms, if only a few ounces, and 6 inches or 

 somewhat more of the lower part of the combs, even if filled 



