38 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. I January 13, 1870. 



but the pollen of the fir tree. There are but small plantations 

 of firs in our neighbourhood, so that it appears that the pollen 

 must have come from a considerable distance. 



It is not impossible that the spores of the ordinary brush- 

 mildew may be capable of producing foul brood without having 

 attained the Cryptococcua form by fermentation. It is true 

 that mildew is "frequently found in hives, especially in the 

 spring, whilst foul brood is comparatively of rare occurrence. 

 Still, it is always suspicious, and the question can only be 

 decided by experiment.— Dr. Pbbuss, Sanitdttrath, 

 (To be continued.) 



OUR LETTER BOX. 

 Costmitteemen Exhibiting.— We have so many letters on this subject 

 that we must decline inserting any more. One letter "demands" our 

 opinion, and. though not courteously asked, wo readily give it. The 

 principle " I om l advocates is correct, for if committeemen did not 

 exhibit one cause of suspicion of unfairness would be avoided, but if 

 committeemen were not allowed to exhibit a large proportion of shows 

 would not be held. It is a justified pride to excel in one's own neigh- 

 bourhood, and most rare are the occasions whon a committeeman dares 

 to trv to influence a judge, and quite as rare is the event of a judge being 

 base'enouL'b to be so influenced. We havo seen a letter from "Egomet ' 

 to Mr L Wright in an- w<-r to one from the latter. It disclaims all per- 

 sonality, and we would have published both, for they do credit to each 

 writer/if we had not been convinced that the controversy had better cease. 

 Books (A. OX— There is no separate work on Game fowls by any one. 

 "The Poultry Keepers' Manual" includes Game fowls, and has a coloured 

 drawing of a Black-breasted Game cock and hen. It can be had from 

 our office, price 7s. Gd. 



Paying Prizes {Jack).— If a poultry exhibition is conducted as it ought 

 to be the prizes should be paid within a week. Many committees pay 

 them during the show. As the secretary has not answered yonr letter, 

 and the exhibition took place a month since, write to him again, and say 

 that if yon are not paid forthwith you will sue him in the County Court, 

 and if he does not reply satisfactorily carry out your threat. 



Whitehaven Poultry Show. — We are requested to state Jhat the 

 second prize for young Spanish at this Show was awarded to Mr. P. H. 

 Jones, of Fulham, and not to Mr. Brierley, whose birds were absent. 



Brahmas out of Condition {Dark Brahma).— Your feeding seems 

 judicious, but your birds are evidently out of condition. Take the perch 

 away for a day or two. Purge both the birds thoroughly, and give the 

 cock a stimulant in the form of beer. You will also do well to give the 

 cock camphor morning and evening, a pill the size of a garden pea for 

 each dose. 



Breeding Silkies (Constant Reader).— Breed from the rose-combed, 

 bearded, and crested birds. They should have metalhc-hlue faces, and 

 blue skins and legs. Very good specimens should be five-clawed. 



Breeding Fowls for Egg-producing (Extra Cock).— "We advise you 

 to keep either a Brahma or a Cochin cock. They are good stock-getters, 

 very hardy, and do well in confinement. 



White Dorking Bantams [Dorking Bantam). — We have as yet seen 

 none of them. They will be unquestionably curious, but we are not sure 

 we shall admire them. We cannot reconcile to ourselves the merit of 

 reducing to a fancy that which is an important feature in the valuable 

 properties of a breed— viz . size. As yet only one Bantam has succeeded, 

 except the Game, that is the Cochin, but either the monopolists wish to 

 keep them to themselves, or they are difficult to keep up, for they do not 

 seem to increase in numbers. 



Game Feathers (An Amateur). — There is nothing in the feathers to 

 disqualify a bird shown in a class for "Black-breasted and other Reds." 

 We speak as to colour The limp, long, and poor feather would hardly 

 come from a first-prize bird, unless ho was successful where the com- 

 petition was very small indeed. Redundancy of plumage, whether in 

 hackles, saddle, or tail, is an evil in a Game cock. 



Pullets not Laying — Fowls' Dung as Manure (P. B. N.).— Your 

 pullets must lay. Either they eat their eggs, or they are otherwise dis- 

 posed of— that is, providing they have recovered from their diarrhoea. 

 The snuffling is the result of the cold and changeable weather. Youmay 

 advantageously alter the feeding by giving three meals per day— viz., 

 barley in the morning, barley for one succeeding meal, barley meal for 

 the other, changing according to convenience. At this time of year, 

 when there is little natural food, you must feed three times a-day. 

 Before we can possibly answer your letter we should know the age of the 

 cock. If he was hatched in April or May he is quite fit to put with hens. 

 At this time of year he sbou d not have more than four, but as the 

 weather improves the number may be increased. The manure from fowls 

 is unequalled for rose culture, and, like guano, excellent for most garden 

 crops, when mixed with twice its quantity of earth. By itself it is strong 

 enough to be injurious. 



Confining Hamburghb (C. F. W.).—Ii the space enclosed be small, a 

 netting 8 feet high may enclose Hamburgh fowls, but if it be large they 

 will assuredly fly over it. Cover the top. The Brahma cock will not be 

 in any way injured. 



Hen's Intestines Swelled (Constant Subscriber).— All the symptoms 

 yon mention can be produced by injury of the spine, difficulty in laying 

 an egg, or stoppage of the bowele. The first and the last are bad 

 cases and not worth trying to cure ; the second is easily treated. It 

 merely requires to have a wing-feather dipped in oil and passed gently 

 down the egg-passage till it meets the egg. This latter moves as soon as 

 the feather touches it, and the passage being thoroughly lubricated the 

 egg finds an easy exit. Do not attempt to assist nature' by giving just 

 the idea of a squeeze or push ; the shell is very weak while in the bird, 

 and if broken it makes all three cases hopeless, so far as cure is con- 

 cerned. 



Points of Dark Brahma Pootras (Irish Subscriber).— Dark Brahmas 

 Should have pea-combs and pencilled plumage, all except the neck, the 



latter black and white striped, no vulture-hocks, yellow legs and well 

 feathered. The cocks should have pea-combs, black or black and white 

 speckled breasts, light almost white hackle ami saddle, and black tails. 

 Both should be large, and should have well-feathered yellow legs. 

 Vnlture-hocks are feathers growing down below the knee-joint, and pro- 

 jecting outwards. 



Long-faced Blue Beards (Antwerp).— The Short-faced Beards were 

 bred from the L.ong-faced originally, as were all Short-faced Tumblers 

 from their longer-faced brethren, but now for many years the two breeds 

 have been quite distinct. We suspect a dash of Antwerp blood or 

 Skinnum blood in the best flying Beards. They are rather coarse 

 Pigeons, but useful. 



Blue Rock Doves (B. H. Creswell).—A.s you have hitherto tried in vain 

 to procure these birds, an advertisement in our columns would bring them 

 if they are to be had. Now is an excellent time to settle them, as they 

 would breed directly. 



BEES (Id' hi). — As yon think the price of the hives you mention is too 

 great, you could procure bees from some bee-keeping cottager at a 

 cheaper rate. It must be borne in mind that inventors who have patented 

 their inventions have been at great expense, to say nothing of the 

 ingenuity and skill they have exercised. Good things are always 

 expensive. 



Tortoise Dying (Idem). — We have kept many, but all soon died. Yonr 

 treatment was what is always recommended. A few tortoises appear to 

 live a long time, at least we have heard of such, but the life of the 

 majority is in England but brief. 



Tying Comes in Frames.— "Will 'J. B.,' of Morton, please to say how 

 he tied combs firmly into frames'? as I have always used thin slips of 

 wood and tacks, but think string better if the combs can be tied firmly 

 as it could be more easily removed. — R. H.'' 



Early Broods of Canaries tF. TearU).—" Snch instances of early 

 nidification are not unusual. Where birds are kept in a ionm in which 

 a tolerably warm temperature is maintained— in a kitchen for instance, 

 they are suro to become ' fresh,' at or about the close of the year, hens 

 in particular. Mr. Nicholson, Inspector of the Sunderland Constabulary, 

 has at the present time five young ones more than a fortnight old, line 

 lusty birds; a ben sitting on four full eggs, nud a third sitting on two. 

 For my own part I do not wish to see any young ones till the hens can 

 see to feed at five or six o'clock in the morning. — W. A. Blakston." 



Breeding Parroquets (Old Boh Ridley).— In a cage nearly twice as 

 large as, and similar to a Canary's breeding-cage, with a wire front only, 

 place at one end a rough box covered with dry moss to represent an old 

 stump. Have a hole large enough to allow the birds easy access ; place a 

 small tray or half a cocoa-nut shell inside, containing the nest already 

 shaped, composed of dry moss, grass, and wool, similar to that which 

 Canaries build with, with some loose in th^cage, or in lieu of a box the 

 outer shell of a cocoa-nut (the thick fibre part after the nut has been 

 taken out), with a hole cut in one side large enough to admit the bird. 

 Place the cage in a rotired situation. The food should consist of Canary 

 seed, millet, and oats mixed; also green food, such as groundsel, water- 

 cresses, and chickweed, occasionally. When they have young add boiled 

 egg and maw seed, and when long grass is in seed let them have a hunch 

 of it hung up. We would advise their being put into the cage at once in 

 der to get accustomed to it. 



Practical Work on Eee Culture (A Subscriber).— Taylor's "Bee- 

 keeper's Manual," published by Groombridge & Sons. Our opinion of Mr. 

 Pagden's pamphlet was fully stated in The Journal of Horticulture 

 of May 6th, 1869. 



Thermometer in a Nutt's Hive (UiJinytoi^.—'WQ do not deem a ther- 

 mometer at all essential to the successful working of a collateral hive. 

 If the glass of the window be put in from the outside, the omission might 

 probably be supplied without much difficulty; if otherwise, we think that 

 l if successful, the job would entail more trouble than it is worth. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Jasuabx 12. 



It is difficult to find any change worth noting, for all our operations 

 are on a limited scale, and the only articles which change hands to any 

 extent are the rough produce from the open ground. Among forced pro- 

 duce may be mentioned Asparagus and Rhubarb. The Potato trade is 

 dull at last week's prices. 



FRUIT. 



Apples * sieve S to 5 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bushel 8 14 



Currants i sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 6 10 



Cobs lb. 6 9 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes. Hothouse.... lb. 3 CO 



Lemons *H0u 6 10 



MelonB each 2 8 



s. d. s. d 



Mulberries quart OtoO 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges v* 100 



Peaches doz. u 



Pears, kitchen doz. 2 



dessert doz. 3 



Pine Apples l.i. 3 



Plums j sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Kasub.-rries lb. 



strawberries... .... ...lb. 



Walnuts bnsli.l 10 



do 1*100 1 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes doz. 3 OtoO 



Asparagus V 100 10 



Beans. Kidney do, 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums ^100 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts..doz. bunches 



Cucumbers each 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic 



Leeks bunch 



Let'uee score 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress. .punnet 



9 10 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes .. doz. bunches 

 Rhubarb bundle 



. basket 2 3 



lb. C 



. bushel 2 3 



doz. 



