JOUF.NAL OP HORTIOULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ February 15, 1877. 



Any other Variety. — First one of the best Blue Priests we 

 have ever seen; second a Black Enssian Trumpeter; third a 

 Bine Fairy Swallow. Reading and its neighbourLood boast 

 many local fanciers, and the classes for them were well filled. 



Captain Norman Hill judged the Pouter classes ; Mr. W. B. 

 Tegetmeier the Dragoons, Antwerps, and Variety classes ; Mr. 

 F. Bsquilant the rest. 



We must not pass over the Cage Bird Show, which was 

 lovely. Every variety of Canary was well represented, and we 

 were glad to see well-filled classes of British birds. Twenty- 

 four Bnllfiuohes, sixteen Cioldfinohes, twelve Linnets, besides 

 Blackbirds, Thrushes, Blackcaps, aud a most tuneful Dove 

 which cooed incessantly. The classes for foreign birds were 

 some of the best we have ever seen. Mrs. Monk showed a 

 most varied collection of Parrots, her aviaries almost rival her 

 kennels. Cardinals and Virginian Nightingales seem this year 

 in peculiarly good condition. We thought Mrs. Monk's Mule 

 resplendent, one of the most glorious birds we have ever seen. 

 It rightly divided first honours with Mr. Williams's " Green- 

 Leeks," a charming variety of Paraquets. The Corn Exchange 

 was well heated, and we thought tlie Show generally a decided 

 success. Mr. Blakaton judged the cage birds. 



SPEING DUTIES. 



DtjKiNG the winter months many bees die by reason of age, 

 and lie on the boards of the hives till they are removed by the 

 surviving bees in fine weather, or till they are swept off by the 

 hand of the bee-master. lu cold weather and long storms, when 

 bees canuot leave their hives, their droppings accumulate on 

 the boards too. In early spring it is desirulDle to scrape all 

 offensive matter off the boards, so that the bees may commence 

 operations for the season in clean sweet houses. On the first 

 day of this month all our hives were turned up aud examined, 

 and their boards cleaned. Owing to the bees being able to leave 

 their hives during the late mild winter, comparatively few dead 

 were found, and very little dirt. 



Mild winters are evidently more conducive or less hurtful to 

 the health of the inhabitants of hives than cold frosty weather. 

 Of course, in open favourable winters bees eat a little more food 

 than they do in cold ones, but this fact is so well known that 

 practical bee-keepers consider and provide for a little difference 

 of consumption. It is always well to be on the safe side, aud see 

 that none of our industrious favourites perish for lack of food. 



As the weather is mild, and indicating an early spring, bee- 

 keepers in the south may now begin to stimulate their bees by 

 slow and gentle feeding. One halfpennyworth of sugar melted 

 in boiling water given to a hive three or four times a-week will 

 speedUy cause the bees tu commence breeding. This artificial 

 feeding should be continued till outdoor work commences. This 

 gentle continuous spring-feeding is helpful, as it promotes either 

 early swarming or early supering. In my own apiary I shall not 

 begin feeding for some time — for this reason, that many of my 

 Btooka w<ere created in October and November of last year by 

 syrup-feeding. They have no bee bread in them. I do not wish 

 them to begin breeding till the bees are able to find pollen on 

 the flowers of this spring. The bees which I fed into stocks were 

 obtained very late last autumn, about six weeks later than the 

 usual time. Stocks created in September by artificial feeding 

 are generally very strong, and equal to all the wants of nursing 

 and working. 



As soon as breeding commences hives should be kept as warm 

 as possible. In my case it is easier to preach than to practise on 

 this point, for I have so many to cover that I can never get 

 materials enough to keep them all warm. Old sacks and matting, 

 old carpets, blankots, aud old garments are gathered up for this 

 purpose, and used as the under flannels of our bee hives. All 

 hives should be well covered and kept warm in the months of 

 February, March, and April. — A. Pettigrew. 



DEATH OP STOCK OF BEES, 



" A BEE-KEF.rER " says, "One of mv stocks was very strong 

 last summer, but would not swarm. The bees hung out in large 

 numbers night and day, and stopped up the door of the hive, 

 preventing air from getting in, and thereby suffocating as many 

 as would have made a good swarm. After the dead bees were 

 removed, the living liees found sutlicieut room inside. la the 

 autumn I fed them with as much sugar as they would take. A 

 few days ago I found that all the bees had died; the hive and 

 board together weighing 2C lbs.— weight of hive and board with- 

 out the combs 12 lbs., honey aud combs 14 lbs. Can any of your 

 correspondents inform me as to the c»UBe of the bees dying with 

 BO much honey in the hive ? " 



It is impossible to soy with certainty what caused the loss of 

 this stock. The suffocation of the bees in the summer resulted 

 from inattention on the part of the bee-master, as bees never 

 voluntarily suffocate their associates or endanger the lives of 

 their fellow workers by preventing air from entering the hives. 

 The clusters which are formed over the doors of hives are some- 

 times drowned or chilled by rain and fall down, and thus close 



the doors and choke the bees inside. Suffocation is produced 

 by dead and dying ; not by living active bees. Clusters of bees 

 hanging about the doors of hives should be securely protected 

 from rain. Ultimately your hive perished from want of bees; 

 in other words, from not breeding young bees enough in the 

 autumn. But nobody, iu the absence of sight or an examina- 

 tion, can say why bees enough were not bred in the autumn. 

 The queen may have been suff'ocated, or the centre combs may 

 have been filled with foul brood, or too well filled with honey 

 and syrup, — A. P. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



IlAiiBCRGHa AT WOLVERHAMPTON. — Yonr reporter, in his criticisms oa 

 Wolverhampton Show, says, " The first-prize peD of Gold- pen ciiled coDtained 

 an old cock, which we remember in the same position at Birmingham." He 

 is in error, as onr old cock was not shown at Birmingham, and is the one we 

 won very many first prizes with in 1876, and was not in feather for the large 

 shows. Please correct this in your next issoe, and oblige — G-. & J. Dookwouth. 



Feather not Dyed (E.'L. G.).— We have submitted the feather to every 

 test we know — alkalis, ammonia, and acids of every sort. We can detect no 

 trace of colouring, nor do we believe his feather has been tampered with. 

 We cannot see what object they could have, as there is toothing in the culour 

 contrary to a Pile. It is such an one as would be almost essential in a 

 Worcestershire Pile. 



Hen Retaining hee Egos (S. A. B.).— Probably the egg-passage is ia- 

 flamed. Give the hen a dessert-spoonful cf castor oil, lettuce leaves, and no 

 corn. Avoid cabbage loaves unless they are boiled. 



Dubbing [R. rr.i.— We stated in our Journal ou the 25th of January that 

 we decline entering on the subject. We have too many letters on both sides 

 to induce us to alter our determination. 



Pcllet Dropping Hee Eggs {A Constant Oh^erver). — Give her a table- 

 spoonful of castor oil, feed on barleymeal mash, and give her lettuce leaves 

 daily. 



Rats in Poultry Hocse (B. W ).— Wo have tried most things, but have 

 found nothing so efficacioas as having numbers of cats in the places where 

 the chickens are kept. We have no difficulty in accomplisbiog it if we bring 

 up the kittens among the poultry and feed them. The rats will not come 

 where the cats are, and the cats will not eat the chicken3 unless driveu to it 

 by hunger. Our chickens are at present under cover. We shall soon put them 

 out, then we move the cats into the field with them, supply them with small 

 hutches, and tie them by m-'ans of a long string. We lose no chickens by 

 rats. We generallv ferret the haunts of the rats about once in a mouth. 

 We have seme good doge, and we kill many rats. They must not be allowed 

 to " rest and be thankful." If they are continually disturbed they will at 

 last shift their quoiters. The best traps we know are Brailsford's, aud the 

 most destructive engine is the gio. It can be covered with paper, linen, or 

 sawdust, if put in a run ; if exposed it must be baited. We know no bait 

 better than red herring. 



Ferrets ( W, C.).— '^q know of no book upon their management. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



REMARKS. 

 7th.— Very fine all the forenoon ; dull in afternoon, and rain In the evening. 

 8th. — Fine morning ; a beautiful day, bright and warm. 

 9th. — Rather colder and less bright than the previous day, but stUl a fine 

 day. 

 10th, — Fine morning ; very alight shower at noon, but soon over; wind lather 



high at night. 

 11th.— Rain 6 to 3 A.ai., fine at 0, and followed by a brilliant day and still 



more brilliant starlit night ; le°s bright at midnight. 

 12th.— Very rainy in forenoon ; afternoon bright and fine. 

 llUh.— Fine morninij, rain at 10 a.m. aud at times all day ; very dark aboufc 

 4p.m. 

 Mild week, damp air and westerly wind.— Q. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Februabt 14. 

 Alt. classes of goods are now getting into a small compass, and with basi- 

 nesK better, prices have somewhat improved. All kinds of early forced vege- 

 tables can now be had, and are coinrnauding fairpiice i. 



FEUIT. 



Apples i sieve 8 6to7 



Apricots dozen 



Chestnuts busbel U 



Currants * sieve 



Blade ^ do> 



Ficra dozen d 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 10 16 



Gooseberries yuar. 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 4 12 



Lemons V\m r. 10 



Melons each 



Nectarines dozen o otoO 



Oranges tt^ 100 8 12 



Peaches dozen O 



Fears, kitchen.,., dozen 



dessert dozen 3 Ti 



PineApplea lb. 1 6 4 U 



PluMs i seive l> 



Quinces bushel 



RaBpberriea lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts bushel 5 b 



ditto ^p- 100 1 9 a 



