164 



aOUKNAIi OF HOBTIOOLTDEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. [ February 26. 1868. 



of attack 18 of a hnstling character— viz., by sometimes two, 

 and sometimes three setting on one of the offenders, and these 

 do not abandon her till she is ejected, after which she soon 

 dies. How should I act in this case ?— An Anxious One. 



[We have little doubt that the unfortunate outcasts are those 

 described by Huber as " black bees." These anomalous insects 

 appear to be in the very highest degree objectionable to their 

 worker sisters who set upon, maltreat, and eject them without 

 mercy. They are supposed by some to be old and superan- 

 nuated bees, which have become black through the usual 

 downy pubescence having been worn and rubbed off their 

 bodies ; but this explanation scarcely appears satisfactory, since 

 if it were correct, " black bees " would occur in every stock in 

 nearly the same proportion, whereas the fact is that they are 

 pretty numerous in some colonies, and are not to be perceived 

 in others. We have, however, never known them sufficiently 

 Bumerons seriously to affect the prosperity of a colony.] 



BEES IN SOUTH CHESHIRE. 



" How have they gone on in other shires ?" Here not so 

 well. February 24th, 18G8, was the day on which they com- 

 menced gathering pollen, and from that day they improved 

 very fast. On April 6th I examined all stocks and found them 

 with four combs, with brood dry and plenty of food, except a 

 small stock, which was very weak and had scarcely any food. 



The next thing noticed in the calendar is, " Started on April 

 24th the nucleus box, which did very well. The young queen 

 was hatched out on the 9th or lOih of May, and on the 12th I 

 saw her take her first flight; a successful" wedding flight was 

 made on the 14th, and she commenced lajing on the IGth or 

 17th." The next date of any account is June 18th, a large swarm 

 from a supered stock. The queen had filled the centre combs of 

 the super with brood. This is the only natural swarm I have 

 had, also one artificial and two nucleus boxes built up to stocks 

 out of five colonies to commence the year, but I had robbed them 

 to famish the nucleus boxes early in the season. 



The honey harvest has not been a very good one, although 

 better than that of 1807. On referring to the calender I find a 

 remark on May 30th, " Very fine day ; the bees carry in a large 

 quantity of pollen, which I think is not a good sign, for they 

 prefer honey if plentiful and only take to pollen when honey is 

 scarce." I had one SOlbs. glass super off a cottage hive, the 

 hive itself a good weight ; the others did not complete their 

 enpere.— J. R. F. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



White Dobhing Unable to Stand {F. TT.).— The fowl is probably 

 SOfferiDg from cramp, caused by bad or improper food, or perhaps from 

 picking up the stuff put at the bottom of the pens, for instance, sawdust, 

 whJCh is olten used. Visitors have much to answer for, and their mis- 

 taken kindness causes many a loss in a yard. We advise you to purge 

 Ireely with castor oil, a tablespoonful to the dose, and to repeat the dose 

 every twelve hours till the bird is relieved. If he seems to suffer from 

 the purging jou may give him bread and ale, or bread and wine. He 

 should not be at liberty, as it is essential his legs should be drj' and 

 waxni. Six claws are a great disadvantage to a Dorking. They are the 

 Teeolt of an accident, and are not hereditary. 



Cochin-China Cock Why-tailed IJ. P.).— You must not breed from 

 the wry-tailed cock ; he -will transmit his defect certainly, if not to all, 

 to most of his chickens. We know no defects so sure of transmission as 

 tump-back and wry-tail. The cause of the hen laying soft eggs is, no 

 doubt, a temporary derangement of the secretions. We are not favour- 

 able to pounded oyster shells. It is better to throw down a heap of brick- 

 layers' rubbish. Being too fat would prevent her from laying at all, or 

 would cause great difficulty if not danger in doing so ; but it would not 

 prevent the formation of shell. The latter must, however, be provided 

 '"r the hen, as unless she can find the ingredients in her haunts, her eggs 

 mil be shell-less, so far as the hard shell is concerned. 



Podltey-yard Arbangements iJ. G.).— You have the conveniences for 

 keeping poultry pleasantly. Do you intend the birds to run into the 

 smaU plantation :> You must begin by taking up all the brick flooring. 

 It is impossible to keep birds healthy on stone, brick, or boards. We 

 Deheve you are badly off for gravel. Make your floorng of hard clay or 

 earth well rammed down, and cover with any loose earthy material. The 

 latter is essential, because it supplies materials for scratching in, and 

 always affords food which is unseen by and unknown to us. Fill in your 

 scratching ground with road grit and bricklayers' rubbish ; you may add 

 Sr»7=J 1' you have it. The mannio heap is very etsential to health and 

 well-doing. In your plan, however, you show no means by which the 

 birds can reach it from their roosting house. You have a door in the 

 house at w, you may make one at the opposite side, allowing a current of 

 air through the house, and in consequence you would put your perches 

 across the end of the house E ; they would then be free from draught. 

 The sitting honso might be at the end of the unused pigstye. It re- 

 quires little light, but it must have ventilation, and it must close to pre- 

 vent the inmates from being trespassed upon by the other fowls. If the 

 proposed house for fowls is like most other cow houses, it is not unven- 

 tilated. Warped boards and similar contrivances aUow a free pass.nge 

 lor air ; il, however, it is a townsman's cow bouse, It is probably very 

 perfect and close. In that case put in windows close to the roof. The 



refuse green meat is good for them ; but let that which is not eaten be 

 taken away. The poultry yard must not become a receptacle for decayed 

 vegetable matter. The best fowl for general purposes is the Dorking. 

 It 18 a good layer and sitter, and the best table fowl in the world. The 

 Brahma Pootra and Cochin are hardier, but by no means so good for the 

 table. You should choose from these three. 



Profit of Poultry (J. P.).— According to your showing in your second 

 communication, your poultry is not self-supporting. There axe some 

 items now not quite clear. Twenty-three chickens, one-third of the whole 

 produce of the yard, are unaccounted for, unless they are the " some that 

 died or were killed by accident." Then, you ate luxurioui;ly of reaUy 

 new-laid eggs at the price of "shop" eggs. Y'our great difficulty is the 

 food, which should be reduced at least one-sixth. Your kitchen and 

 house scraps should be turned to better account ; and it should be im- 

 pressed on the poultry-woman that such accessories are instead of, and 

 not in addition to, the usual meals. 



Spanish Fowls (F. If.).— We d.i not know any fowl by the name of 

 "Italion fowl." Spanish fowls will heir any confinement, but neither 

 they nor any other fowl will do in a paved yard. The time of year has 

 not so much to effect, in answering your second question, as the weather 

 at the time when they are uncovered. In warm weather we have known 

 them deserted for twelve hours and yet retain their vitalitv. In very 

 cold weather fonr or five hours or less will make them hopeless. In very 

 hard frosts the least exposure spoils. 



Mandarin Ducks (Anas . — Mandarin Ducks are as hardy as can be. 

 They bred freely. Thej are always kept pinioned so that they cannot 

 fly. It is hard to say whether they are useful in a garden. We are sore 

 they are harmless, but we have heard people say they did good by destroy- 

 ing insect life. 



Deficiency of Egos (E. C. JJ.).— If your hens are hens they have not 

 been laying yet, but will soon. If you have pullets among them that 

 were hatched last April and May they are laying now somewhere or other, 

 although you do not see the eggs. If table "poultry is your object you do 

 well to exclude Brahmas and Cochins; but if eggs are the desideratom 

 they would help you, especially in the winter mouths. Egg-producing 

 may be calculated according to age with tolerable certainty, but more so 

 with Brahmas and Cochins than any others. 



Black Red Bantams' Eggs (Biin(am).— Write to some of the prize- 

 takers at the poultry exhibitions, and ask them it they will sell eggs, and 

 the price. 



Egg-producing Fowls (A. C.).— You will not have the slightest diffi- 

 culty in keeping fowls to de all you require of them. Cochins may be 

 kept in by a fence 2 feet high. Brahmas, although more wandering, do 

 not care to fly over impediments. We have found the Cri-ve-Cceurs easily 

 confined. We do not advise Dorkings, Hamburghs, Houdans, or Spanish. 

 They scorn ail attempts at confinement. By properly arranging the ages 

 of your fowls, you may have eggs all the year round. 



Peckham Poultry Show.—** * Cincinnatass • informs the Editors that 

 he has been credibly informed that fowls sent to the forthcoming poultry 

 exhibition at Peckham will not be fed on Peckham Rye." 



DoBKiNo Cock Catarehed (K. il. H)— Try the remedy adopted by a 

 correspondent, who states it in another column to-day. 



Age of Pigeons, &c. (Fido). — We do not think that the wing feathers 

 form any sure guide as to the age of a Pigeon. All Pigeons delight in 

 salt. We follow this plan : — We m'.x in a pan loam, broken mort^u", and 

 small gravel, then sprinkle with a handful or two of common salt, and 

 damp the whole slightly. Our Pigeons are constantly picking it, and are 

 very hejlthy. 



Bullfinch and Goldfinch (5Itx. C.). — *' -4dopt similar means to those 

 used last season with the Bullfinch hen, and in April put a two-year-old 

 Goldfinch cock with her before supplying nest materials. Keep at the 

 bottom ol the cage plenty of moss, so that there may be less likelihood of 

 the eggs beingbroken when laid. Bullfinch heus often lay their eggs on the 

 bottom of the cage ; place the eggs f.,r sitting under a Cannry hen, which 

 you should contrive to have nesting about the same time. If the Canary 

 hen should begin to sit a week before you require her services for the 

 Bullfinch's eggs I should make use of her ; I often, when driven by 

 necessity, let my hens, if good sitters, go on three weeks, or a few days 

 beyond their usual thirteen days, if by chance I have something I p»- 

 ticularly wish to have reared. All Canary hens will not allow this 

 liberty to be taken with them, much depen Is upon tbeir nature and the tem- 

 perature. Some fcens will not sit a day beyond the usual period, and some 

 even go off sitting just previous to the chipping. Do not place the Gold- 

 finch with the Canary whilst sitting. Whilst breeding and laying supply 

 the Bullfinch hen with pounied oyster shell, chalk, old mortar, and grit 

 sand, in a box or tio. The ben may regain htr na'ural colour next moult. 

 I have known many instances of Bullfinches losing their natural varied 

 colours through having a too-free supply of hemp seed. Hemp seed is- 

 very fattening, and is good to a certain extent in breeding time and in 

 winter, for Canaries in particular, but I should recommend you to dis- 

 continue as much as possible the free use of it to your Bullfinch hen, anif 

 give as principal food canary seed with flax, and the milder kind of rape 

 (often termed summer rape seed), with a few groats. A respectable 

 bird-dealer would be the lest to apply to for a Goldfinch — for instance, 

 Mr. P. Jackson, Crystal Palace; Mr. J. Judd, Newington Causeway; Mr. 

 Hawkins, Bear Street. Leicester Square ; or some of the exhibitors at the 

 late Crystal Palace Show. Inquire for a two or three-year-old Goldfinch 

 (which age, beyond a yearling, may be told by the light legs), for with 

 not one out of a dozen yearling Goldfinches will yon be successful. Pay 

 particular attention to my last remarks, and do not be persuaded beoause 

 a bird may appear to be a nice bird. — G. J. Barnesby, Z>(?rty." 



Indian Jungle Fowl. — An Old Subicrlbt:r wisbes to purchase some 

 pure Indian Jungle fowls. 



Pollen Collecting fA Buc?«Bcc-fccfpfr).—" February the 6th is early 

 in some years and situations ; but near Exeter the bees have carried 

 pollen freely at in'ervals throughout the winter.— A Dbvonshirb Bee- 

 keeper."' 



LiGURiAN Queens (Joseph Lalham).—!} the queens are living, there 

 ought by this time to be plenty of young Ligurians on tho wing during 

 the middle of every fine day. 



Elmshurst.— •*! have a letter bearing tho above address to which 1 

 am unable to reply, not knowing the post town. Will my correspondent 

 supply the omission ? — T. W. Woodbuuv, Mount UadJoTd, Ext-ter.** 



Wa-xen Sheets [Novice). — " I am not aware that plain wax sheets »jre 

 made for sale. If " Novice " will turn to the Journal for September 10th, 

 1868, he will find full directions for making them.— Apicola." 



