218 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( March 25, 1869. 



proves that in large country places a few Guinea fowls perched 

 on some tall adjacent tree (as is their wont) will give due warn- 

 ing of the presence of nightly depredators, by their peculiar 

 cry, long before the dogs on the premises have been aware of 

 their approach. For such reasons these birds may be advan- 

 tageously kept as the best of night-guards to the poultry yard, 

 and at the same time are themselves by no means deficient as 

 to productiveness. 



{To be conticned.) 



WATER FOR RABBITS. 



Will you tell me about what quantity of water I may give 

 to Rabbits ? Most people say, Give none, as it will certainly 

 kill them ; but the rule in my father's house has always been 

 that no animal nor bird should be kept without water, and 

 ever since we have kept them we have given them a little every 

 day — about a saucerful — and they have never been at all the 

 worse from it ; indeed their excitement when they see the saucer 

 is quite extraordinary. I am very anxious that they should 

 have water always kept in their hutch, so that, like other living 

 creatures, they may drink when they like, but I am afraid to 

 give them so much without advice. — H. A. J. 



[We shall be obliged by some Rabbit-keepers informing us 

 of their experience on this subject. Wild Rabbits, of course, 

 have an unlimited supply of water ; and we know of tame 

 Rabbits kept in large enclosuree who have access to water at 

 all times. We believe that a doe only eats her young ones 

 when suffering from thirst.] 



HONEY SEASON OF 1868 IN LINCOLNSHIRE. 

 When the spring of 18fi8 arrived, it found me with seven 

 stocks of pure Ligurians here at home. Two were in Stewarton 

 boxes well stored with honey, and forward ; the other five 

 were in Woodbury hives, the greater part stocks made up from 

 the bees, brood, and combs of condemned colonies belonging to 

 my neighbours. These latter stocks, with the exception of one 

 or two, were soon in good condition, owing to the early spring 

 weather with which we were favoured. 



We come to the 1st of May, on which day drones made their 

 first appearance in my strongest stocks ; the rest were not so 

 forward on account of their having but few combs, and were 

 therefore not expeoted to swarm so early as some did in the 

 neighbourhood. On the day mentioned I placed supers on my 

 two Stewartons and a Woodbury stock that had only seven 

 frames of comb last September, and was at that time fed up to 

 14 lbs. nett weight. This stock, not showing such good-coloured 

 bees as the others, although considered pure, was for that 

 reason supered, leaving the remaining four stocks to swarm. 

 Work commenced in the two Stewarton snpers at once, and went 

 on apace; work also commenced eventually in the supered 

 Woodbury. To my surprise No. 2 (Stewarton). which was 

 fast filling its super, threw off a swarm on the 2'2nd of May. 

 The super was finished, every comb sealed and taken off on the 

 27th, and another placed on. but the honey season coming to an 

 end as early as the 12th of June, only (1 lbs. were stored in the 

 latter. The other supers were finished to perfection early in 

 June, their nett weights being 4h and 34 lbs. The first swarm 

 after filling a Woodbury hive stored about 4 lbs. in a super. 

 My total super honey amounted to loS lbs. The queen of the 

 above first swarm led off a virgin swarm and took to the woods, 

 leaving a queen which turned out a breeder of mixed-coloured 

 bees. I had four other natural swarms from the remaining 

 stocks before the 11th of June. 



It will be seen that I left them to their natural ways ; for 

 certain reasons I made no attempt at artificial swarms until 

 July, when I made two, both of whif^h have done well and are 

 showing pure bees. Most of the young queens in the hives that 

 swarmed naturally are breeders of mixed bees. 



My stocks, with the exception of one, have lived through the 

 winter (if it may be so called), but the consumption of stores in 

 stocks not over-rich in provisions has been large. Pollen- 

 gathering commenced on the Mist of January, and has been 

 carried on at intervals up to the present time {early in March). 

 So early a gathering of pollen I never before witnessed. Bees 

 as a rule roucd here swarmed very little last season. I know 

 of an instance where over one hundred stocks of black bees 

 were kept in one village, and they had only three or four swarms. 

 These results apeak well for the Ligurians. — J. B., Bracken 

 Hill, Brigg. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Fowls Latino Poft Eggs [F. K.).—'We believe rape seed to be injnri- 

 ous, inaamuch as its properties are fattening and softeniug. It is on a 

 par with canary seed, and that would have the effect you complain ol. 



Hens Sitting where not Wanted (C. iJ.).— You need have no 

 trouble with your hens if you manage properly. Choose the place you 

 intend them to sit in, and having done so, shut them in on their eggs. 

 You are always running a risk when you allow them to sit where they 

 please. If you are in doubt how to manape, we advise you to buy some 

 butter tuba and have them sawn in half, knock the bottoms out. and let 

 each half stand on the ground, put in a little straw, on it put the eggs, 

 then put in the hen. Having done so, put f ome covering that shall admit 

 nir but confine the hen ; basket, wire, or trelHswork will answer. Pnt 

 the hen on eggs at night, and she will be content in tho morning. Hens 

 should not be allowed to sit in the place where others lay. We do not 

 know what " Dandies " are when the word is used in a gallinRceouB senee. 

 We expect it is only another name given to birds that are already called 

 Eakies, Dumpies, Creepies. These birds seem to have a right to all 

 names that end in " ies." Thev are said to be excellent sitters and 

 mothers. They are little kept. The best authority about them is the 

 " oldest inhabitant," and when such persons are consulted they Generally 

 prelude their opinion by saving " They recollect their grandmother ased 

 to say she could remember." 



Erahmas not Laying (Ivnnhoe)— The heaii of the cock has nothing 

 about it that is even disadvantageous. The tail feathers are correct. 

 You have, perhaps, looked askew at the mixture of white; that is in- 

 separable from age. There is more or less of alteration in colour after 

 every moult, and with fowls, as with ourselves, the tendency is to grow 

 lighter. Your fuwls must be too fat. They have every appearance of 

 health and laying, yet there is no produce ; this is contrary to nature, 

 and cannot be right. Fowls that are not worn out by age or useless from 

 disease must lay. Tho vermilion conibs and healthy appearance will 

 not last long unless they lay. They are sufficiently fat internally to 

 cause obstruction of the egg-passaaes. If that obstruction become in- 

 flammation the birds will die. Diminish the food one-half, let it be of a 

 cooling kind, and provide green moat and fresh earth. 



Bantam Cockerel (TV. A.).~Yon do not name the breed of the Ban- 

 tam. If he were sold to you for a Black Red, he had been " plucked " 

 when you had him. If no particular breed were mentioned, he is quite 

 as valuatle as a Brown Red as he would have been as a Black Red. 

 The brown feathers would not come naturally, nor would any. except 

 to replace others that had been picked out by accident or design. It is 

 impossible to give an opinion without knowing the exact terms of the 

 purchase and sale. If the bird was sold for Black Red, it was repre- 

 sented to be that which it was not. 



Vttltdre-hocked (TT. H.).— The vulture hock is not at nil connected 

 with the feathering of the shanks and toes ; this feathering is not only 

 permissible, but characteristic of the Brahma Pootra. The vulture hock 

 is a term applied when the tbigh-feathers project much beyond the knee- 

 joint, as they do in the Vulture. 



Poultry in Confined Space (Phillis). — You may keep six Brahma 

 Pootra hens and a cock in the space yon nnme. We do not think fowls 

 will eat chickweed, it will not harm them if they do eat it. 



New Varieties of Pigeons {Co.c).— The Pigeons you name are, we 

 believe, some of the countless varieties of German Toys. The German 

 fanciers breed a pair alike in colour, and then send them out with a 

 pretty name. We saw such a pair recently, and after three weeks white 

 feathers came among the black, and vice vprsii. Evidently the person 

 who sold them understood the process of weeding. At the same time, 

 although to be bought cautiously, still these pretty feathered birds are 

 very attractive at shows. 



Rabbit Management (Nouicf).— Ribbits are subject to many here- 

 ditary diseases, but more are caused by injudicious feeding. Some 

 declare for green meat, others avoid it entirely ; experienced people will 

 gravely tell yon they will die if they are allowed to drink. Dry io->d only 

 will induce lung disease, green food only kills in another way. Rabbits 

 that had been warmly kept, if exposed suddenly to a great degree of cold, 

 would suffer ; but if well fed they would not die. We would not overfeed 

 anything ; but it is better and more profitable to keep one thing properly 

 than two indifferently. Your food should be bran, oats, tjreen meat, and 

 water. You will thtn have only inevitable disease. Put the Grey to a 

 Black. 



Bees in Warm Conservatory (A Shropshire Bee-keeper).—^' I am afraid 

 I must appeal to others among the apiarian contributors to ' our Journal ' 

 for information upon this point, never having myself tried the esperi- 

 rnent of wintering bees in a conservatory, although I should not hesitate 

 to do so if I had the opportunity.— A Devonshire Bee-keeper.' 



SuPERiNG (A Bcr- mi stress). —We do not think supers at aU likely to be 

 required at present. We shall be glad to receive an account of your 

 adventures, disappointments, and successes in bee-keeping. 



Goldfinches (.l/r,<!. C.I.— " Since recommending where to purchase 

 Goldfinches fit for breeding with, I may now further state that I had an 

 exceedingly fine pair of Goldfinches for Mule-breeding from Mr. E. Hutton, 

 of Pudsey.Leede, who has several other fine Goldfinches (two-ycar-oldp 

 and cheverels) for disposal.— G. J. Barnesbv, Dcrbif." 



POULTRY MARKET.— March 24.. 

 A dimtnishing supply, bu*. still the same absence of demand, Tho 

 west-end season trade is becoming a thing of the past. There will be a 

 scarcity of good poultry till the spring goods are fit for market. 

 B. d 8. a I 

 G to 4 



Large Fowls 3 



Smaller do 3 3 6 



Chickens 2 6 3 



GosUngs 7 8 



DuckUngs 3 6 4 



Pigeons 10 1 



Guinea Fowls 2 



Partridges 



Hares 



Rabbits 1 



Wi'.ddo n 



Grouse 



