284 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GMUDENKR. 



[ April 22, 1869. 



she did not care for it, and I had to mix corn with the milk to 

 get her to lap it ; she had also as much green food as she would 

 eat. The result is a litter now a month old. Does '* A Foee- 

 juAN " keep the key of his Rabbit houee in his pocket, and let 

 no one but himself go near his cannibal doe ? I believe many 

 litters are lost by the does being disturbed before as well as 

 after they have kindled. 



Taking young Rabbits from the does too soon, and not giving 

 tbem a suflicient variety of green food, are likely to give them, 

 the"pot."— W. D. 



BEE-KEEPING IN LANCASHIRE. 



Eelow is my experience of bee-keeping, commencing in 1867 

 with two purchased newly-hived top swarms in common hives. 



No. 1, hive of willows, plastered, swarm of 1867, Jane 21st. 

 No. *J, common straw hive, plastered, swarm of 1867, June 20th, 

 No. o, common straw hive, top swarm from No. 2, June 18th. 

 1868; bees i\ lbs. No. 4, wood box hive, 13^ by 13^ by 

 10 inches, eight bars ; top swarm from No. 1 June 18th, 1868 ; 

 bees 4.i lbs. No. 5, wood bos hive, 13i by 13i by 10, eight 

 hars; second swarm off No. 1, joined to second swarm off No. 2 

 July 1st and 2nd, 1868; bees not weighed; both were very 

 weak swarms. 



1866, August 10th.— Took Nos. 1, 2, and r. to the heather, 

 fifteen miles. 



1868, October 10th. — Brought bees from heather; weighed 

 e11 the hives as follows : — No 1, 49 lbs. nett. bees and honey ; 

 No. 2, 48 lbs. ; No. 3, 14 lbs. ; No. 4, 25 lbs. ; No. 5, 15 lbs. 

 The last two remained at home. 



October 11th. — Commenced feeding Nos. 3. 4, and 5. 



1869, April Gth.— Weighed bees. No. 1, 35 lbs. nett. bees 

 and honey ; No. 2, 32 lbs. ; No. 3, 25 lbs. ; No. 4, 28 lbs. ; 

 No. 5, 19 lbs. 



All has been outlay so far. I expect this year to obtain some 

 honey for my pains, and the little money I am out of pocket. 

 All the hives are home-made, and all the information has been 

 Boquired from "our Journal,"' the ''Manuals for the Many," 

 and Taylor's " Bee-keeper's JIanual." The hives seem in a 

 fair way of doing, and on giving them clean floor-boards 

 yesterday, not twenty dead bees were to be found in the whole 

 five hives. —J. H. B., U'arles, near KlrkJiam. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



EooE (B. JS.].— il. Jaciine's is not practical, and the other yoo name is 

 merely made up from other sources. 



Hens Plcching each Other (A SiibseTiher).—'We have for some time 

 Ijeen plagued with the ec-me. In the experience of nearly half a century 

 we have never had it before. We helieve v,e have stopped it by usini:^ 

 ointment made with bitt*r aloes. We lubricate the spots with the oint- 

 ment, and the fowls seem to dislike it. 



Fowls Breathing with Difficdlty {Henricui). — The best cure for 

 .the difficulty of breathing is to give camphor pills. A feather put down 

 the throat, turned round, and pulled out, will sometimes give relief, but 

 it is only temporary, and if the complaint is at all of old standing, it 

 chokes them. A little very old strong beer does them good. 



Double Eggs (Disconsolate Little Cocfc).— We cannot tell you of any 

 cure for double eggs. The birds die of rupture, caused by straining to 

 endeavour to lay them. If they be watched when about to lay, and the 

 passage be oiled by passing a wing or tail feather saturated with oil till 

 it meets the resit tance of the egg, the latter will be hiid without difficulty, 

 All the mixtures of food are bad; feed on good oatmeal or ground oats, 

 some whole corn for a change, and a few table or kitchen scraps. Nothing 

 more is wanted. 



Selecting Golden-pencilled Hatjburghs for Exhibition {Amateur 

 f'.nd Subscriber). — It is difficult to say at what age you can select a prize- 

 taking Pencilled Hamburgh. It is easier to detect the faults than the 

 virtues. Cro<^ked combs and hump backs soon show themselves at a few 

 veeeks old, and are easily detected even at a distance. Birds with these 

 ■will never be prizetakers. At four months old you may select the best ; 

 hut as after that age deaf-ears whiten, spots disappear, and something 

 like plumage begins, you fchould, keep six or eight of them till a further 

 development enable you to select throe; these should be kept to guard 

 against accidents. 



Cr:eve-c<eur Cock Losing its Feathers (T. A. I. ).— We expect the 

 hens eat the feathers. Rub the naked parts with bitter aloes made into 

 an ointment, if he has to remain with the hens. If you can conveniently 

 put him by himself, do so, and rub the bare spots with sulphur ointment. 

 Hens not Laving (Novice).— Yon cannot expect hens to lay as soon as 

 they arrive at a new pbiee,nor to continue to do so every day. The state 

 of the shells proves that something is wrong. It is more than probable 

 that by waiting you will find the lime and rubbish will do their work in 

 providing shell, while the fixed fine weather will cause regular laying. A 

 spur on the leg of a hen is no proof of age. Lurking, Game, and Houdans 

 all have spurs, frequently while almost chickens. 



White Japakepe Ga^e [Observer). — We saw some of the same breed 

 about ten years ago, but have seen none since. They bred in England, 

 bat were iooiishly afttrwards allowed to run promiscuously in a yard. 

 We advise you to divide the eggs for purposes of sitting, that entire 

 ioilnre may be impossible. 



Insects in Hen's Crop (J. W. Jff.).— The insects, of which yon fonnd 

 as many as one hundred in the crop of your White Dorking hen, which 

 died saddenly last week, are the common gmall dung beetle with red 

 wing-covers (Aphodius fimetarius), which may be seen flying over every 

 patch of recently dropped dung. Except in the hard texture of their 

 coats there is no reason why these beetles should be more Ukely to have 

 caused the death of the bird tian any other insects which hens eat 

 gi-eedily. — W. 



Houdans (J. C. B.). — A description and drawings of them arc in ** The 

 Poultry-keepers" Manual,"' which you can havo sent post free from onr 

 office if you enclose Is. lOd. with your address. Rice in any form is un- 

 suitable 'or chickens, it affords so little nourishment. 



Meal (James Kirkland).~We are quite sure that all such compounds 

 are delusions. Nothing is better as poultry food* than crushed oatF, 

 and crushed barley. For fattening, Indian meal is good, and the meal 

 in question has it for its basis. 



Watf.r Podltry (Lemon jBu^i.— We do not think that there is any 

 difference between hard and soft water for fowls, provided it is free from 

 impurities. 



Stocking a Dovecote {E. H. C). — Wo believe that the true Blno 

 Rock Dove is very scarce. Thousands of so-called Rock Doves, but 

 really Dovehouse Pigeons (the Chequered Dovehouse Pigeon), are each 

 year sold by dealers for Blue Rocks. Buy some of these, as your object 

 is the formation of Pigeon pies. At the same time we should recommend 

 a few common Runts to be mixed with them to make the breed larger. 

 These, also, any dealer can procure. In all cases the birds must be con- 

 fined until they have young ones, being enclosed for a time by a wire 

 frame like a fire-guard, then they can be let out and learn the locality. 

 Wo would advise you for further instruction to procure Brent's "Pigeon 

 Book," post free from our office lor twenty stamps, and consult pages 

 14, 85,&c. 



Age of Pigeons' Eggs for Sitting (Pigeon Fancier).— It is usnally 

 believed that Pigeons' eggs will be good for about a fortnight. 



Crosb-ereeding (Canarii). — *' It is possible to breed from birds of any 

 variety of colour, but not "always judicious. The cross you mention (a 

 hen a cross between a yf How and a green and a yellow male) is not the 

 best selection that could be made. I apprehend the hen is either ayellow 

 with black under-flue, or a broken yellow green, not mealy. Having two 

 strains of .Jonque you will obtain colour, but most likely at the expex^se 

 of compactness of feather. — W. A. Blakston." 



Bullfinch Asthmatic (A Con.'i:aTj;2?eader).— Your Bullfinch is troubled 

 with asthma, keep it in a warm place and free from all draughts, and not 

 in a room where gas is burned; and try eight to ten drops of brandy in 

 the usual quantity of water, fresh everyday for a week or so; notice il 

 the bird takes the water, if not try Ices brandy. 



Siskins Breeding when in Confinement {Trfifcrinj76i(ry). — We do not 

 know of any instance of Siskins breeding among themselves in confine- 

 ment, and we are of opinion that they will not. 



Food for a Cockatoo (G. C-). — Your bird requires a change ofiOOd; 

 withdraw by degrees the bread and milk, that being toorelaxicg, and give 

 it occasionally bread soaked with water, squeezed dry, and given to the 

 bird col 1 ; keep fresh water to drink ; give it canary and hemp seed, not 

 too much of the latter, Indian corn boiled or broken, nuts, apple, biscuit, 

 cake, and occasionally a piece of bread soaked in beer or tea, which some- 

 times Cockatoos are fond of, but nothing of a greasy nature. Place the 

 bird on a stand in the garden, and give it a good syringing every warm 

 morning with tepid water. 



Young Rabbits Dying {Cunlculus).-~'Wc are so strongly of opinion 

 that nature does all things aright, and brings all things to a proper con- 

 clusion, that when we meet with such a case as that you describe, we 

 seek the cause of failure in onr own arrangements. We should not be at 

 all surprised if the milk of the foster mother disagreed with them. There 

 are, no doubt, times when stimulating food is necessary to all the animal 

 world, but we believe it is often injurious. Such a case as you describe 

 does not happen to rabbite in c natural state. They obtain but roots zpd 

 green meat to eat. their acquaintance with com is veiy limited. We give 

 those in hutches lots of bran and oats, varied now and then with a carrot 

 for green meat. We think t'nis is too heating. In most places the com 

 and bran may be diminished, and more green food given. Lettuce would, 

 we believe, have cured your case. Our Rabbits never do so well as when 

 tho weather permits of plenty of sowtbistle, and we are able to give a large 

 handful at a time of coarse grass, the luxuriant growth from under trees or 

 near a hedge ; we add thereto a little corn, and keep them well supplied 

 with water. We believe the latter to be essential, ond this treatment to 

 bo better than cure, because a preventive. We do not call carrots green 

 food, turnips and swedes are better, but it is green and juicy stalk and 

 leaf they require. 



Rabbits {Novice).-— "Wo cannot give all the details needful. If you en- 

 close seven postage stamps, with your address, and order "The Rabbit 

 Book," it will be sent to you from our office post free. 



Cottagers' Pbize fob Sdpeeing (A Friend of Bees).~y^e think it 

 would be best to ofier the prize for " the best super filled this season, and 



weighing not less than lbs," without hampering the competitors 



further. 



Commencing Bee-keeping (B. E. C).— The usual mode of commencing 

 bee-keeping is to agree beforehand with a neighbouring bee-keeper or 

 bee-keepers for the purchase of one or more early swarms, whicb the 

 seller will place in your own hives whenever they issue, and hand them 

 over to yon the same evening. We should prefer south-west to west as 

 an aspect for bee hives. 



Toads { ).— They do not go into water, and certainly do not injure 



fieh. 



POULTRY MARKET.— April 21. 



We have scarcity and consequent high prices. There are indications 

 of a better supply, and unles-? the trade improve there will be prospects 

 of a diminution of price. 



s. d s. d 



Large Fowls 4 6 to 



Bmaller do 4 4 G 



Chickens 2 G B 



Go&lings 6 G 7 6 



Duckhnga 3 C 4 



Pigeons OB 9 



