436 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jnne 24, 1888. 



neither correct. All Parrots take their food with the left foot, 

 Bhifting it for an inetant to the right, or more commonly 

 putting the right foot on it. The sex appears difficult to dis- 

 tinguish, and I should never decide nntil eggs were laid. The 

 African Grey Parrot has been know to lay in this country 

 several times, but never to hatch. — H."l 



ARTIFICIAL SWARM DESERTING ITS HIVE. 

 Beins about to leave home for a few days, I made three 

 artificial swarms on the 5th inst., in order to obviate the 

 chance of disturbance in the apiary by natural swarming during 

 my absence. These were all made in the same manner — viz., 

 by abstracting the brood comb upon which the queen happened 

 to be at the time, placing it with her m.ijesty in an empty 

 hive, and removing the stock to a new position. This must, of 

 course, only be done during the middle of a fine day, and the 

 returning bees make up the swarm, which, having its old queen 

 and a brood comb, usually does exceedingly well. In fact, I 

 never before knew it to fail, save in one instance when I over- 

 looked a group of royal cells on the abstracted comb, and the 

 consequence was the issue of a swarm from the half-filled hive 

 a day or two afterwards. In the present ease, however, I kept 

 a sharper look-out, and was therefore enabled to turn my back 

 upon the " ever faithful " city with no misgivings as to the 

 result. Alaa for the futility of human anticipations! The 

 very next day after my departure the apiary was disturbed for 

 the first time during four years, by the issue of a natural 

 swarm, which pitched in a cherry tree, and was hived in due 

 course by my fiiend Mr. S. Bevau Fox, who was summoned to 

 Mount Radford in all haste for the occasion. After my return 

 home, I found on examining the hive from which it had issued 

 that the supposed swarm was in point of fact a true case of 

 desertion by one of my artificial swarms. There was the brood 

 comb, this time quite free from royal cells, and there were 

 divers small pieces of new comb constructed by the truants 

 during their three days' sojourn, but for inhabitants not more 

 than a handful of bees, and these mostly young ones that had 

 never taken wing. I, of course, soon returned them to their 

 (not disconsolate) mother, and in a brief space of time the 

 deserters found themselves in the habitation which they aban- 

 doned, with the brood comb as well as the products of their 

 own short-lived industry restored to them. There they now 

 remain contentedly enough, the only result of their emigration 

 being that they occupy a new position in the apiary. What 

 induced the exodus, or why they should now remain contented 

 in a habitation which only a few days ago they abandoned in 

 disgust, appears to me to be " one of these things that no 

 fella can understand."— A Devoxsuire Bee-keeper. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Fowls for Egg-producing (.4 Suhscribr.r).— Yon stHrt in error if you 

 wish to have non-sitteis, wheu yoiipnt Brahma cocks to Houdan orCreve- 

 CoBur henB. You want no cross; either Hondans and Creve Cceurs will 

 answer your purpose, or Spanish. Wo believe no one has more experience 

 of the French breeds than ourselves ; the result is, we believe the Creve- 

 C<Burs to be excellent layers late in the autanin. They are late layers in 

 the spring. They are hardy, bnt the Hoadnna are hardier; Ihey will do on 

 your soil, and as no grass grows, let them have some largo grass sods cut 

 with plenty of earth, and thrown into their ruu every day. The Brahmas 

 may be kept for the sake of table towi^, and will do well in a small space 

 or In confioement. 



Brahma Pootras Becoming Fat {A Distressed Poultry Woman). — 

 " About three years " is an indefinite term, for it may be Hay time under 

 four. Neither Brahmas nor Cochins arc lasting breeds, but it admits of 

 easy explanation ; they are very guod layers, good sitters, and good 

 mothers. They do in two years as much as many other breeds do in 

 four. When they have done the work of a lifetime, they rest and are 

 thankful, they put on fat and lay little. Wo recommend you to keep none 

 over two and a half years old; sell them, and keep pallets to supply 

 their places. The only hens that improve with age, are Spanish. If you 

 sell your "ancients" in good condition, they will realise enough to pay 

 lor those that take their places. Those who want eggs must not trust to 

 heuB more than two years old. 



ScoDR IN Fowls {R. TT.).— You should have told us how yon feed your 

 fowls. Scouring is probably caused by something that is eaten — either 

 picked up or given. If proof were wanted, you would have it in the dark 

 unhealthy colour of the head ; feed on ground oat- or barley meal tlaked 

 with water. If the birds have no run, give them large sods of growing 

 grass as frequently as you can. Baily's pills will be the beet medicine ; 

 they can be had at 113, Mount Street, Groavcnor Square, and at most of 

 the principal patent medicine sellers. 



DucKWiNO Game B.i.NTAM3 {T. R. P.).— Twenty cocks amon^ thirty-one 

 chickens is indeed a strange preponderance. We sui>pose it will always 

 remain a vexed question whi-ther there be rnles of shape or £ize that 

 can determine the sex of the chicken before the egg is put ■ nder the hen. 

 We were, however, told some time since that the fii>t eggs laid were al- 

 zuost always cocks. Wo have tried if, t;nd the result has dispo&ed us to 



believe there is some truth in it, and if we live till next year we intend to 

 give it a fair and good trial. We think little of the Black Reds coming 

 out of Duckwings, we have known it among Game fowls. The black 

 plumage of the Black Rod is wanted for the Duckwing, and almost all 

 breeders know the annoyance of having the white spots on that which 

 should be thoroughly black in the Diickwing. The Game Bantams area 

 recent introduction, and Black Reds have done their part in miking 

 Duckwings, There is no limit to throwing bnck. The late Mr. Fisher 

 Hobbs told us he bred from one of his purest sows a Berkshire pig, while 

 he could swear there had not been one of the lireed on his farm for fifteen 

 years ; and we ourselves have bred i)ure setters from a pointer sire and 

 dam kept in close confinement on our own premises. 



Hamburgh Hens Losing Feathers {J. S ). — We cannot tell you why 

 the two fowls lose their feathers, but wo can tell you how. Either they 

 pick tbem out of each other, or the others do it f-ir them. From canses 

 as yet unexplained it has been a general complnint this year. Last year 

 we had it for the first time ; this year, out of three hundred hens we have 

 forty that are painful to look at. We can assign no cause for it. We 

 have tried inward and outward remedies, but none of tbem have effected 

 a cure. In the early stages we killed every hen that we caught in the 

 act; but it was useless — we shoal d have killed all in certain pens. Our 

 experiences (many of them), are caiTied out with a view to answering 

 these queries, and we are aware they have no value unless we give tbem 

 with all details. Last year our Crtve-Coeurs ale each other's featbera, 

 this year Houdans and Spanish have stripped each other. Till last year 

 none did it. We have tried all we knew, and it remains our opprobrium. 



Black Hamburgh Eofts not Hatching, and Points {Black Eam- 

 hurgh).—'V^'e have suffered as you have, our eggs for the last three weeks 

 have not come off as well as they did two mouths ago. We attribute it 

 to the weather. If the attentions of tho cock had anything to do with it, 

 we know one of them is more attentive at this reason to a dozen hens, 

 than he is to four in January. The chief points are perfectly black 

 plumage with rich metallic lustre, correctly- formed combs, and perfectly 

 white deaf-ear. No prooess will make a red deaf-oar white, such a bird 

 Will not do to exhibit. Choose a white deaf-ear, and well-formed comb, 

 condition will do the rest. Feed on ground oats, barleymeal, a little whol© 

 corn, and let them have plenty of grass. Wash their legs before they 

 are sent. 



Guinea Fowls (E.H.F.). — They willnotlay inapouUry-house. GhicbS 

 of the Guinea fowl are so strong that they require food soon after they are 

 hatched, and should have a constant supply by them until they are 

 allowed to be at liberty. Their troughs should be constantly supplied, lor 

 they die if kept without food for three or four hours. H<ive the mother 

 under a coop in a warm corner of the garden, and f icing the south. Egg 

 boiled hard, rhopped very fine, and mixed with oatmeal is their best food. 

 At the end of six weeks, if hatched under a Bantam or Game heo, they 

 may be allowed to rangp with her, and be fed at the same time and on the 

 same food as other chickens. May is the best mouth for placing Guinea 

 fowls' eggs under a hen. Incubation requires from twenty-eight to thirty 

 days. 



Canary Dying {S. E.).~Tt died of what is popularly called " th« husk.** 

 It is an inflammation of the lunge, usuiHy caused by exposure to great 

 vicissitudes of temperature—such as sunshine and cold draughts. When 

 the breathing of the bird is noticed to be embarrassed, immediately put a 

 little Stockholm tar in its water, and give it abundance of green food. 



Parrot Self-pldcked (Hampton IF'icft).— Read what was said in our 

 last number at p. 41S. Do not give hemp-seed, it is very exciting. Pour 

 tepid water plentifully over the bird, through the rose of a watering pot. 



Mr. Mitchell's Glass (Nancy). — "The great advantage of Mr. Mitchell's 

 style of glass is that the suspended little frame, ^ith guide comb, can 

 be lowered to nearly the bottom by the thread throa^h the bole in the 

 knob at top. The bees will quickly cluster upon the frame, and it can 

 be gradually, with the increasing mass, drawn up to its proper place in 

 the lid. With a full hive and plenty of woollen coveiing on the glass, 

 Buccees is certain.— A Renfrewshire Bee-kekper." 



Various (Bee-Iearner).~The piece of comb which you founl lying upon 

 the floor-board should be removed at once. There can be no harm in 

 superin ,' ■■ • . 1, as well as the swarm ; but unless an early change for the 

 better 1 1^ c place in the weather, we doubt whether the bees will take 

 possession of them. You may either accept tho cast or return it to the 

 parent hive. If you decide upon the former course, we should advise 

 yoiu- driving a couple of condemned Btocks in the autumn, and adding 

 their inhabitants to the second swarm and to the old stock. 



Bees Forsaking their Hive { ).— If the swarm were placed near 



the old stock, it is very possible that it became weaker, and cuesequently 

 lighter through a part of tho bees returning to their accustomed habita- 

 tion. We cannot decide the point as to whether there were or were not 

 origiuBlly two queens ; but if eggs had been deposited in the combs when 

 you examined them on the 9th, we should conclude that tho old queen 

 wns at the head of the new colony, and in this cj.^e she would most pro- 

 bably be the only member of the royal family which accompanied the 

 emigrants. 



Foul Brood (S. S., TTarel.— The comb was mu'-h damaged when it 

 reached us, added to which its contents were in far too advanced a stage 

 of decomposition to enable ns to form a very reliable opinion. So far ad 

 we could judge, however, it appeared free from foul brood. 



Brittany Cows.—" Could any of your reader.-- tell me if they find the 

 Brittany cuwg reallv profitable? If so, which is the best home market 

 to procure them at?— A Subscriber." 



POULTKY MARKET.— JcNF. 2;^. 



We have little change to note. We have melancholy tidings from the 

 country of mortality among the chickens. All complain of wet and want 

 of sun. 



s. d e. d 



Large Fowls 4 to 4 6 



Smaller do 3 6 4 



Chickens 2 2 6 



Croslingq 



DacliUngg 1 3 8 ti 



Pigeons OH 9 



