918 



JOURNAL OF HOBTIOXJLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ September 17. 1868. 



master's love. Very much amnsed was " llfs. T. B. A. Z." m 

 futuro, when on her first visit, as we were strolling round the 

 garden, Lufra pushed herself between the pair, and pulled her 

 dress, as though she could not brook a rival, even in human 

 form ! Yet of aU the canine friends that have at various times 

 responded to thy master's call, there is none whose memory is 

 ao cherished by thy mistress as thine, dear Lufra ! No rival 

 has supplanted thee in her affections ! As a mistress, thou 

 wast her first canine love. Thy place is not filled now ! 



_ At that time my long country rounds were accompUshed in a 

 gig. Button, perhaps his master as well, was proud of his 

 " esses," for the usual pace was ten or twelve miles an hour. At 

 first this was great fun to Lufra ; but by degrees all good things, 

 I suppose, pall on the appetite, and so did long rounds to 

 Lufra. Now and then, at convenient distances, Lufra, like 

 many an absconding debtor, was nowhere to be found. Of 

 course she found her way home. A good scolding, then good 

 beatings were tried ; the habit, alas ! only increased, and now 

 she adopted the plan of coming in after my arrival, as though 

 to avoid discovery. On one occasion, I recollect well, a friend 

 had been my companion on the rounds, and Lufra had not 

 arrived on our return. Some hours later I noticed her sitting 

 in the field opposite my house, with her back turned to us ; she 

 was 200 yards off. I called her ; she turned round with a scowl 

 of defiance, and crept through the opposite hedge, neither did 

 she come home till dark. 



Amongst my patients was a family where Lufra was always 

 piost warmly welcomed. She was a most special favourite, and 

 ■whenever I caUed, Lufra called also, and always some tit-bit 

 was found for her. The young ladies, especially, petted her, 

 and a frequent expression of their's, when about to take some 

 nauseous dose, was " Oh ! for a kiss of Lufra's forehead !" It 

 BO happened on a wet day that Lufra thought such petting 

 more comfortable than the dirty roads, and called there. The 

 yonng ladies knew her failing, knew too that poor Lnfra would 

 be whipped on her return, and accordingly to save her from 

 punishment they sent her up by their servant, a blue ribbon 

 tied round her neck, a note attached to the same. The note 

 ran thus : — 



'• My Deae M.4STEE. — I am very sorry to sav that when yon were 

 out thi3 morning I somehow missed yon. and, not'being able to "find von, 



looked in at Mrs. . As I was 'cold and wet thev insisted on" my 



remaining to have some refreshment for which I felt very gratefnf, 

 especially as they promised to send me home. Hoping you will pardon 

 my faults, and promising future amendment, believe' me ever your 

 loving and faithful," 



and I wish I could put the rest, for the signature was a 

 beautiful pen and ink sketch of their favourite, sitting up in a 

 most repentant mood. Need I say that on this occasion, Lufra 

 was not chastised ? This, however, was not all— it was very 

 strange, that whereas on most occasions Lufra would have slunk 

 away, fearful of punishment, now she was as frolicsome and 

 delighted as could be, dashed into my sitting-room, with her 

 letter round her neck, saying as plainly as dog language, whether 

 in Latin or not, could say, "It's all right this time, master." 

 There was some mysterious chord of sympathy between the 

 human and canine. 



At night, when Lufra accompanied me, she often rode in the 

 gig, lying on my feet, a capital foot- warmer, and no mean 

 protestor. 



Ere I close my reminiscences of old Lnfra, let me relate an 

 anecdote that occurred when my home was no longer " a 

 bachelor's establishment," but was thoroughly furnished with 

 a gentle, loving helpmeet at its head. I have" hinted that her 

 mistress and Lufra very soon became great friends, and often 

 went out together. On one of these occasions, a man or rather 

 perhaps a brute in the form of a man, struck at the dog with 

 his whip, and either with the whip or his vehicle lamed poor 

 Lufra. Great was her mistress's grief, and fearing that walk- 

 ing home might injure the dog, she made an effort, I need not 

 say vain, at carrying poor Lufra home. Lufra certainly could 

 easily have placed her paws on her mistress's shoulders, the 

 latter being one of those valuable commodities, made up by 

 nature in small parcels. My readers can therefore imagine 

 that her efforts as "a light' porter" were rather ludicrous! 

 — Y. B. A. Z. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 

 Brahma PooTEi Hex's Legs Pabalysed {Cestrin).—vre c«n only ad- 

 vise you to give stimulants. If yon cousider vour monlling hen worth 

 the trouble aud expense, we recommend the following treatment :— Put 

 her in a dry place, under cover, and protected from easterlv winds ■ let 

 her have some hay or soft straw to roost upon. Her food should t o stale 



bread steeped in strong ale, and twice per day a large tablespoonful of 

 port wine, which must be administered with a glass sninge. We once 

 saved by this treatment a hen which was afterwards sol'd for f 10. 



Legs of Light Brahma Poothas (A. C. S.).— The legs of Light 

 Brahmas should be yellow ; but as the birds become old the bright 

 colour disappears, and is replaced bv a flesh colour, except in some very 

 ehoice specimens. In both sexes the legs should be hea%-ily feathered, 

 tho plumage white, save the hackle, tail, and Sights. The comb may be 

 pea or single, but the former is certainly preferred. 



VrLTrRE-HOCKED Brahjia PooTiiAs (H. vf.'.— The vulture hock would 

 disqualify the cock in the opinion of some of our best judges. The hen 

 is out of health, and will probably die if she do not alter^ Try Baily'8 

 pills. The brown patch on the cock's wing is, in almost every case, 

 hereditary in the cocks ; but such birds breed very well pencilled pullets. 

 If we had to choose we should avoid it. 



Rearing Yocsg Partridges {E. A'.). — We have nearly a score of tame 

 Partridges in a place about 8 yards in length by 3 in width. They are 

 more forward than any we have seen killed ; the young cocks have their 

 horse-shoes. You cannot tnm them out to remain as tame birds ; we 

 should be clad to do so, but they either stray away or get killed by a cat 

 or dog. They always disappear. If they are intended' to breed on your 

 manor, turn them out at once while they can obtain plenty of cover and 

 food. They will be occasional visitors to their home till next pairing 

 time, when they will disappear. Wc have had a single Partridge running 

 tame with fowls in a yard, and bold enongh to attack a dog : but as a rule 

 they are not capable of tameness and attachment to the same degi-ee as 

 a Pheasant. 



Poultry Shows xeae Lox-dos (--f Young Fancier). — We know of none 

 except those in the list which we publish weekly. Dorking and Chelms- 

 ford seem the nearest. 



Food Dcrixg Moclting (P. S.).— The question was answered at 

 page 200 of our last number. We know of no practical mode of keeping 

 flies out of a house. There is literally a plague of them in some places 

 this year. 



Red Game Baxtams (Js i/iorum). — You must follow the same rules in 

 choosing your Bantams that you would in choosing full-sized birds. The 

 cock should be snake-headed; his wings carried up. and close to his 

 body : tail moderate, and rather drooping than otherwise. The hen 

 should be small-headed, straight-combed, with wings carried close. i?he 

 should be ver>- daik brown, almost black, with golden hackle. Both should 

 be hard-feathered. Last-spring chickens may be dubbed now, provided 

 they are not in soft feather; if they are, the operation must be deferred 

 till the feathers are hard. A curved pair of scissors is the best thing to 

 operate with— such a pair as grooms use for clipping horses. 



Babbits at Oldham Show.— Jlr. A. H. Easten who took the two first 

 prizes says, that he lives at Hull, and not at Whitby. The error was in 

 tho catalogue and was not ours. 



Middle Coiib Beokex out or Bar Hivn (B. S. A.).— You had better 

 invert the hive, drive out all the bees, and cut away any bits of comb 

 which ma;,' have been made in the place of the broken one. Then insert 

 the original comb, supporting it on either side by a few strips of suitable 

 thickness cut from an old comb, and having covered the hive with its 

 floor-board, turn it over into its proper position. Contrive some kind of 

 temporary platform in front of the hive (which should be placed on the 

 old stance with its front slightly raised', and knock out upon it the cluster 

 of bees, which wUl speedily take possession of their old habitation 

 wherein they will soon refix the loose comb. 



Bees n< a House Roof iD. WilUami].—Some of the tiles should be 

 removed so as to get at the combs, which should be cut out, and the bees 

 brushed otf in front of an empty hive placed in close proximity to the 

 spot, and into which they will rapidly rnn for shelter. Keep a look-out 

 so as to avoid injuring the queen, and after fitting the combs into the 

 frames of a frame hive in the manner delineated in page 320 of onr last 

 volume, knock the cluster of bees out of their temporary domicile on 

 the top of the bars, putting on the crown-board immediately but carefully, 

 60 as to avoid crushing many bees. This is the outline of the course to 

 be pursued, but so many unforeseen contingencies may arise that success 

 is only likely to be achieved by a skilied apiaiian. 



Loose Moult (P. S.). — This term is not in use among Canary fanciers, 

 and those we have consulted do not know what it means. 



Preserving Tosiatoes (IV'. i.).— Gather them carefully without bruis- 

 ing, put them in a stone jar, and pour in strong brine to the "top, putting 

 on a hght weight to keep them gently pressed down below the surface of 

 the brine. Soak them in fresh water, and cook them in the usual way. 

 Season to suit the taste as when fresh from the vine. 



PnESER^-I^•G Mushrooms for Wixter Use.— The following is sent to 

 us in answer to the query from ''Mrs. C, of Galloi.-fii/ :'*—•• Select for 

 this purpose small mushroom buttons, and let them be gathered as 

 freshly as possible. Cut the stems off quite close, and clean them with a 

 bit of new flannel slightly moistened, and dipped into fine salt. Throw 

 them, as they are done, into plenty of spring water mixed with a large 

 spoonful of salt, but drain them from it quickly afterwards, and lay them 

 in a soft cloth to dry, or the moisture about them will spoil them. For 

 each quart boil together for five minutes two quarts of water with half a 

 pound of common white salt, a small dessert-spoonful of white pepper- 

 corns, a couple of blades of mace, and a race of ginger. Take off the 

 scum thoroughly and throw in the mushrooms, boil them gently for five 

 minutes, then put them into well-warmed, wide-nocked bottles, let them 

 become perfectly cold, and pour in a little good salad oil on the top. 

 Cork the bottL^s with new corks, and tie bladder over these, or cover 

 them with two separate bladders. When wanted for use, soak the mush- 

 rooms in warm water until the brine is sufficiently extracted. — R. C' 



POULTEY MARKET.— September 16. 



The bot weather hns rendered market qnotationa imiiossible. A few 

 fresh lots make much more than their usual value, but they afford no 

 means of arriving at an average price. 

 s. d s. d 

 to 4 



Large Fowls 4 



Smaller do 3 S 6 



C'lickeas 1 9 2 



Gnslines 5 5 6 



Ducklings 3 2 5 



Pigeoo3 OB 9 



s. d ?. d 



Pheasants to 



Guinea Fowls 



Hares 



Rabbits 1 4 1 6 



VViMdo OS 9 



Groaee U 



