December 24, 1S68. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOBTIOULTUllE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



498 



friends, canuot be surpassed, if cqualleJ, at any ehow in 

 England. 



All you Vfho allow at the Crystal ralaoe, you f:;rcat fanciers of 

 the far south, go to Sunderland this time, and show by your 

 presence that you appreciate the exertions of the Secretary ; 

 and if you cannot and will not go, send your birds, and depend 

 upon it you will not be disappointed, even if you do not take s 

 prize. — IIowAr.TH AsirroN, PoU'/teUl Hall, Pn'stwich. 



COLOURING CANArOES FOR EXHIBITION. 



It is but a year or two ago that an exposure was made of a 

 case of " artilioially colouring birds " sent for show at an exhi- 

 bition of fame in the North of England, and a year or so 

 previous to that occurrence a case came to my notice of some 

 birds having been bought from a man in the neighbourhood of 

 Norwich by respectable persons residing in Gloucester, who 

 innocently but unfortunately exhibited them at an All-England 

 Show in Gloucester. These birds were found by the judges to 

 be stained, which fact was proved to have been the case before 

 arriving in the hands of the Gloucester exhibitors. Notwith- 

 standing the name of the offending person having been given, 

 I regret to say there were those living in Gloucester at the same 

 time who were ever ready to damage the position of those who 

 purchased and exhibited the birds. Now, at an exhibition held 

 in Gloucester on the !(th instant and following two days (open 

 to residents within forty miles of the city), I am sorry to 

 announce two cases of stained Canaries were found out and 

 exposed, one of which was shown by a person residing near 

 Bristol, and the other by a Gloucester exhibitor. I think the 

 sooner such practices are checked the better the bird cause will 

 flourish. — Detective. 



GOLDFINCH MULE CANARIES. 



Under the above heading I have noticed an article in your 

 Journal of November 19th, from 3Ir. W. A. Blakston, but I 

 suppose he is referrins; to, or means. Goldfinch and Canaiy 

 Mules. He states, "In some schedules ' nearest the Canary' is 

 the standard — a definition so manifestly absurd as to need no 

 comment." This condemnation I cannot entertain, for, ■' ab- 

 surd" as it may appear to him, it is not absurd to others. He 

 says (and quite coiTectly too, and giving preference in this par- 

 ticular instance to a bird "nearest the Canary"), that "the 

 Mule most difficult to breed is one absolutely clean, and it 

 therefore ouglit to occupy the highest position." Undoubtedly 

 so, for if a schedule is issued with only one class for Jonque 

 Goldfinch Mules, and one for ilealy Goldfinch Mnle.s, I should 

 decidedly think of awarding the first prize to the one "nearest 

 the Canary," if that specimen were a clear or clean Mule. It 

 most certainly would fake precedence over other Mules. Even- 

 marked Mules demand more attention than those odd -marked, 

 but still evenness of marks does not always over-rule a bird. 

 Much depends on the state or condition they may be in. Com- 

 mittees and Secretaries are, I am happy to say, gradually fram- 

 ing their schedules to one state of things, so that an eathibitor 

 will know full well how to enter birds. 



Clean Mules, and even-marked ones, should not bo classed 

 together. If there were sufficient clean Jtulcs bred, I would (as 

 provided by the very excellent schedule j\ist issued for the next 

 Sunderland >Show), rather sec thcnt in classes away from any 

 other, but owing to thoir scarcity, I prefer them as in the last 

 Crystal Palace schedule, where classes are provided for clear 

 Mides, or those only slightly ticked or marked, but a clear bird 

 for choice of either. Haring a class entirely for clear Mules is 

 proof positive thatthei'e will scarcely be any entered, which not 

 only bears a scanty appoaranco, but then it affords temptation, 

 if an unfair exhibitor should bo possessed of a specimen with but 

 ^one slightly- ticked feather in the bird, to pluck it out, and show 

 it as a elear sppciipen. , ],: :., ._.„ ; .,::;,■ -■iv, ■.-,. 



I have, no doubt it would UevannOying to-Mrj ]5lak6t6n>~to 

 notice at the '-local show" he alludes to, a bird marked on 6nc 

 wing displacing an ovcn-markcd bird ; but the fault lies with 

 those wlto issu'jd the, schedule in not, providing, proper classes. 

 It would be mori; ga.tisfecy»ry, especiaUy to the Judges, if this 

 were done. .:.,,:.:"■•;. 



Mr. Blakston having mentioned my name in Ihc latter part of 

 the same article, and stated he had no duubt that myself, with 

 others (Mule-bveeders), would exhibit some at the winter exhi- 

 bition?, I einliracotl almost the only opportunity, owing to my 

 engagonicnto as a Judge, of answeringhis call. I entered some 

 of my Mules at Belforil Show, and had the salisfaetionof taking 



a fii-st prize with my even-marked Jonque f ioldfinch Mule, "Lord 

 Derby," and winnini; a soionJ prize with a fine even-marked 

 Mealy Midn, "The Pride of Derby." 



In your following number I shall l<o glad to give a fewremarks 

 on Wule-brecding with the Goldfinch an'l Canary. — O. J. 

 li.\uNE3iiY, Verbyr f.i aiui iiai^ bjj Lmi ,1j 



SCHIEBERLE'S METHOD OF CURING FOUL 



BROOD. ; , ,, ;;__ 



At the meeting of German bee-keepers held at Briinn, ip 



Septemoer, IftCS, the Rev. Mr. Schieberle stated that he bad 

 invariably sucoeodod in curing foul brood by the following 

 mode of treatment : — 



" We first excise all the combs to the very last cell, by which 

 means the bees are compelled entirely to refurnish their hive, 

 whilst the queen cannot immediately recommence egg-laying, 

 and then leave them alone during the first night in order that 

 they may lick up all the spilt honey, and clean their hive, 

 which they will do most industriously. We then take thyme 

 (herba Serpyllij, and white balm (Fol. Mellissa), if possible in 

 the green state, with some leaves of aloe (Aloi; socotrinaj, and 

 boil the whole in water for some time. The liquid strained 

 from this decoction diffuses an agreeable strengthening odour, 

 and being mixed with a sufficient quantity of honey to qualify 

 it for bee-food, must be again boiled, and well skimmed. We 

 next grate into a feeding-pan a piece of assafu-tida about the 

 size of a hazel nut, and a bit of camphor as large as a pea, add 

 to it a little sulphate of magnesia on the point of a knife, and 

 pour upon this a good pint of the hot decoction ; lastly, we add 

 some drops of oil of turpentine, and stir the whole well to- 

 gether. 



" The mixture thus prepared is presented to the bees in a 

 tepid state, and these, attracted by the smell of the honey, and 

 feeling its necessity for comb-building, proceed immediately 

 with a glad hum to the feeding-pan. But soon their gay hum- 

 ming ceases as they retreat after tasting the food. Still, how- 

 ever, they return again, one by one, in order again to taste it, 

 until, perhaps, at this first time a third or a fourth part is re- 

 moved according to the strength of the colony ; we then warm 

 up the food again, and present it to them anew. In the mean- 

 time the penetrating odonr of the assafoitida and camphor has 

 permeated the entire hive, and the bees, becoming accustomed 

 to it, have also prepared new combs for the reception of honey. 

 For this reason they appropriate yet more the second time, and 

 if we continue to offer them such food they will learn to re- 

 move the whole of it forthwith. WTieu they have once entirely 

 emptied the feeding-pan we need only pour the honey on the 

 undissolved part of the camphor and assafcetida, adding at the 

 same time a little sulphate of magnesia, and a few drops of 

 turpentine, and stirring the whole well together. 



" But on one point we must be very careful, and that is tliat 

 we do not attract strange bees, either during the excision of 

 the combs or by feeding, since the colony whilst it has no 

 combs is by the intrusion of strange bees easily induced to 

 desert its hive. We therefore remove the partially emptied 

 feeding-pan every morning, and having warmed the food, re- ' 

 place it in the evening. If, however, the pan be quite empty, 

 and there are no particles of comb therein, there will generally 

 be no danger from strange bees, and we may leave it during 

 the daytime also, in order that the hive may become penetrated 

 by the scent of the camphor and assafo'tida." 



" The bees soon prove that they are cured by tlieir active and 

 industrious flight during the day, as well as by tlae rapidity 

 with which combs are constructed, the brood is duly matured, 

 the colony jirospers, and no trace of foul brood is discoverable, 

 although the bees remain in the same hive, and this latter oa 

 the same spot. Nay, I have already used in this way without . 

 injury the honey from foul-broody hives, and one of my re- 

 stored stocks completely cleared out the honey from the combs , 

 of two foul-broody hives which had been excised, and deposited 

 in a room on the ground door, the window of which was, in my 

 absence, left open by a servant. This stock threw cfi two 

 swarms during the same year, nor was it infected Ln the slightest 

 degree. It is, therefore, perfectly unnecessary to destroy any- 

 thing except the brood-combs from fotil-breeding hives. Ac- 

 cording to my opinion and experience, infection only occurs 

 by means of infected bees from a foul-broody stock wandering 



* Tor thi-^ reason it would appear necess:^•y to place tlio feetiing-pan 

 witbinthi Btve itself, fnstead-Ot.'birtte top a«ls dinally donoia Eog- 



