494 



JODENAL OP HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ December 24, 18C3. 



to other laives, partly owing to a dislike for their own dwelling, 

 and partly in order to rob, when if they like it, there they 

 remain, and thus inoculate the stock with disease." 



FOUL BROOD. 



I EKTiKELT coucur with the views expressed by Dr. Preuss 

 on foul brood in the article which appeared in pages 311 — 313. 

 I can, in fact, corroborate the whole of his statements ; and 

 believing hitn to be perfectly correct ire his theory, I will, for 

 the benefit of your readers, describe a few experiments which 

 I have made. 



I may in the first place mention, that 1 believe without 

 doubt that the cause of foul brood is a certain degree of heat 

 combined with a certain amount of moisture — that although 

 foul brood may be engendered in a hife with a moist heat of 

 from 70° to OO', a hive with a perfectly dry heat even as high 

 as 100' will remain healthy. I believe it to be to a great extent 

 a law of nature, that animal life is destroyed by fungi ; whereas 

 in vegetable life it is only after death, or when the vitality of 

 the plant has boen impaired by some cause, that fungi appear. 

 I have from time to time mentioned that I had used combs 

 from infected hives with impunity, no bad results having fol- 

 lowed ; but as I had reason to believe that these statements 

 were not credited, I for that reason refrained from describing 

 how I effected it. Had these statements been favourably re- 

 ceived I should have given publicity to my views before this. 

 Having, therefore, in the first place discovered that a fungus 

 was the cause of the disease, I was not long in finding a cure ; 

 and this was effected by simply drying my combs and hives in 

 an oven or stove, exactly as described by Dr. Preuss, which is 

 a very effectual mode of destroying many fungi. 



I -will now briefly mention a few experiments which I have 

 made with foul brood. First, drying the combs is an effectual 

 cure. Taking a piece of infected comb from a hive and giving 

 it to two others was in one case fatal, whilst in the other 

 nothing went wrong, owing entirely to the state of the hive at 

 the time, just in the same manner as a piece of Mushroom 

 spawn will live in one place and die in another. Again, by 

 inoculating other hives I have found that in some cases nine 

 v^eeks elapsed before foul brood appeared, but in most instances 

 symptoms of the disease showed themselves in six weeks, and 

 in three weeks the fungi could be easily detected. 



I thus submit my views to the readers of " our Journal ;" 

 and although confident in my own mind that I am correct, I 

 do not expect other apiarians to receive them against their 

 own convictions. I merely state my mind frankly on the sub- 

 ject, and wish other bee-keepers to do the same, neither con- 

 demning nor approving anything I have said until Ihey have 

 proved it, since it is only by observation and experiment that 

 we can arrive at the truth. — A L.VN.iF.KSHiRE Bee-keeper. 



[It must be remembered that Dr. Preuss recommends that 

 infected hives should be kept for some hours exposed to a tem- 

 perature equalling that of boiling water (212') ; and if we bear 

 in mind the fact that the melting point of ordinary bees' wax 

 is as low as 142°, it appears very unlikely that a degree of heat 

 which would destroy the vitality of fungus sporules, would not 

 at the same time prove fatal to the structure of whatever combs 

 might be submitted to it.] 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Judges akd CoMini-TEEs.— "We have so many letters concei-ning the 

 alleged misaoings of these officials, that except in flagrant cases we 

 cannot afford space for them. 



HAlninEGH CoCKEnEL (H. C.).— As he spins ronnd and holds his head 

 on one side, there is pressure on his brain. He is probably too fat ; feed 

 him for a week or two on mashed potatoes, boiled rice, and very little 

 barleymeal. Give no hard food, and keep him quiet. If no blood vessel 

 has ruptured he may recover. 



PoCLTRY House (S. S.).— If von enclose seven postage stamps with 

 your address and order " The Poultry Book for the Many," you will have 

 it sent free by post from this offic*. It contains plans to suit you, and 

 much useful information besides. 



A TCREET TOP. CooKlxo (A. K.).— Abont the end of the year in which 

 it was hatched a Turkey is best for table ; but it is good for table pur- 

 poses untU it is more than twelve months old. 



PoLANDS Plucking Each Otheb (St. Edmunds).— Yoxi mist separate 

 the Polands. A good supply of fresh mould, and green food, especially 

 lettuce, lessen their inclination to peck each other. It is generally con- 

 sidered the work on Pigeons published at our office is the most useful. 



PoULTEY ON A oOO-AORE FAR!! (J. 3Imon^. — You may keep any number 

 of fowls in reason on such a farm as you describe — three hundred easily. 

 From your account they are at present, if managed at all, very much 

 mismanaged. You will only obtain eggs in winter from pullets, not 

 from bene, and they must be watched to see that their egga are not 



stolen. It is ridiculous to talk of ono hundred eggs from one hundred 

 hens in the laying season. They cannot lay less than three hundred. 

 The best laying breeds are Spanish, Brahma°, and Creve-Cffiurs. We 

 believe the second will suit you best, altboagh they are sitters. They 

 are very hardy, excellent layers, and not large consumers of food. No 

 fowls require meat-fet ding ; and with the appliances of a farm of three 

 hundred acres, the feeding at barndoors where threshing is going 

 on, under ricks in a stackyard, and the run in hedge and ditch and over 

 meadow, should nearly supply them with food. If looked after we believe 

 the eggs will pay a good proiit. Hens are like many other things — they 

 will pay well if well looked after; but if neglected they acquire bad 

 habits, and are never profitable. 



Coiin OF Cocuin-Chisa Coce (Lemon Bnf). — The " Standard of Ex- 

 cellence " is not an authority in poultry-j udging. The comb you describe 

 and figure is hardly a disadvantage, much less a disquaUfication. 



La Fleche— Spangled Hamburgh (Onechuj-ch).— !^^ Flucho hens 

 should weigh more than you mention. It was a bad class at Birming- 

 ham. A moult will most likely remove all th 9 spots from the saddle of the 

 Spangled Hamburgh cock; they are the last signs of youth. Your Dork- 

 ings should weigh from a pound to a pound and a half more at their age, 

 but there is nothing to hinder them from being prizetakers when they are 

 older. 



Brahma Pootras (Brn'imo).— You cannot expect to buyaprizeBrahma 

 pullet for 15s. It is not the v.aluo of one. A good specimen should be 

 heavy, short-legged, well-feathered : have a well-pencilled hackle, well- 

 pencilled body and breast, good fluffy thighs and hinder parts, well- 

 feathered legs, and a pea comb. 



Colour of Brahma Pootras' Eggs (rafm).— The colour of the egga 

 of this breed varies ; some being lighter at times, darker at others. Just 

 so in Dorkings : they sometimes lay creara-coloured eggs. The cause has 

 never been ascertained. If your Brahma cock twists the end feather ot 

 his wings it is not from weakness. It is an incurable defect. No amount 

 of feeding and no skill in treatment will cure it. It is hereditary. 



Game Cock's Wings Droopimg (.V. r.).— We know nothing that would 

 cause a droop-winged bird to carry them up. We would neither keep 

 nor breed from such a bird. The damage of three or four wing feathers 

 is quite immaterial. The third is a far marc important accident. In 

 close competition it would decide against the bird. Perfection is nearly 

 necessary for success in the Game classes. 



Cochik-Chtsa Cock Lame (/. IF.).— If the bird is an old ono he is 

 probably breaking up. Cochins are not long-lived, and when they begin 

 to fall away they do so rapidly. We advise you to put him in a dry place, 

 and to feed him well with soft food, part of it being bread and ale. If be 

 do not mend in a week we should think badly of hira. All the birds 

 are perhaps suffering from change of air, diet, and water. Give them all 

 daily stale bread steeped in strong beer. 



Wry-tailed Fowls (a.M.).—\ wry tail is a disqualification in any 

 breed. Do not breed from him. No defect is so certainly transmitted. 



Black and Gajie Baxtams (Intending Bj-ftiiiifor).— Game Bantams 

 must be Game fowls in miniature, and possess all their characteristics. 

 Coarse heads, drooping wings, and redundant tails are the things to 

 avoid. Black are subject to the same rules. Double combs are disquali- 

 fications. 



Choice of Cochin-China Cockerels (J. Jlf.).— Breed from tho mode- 

 rate-sized bird that is perfect in colour and shape. Put him to the hens 

 that have thrown the large birds, and you will probably obtain all yoa 

 require. 



Cleaning White Fowl's Plumage (Ins" irer).— Wash the plumage 

 with soap and water, -is it is only the outer part of the feather that is 

 dirty, vou must wash them by wiping them downwards with flannel 

 dipped'in tho soap and water, they must then at this time of year, when 

 there is no sun, be put in a basket with some hay or soft straw, and 

 placed before the fire till dry. Their legs should be washed very clean. 



Various (F. K.).— Black feathers in the tail of a Buff Cochin cock will 

 not disquiilify at a show. No ; a hen would lay as well if there were no 

 cock. Ground oats are excellent food for pullets, kitchen scraps also, 

 and meal mixed with milk. Stimulating food is injurions. Your Cochio 

 pullets will lay within a fortnight. 



Soft Eggs (W. H. B., Whitehaven).— Yovi Brahma Pootras lay soft 

 eg"s because they are too fat, which arises from your "feedmg them 

 very plentifully " for exhibition. This is a great mistake, fatness is not 

 high condition. 



Pigeon Judging at Birmingham.—" I am exceedingly obliged to Mr. 

 Harrison Weir, and I beg to explain that by a typographical error, I was 

 made to s.iy, 'Iwonderhow the three [judges] managed with 120 pens 

 more than last year." It should have been, ' And I wonder how the three 

 (judges) managedlastvear with 120 pens more than this year,' meaning, 

 of course, that though there were this year 120 pens less than last year, 

 the four judges had quite enough to do— A Foreigner." 



Breeding from a Weak-eyed Canaey (H. A. J.).— If the hen be a 

 favom-ite or of a voi-y valuable strain, breed from it and run the nsk, hut 

 if it can be replaced by a bird in a healthv condition, we should rather re- 

 commend the latter course. The affection may arise from cold, and we 

 do not apprehend it will be hereditary. 



Lop-eared Babbits.— "One Who Wishesio Know the ReasonWliij,''a3ka 

 if a new law or rule of exoeUenee has been introduced for the guidance 

 of the various judges of Lop-eared Rabbits, as the judgment at the late 

 Leeds Show appears to have been guided by entirely new pomts of ment, 

 ignoring the two points hitherto considered essential- viz., length and 

 width of ear. , ... t- ^ i,.,.. 



A Cannibal Dce Babbit (W. B.).— If a doe persists in eating her 

 young ones, despite vour chansing her diet, we know of no remedy. 



This Year's Swarms Fighting (4f. J. i.).— The flghtmg is, doubt 03S, 

 owing to the hives being too near together, and the bees mistaking them 

 in consequence. Nothing should be done to remedy this mitU they are 

 in full activitv next season, when the hives may be moved very graduauy 

 further apart.' It may be as wcU to contract tho entrances in the mean- 



"snakes and Adders.-" How can I destroy snakes and vipers, as in 

 some places here they are rather too numerous ? If by poison, how and 

 when ? Is there any other method ? What is ^'^^'^vrmays.lJooa.Bud 

 how at the present time to findout theirwinterabode?— A. Hacfaelane. 



