December 81, 1863. ] 



JOUBNAIi OF HORTIOULT0EE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



613 



tween the Haro and wild Babbit. They are merely a large 

 variety of tlio Itabbit, with fur resembling slightly in colour 

 that of the Hare. Wo know an instance whore white Rabbits, 

 which aro m-uch less hardy, were kept saocessfuUy in a similar 

 manuer. 



JERSEY— ITS LIVE STOCK. 



{Goncbuled from page 431.) 

 From the geniality of its climate, poultry should be as much 

 a speciality in Jersey as its cows, yet not only is the island a 

 nonentity in the furnishing of other markets, but it draws its 

 own supply chiefly from France. The generality of the poultry 

 in the market is only passable, but even this degree of merit 

 Las sprung into existence within a few years. It is more than 

 twenty-tive years since I visited Jersey for the first time, and 

 then the poultry in the market was poor indeed. The markets 

 themselves wore very indifferent compared with what they are 

 now, and the poultry supply mainly consisted of a few diminu- 

 tive, common, ugly live chickens lying before the market 

 •women with their legs tied. These were bought by purchaser.? 

 and carried home to be killed. Ducks were treated in the same 

 manner. A large Goose was a bird not to be met with. Prices 

 were then low, chickens being about Is. each, and other poultry in 

 proportion. A dead poultry market was an after-improvement, 

 but now that prices have increased to 2s. 6d. for fowls, and 4s. 

 or 5s. each for Geese, their merit has not advanced in the same 

 proportion. The amateur's fancy for choice poultry has ad- 

 vanced more than the merit in the dead stock. Good fowls of 

 fine sorts are met with rather frequently, and the French 

 breeds are kept by some, but do not appear to be maintained 

 with great distinctness. On the whole the progress of Jersey 

 in poultry-rearing and in the poultry fancy is not commensu- 

 rate with that of less happily situated localities in England, 

 for it is gifted with a climate and position which ought to 

 render it a valuable depot for live and dead fowls of all kinds. 

 Early chickens thrive well. The island's foundation of rock, 

 and the light soil, render most localities so warm and dry 

 that the injurious effects on chickens, of the cold damp of 

 our English springs, are little felt by Jersey early chickens. 

 Spring chickens for the London market might easily be reared 

 while the price yet continues high, and delicate kinds of fancy 

 fowls might be raised with much less dilEcnlty than in 

 England. 



Hitherto, Jersey has not had the spur of a poultry show, 

 for the small addition of a few pens of fowls to the horticul- 

 tural exhibitions has been too poorly supported to do much 

 good, or to give much impetus to the movement. Now 

 however, there is an effort made which I hope will tend to 

 place poultry on its proper footing in Jersey. A Poultry 

 Society has been inaugurated, and its first poultry show took 

 place on the 2.3rd and 24th of December. How many places 

 there are in England which may date the benefit arising to 

 rich and poor from a good development of their poultry 

 resources, to the early efforts of a well-managed poultry 

 society I The rich have from it recreation, gratification, and 

 occupation, whilst those who are not gifted with affluence can 

 realise from their leisure hours only, and their children's 

 tealthful, non-onerous work, comforts otherwise beyond their 

 mean?. I hope to see such good results happen in Jersey, 

 and to witness the resources of the island augmented by the 

 abundant rearing of choice and early fowls. The Poultry 

 Society audits poultry show will, no doubt, create an increased 

 love of poultry, and increasing trade in it, to the great benefit 

 of the island's prosperity. 



A dog show accompanied the poultry show. A pointer or a 

 pretty spaniel may be seen on rare occasions. There are a 

 few greyhounds about, and also some pretty ladies' dogs, but 

 the dogs, like the poultry, may improve by the aid of the show. 

 A dog ti,x has lately been introduced in Jersey, formerly so 

 lauded as free of taxation, and this has decidedly decreased the 

 canine inhabitants iu number; however, it may act on quality, 

 for perhaps some may think they may as well pay the half- 

 crown for a good-looking dog as for an ugly cur. A peculiar 

 race of large, yellow, brown, rough-haired dogs, which used to' 

 frequent the market years ago, has disappeared. 



In speaking of Jersey live stock, the goats should scarcely 

 be passed over in silence, for they used to be so numerous on 

 all the hillsides and scraps of waste laud, and along the hedge- 

 rows, wherever a bit of poor pasture could be found that 

 it seemed that every poor family at least must keep its goat. 

 Rough goats of the common sort," they were generally tethered, 



and much teased by the boys, but numerous enough to bo very 

 ornamental in the landscape, feeding on the hillsides.— E. W., 

 Jcrsi^y. 



LARGE HIVES. 



TnE remarks made by your correspondent Mr. A. Pottigrew 

 are so peculiar, as condemning the very best hives in use, and 

 upholding the one that he and his father have imagined to 

 be the best, whilst he misconstrues several sentences in my 

 review of his last letter, that for the benefit of the readers of 

 " our Journal," I will endeavour to lay the facts before them. 



Perhaps Mr. Pettigrew will explain what he means by giving 

 the reader a correct idea by contrasting the Stewarton hive 

 with his large hives. Not only is the Stewarton hive the best 

 honey-producing, but it is the largest, hive in the world. 

 Where he condemns anonymous writing, or letters with ficti- 

 tious signatures, I also beg to differ from him. I regret to say 

 that it is too much the case, that more regard is paid to persons 

 than to talent ; and this I am bound to say, that people judge 

 the best when they are ignorant of the names of the owners 

 of the property judged. I beg also to state that I have neither 

 tried to mislead, nor have I misled those " not remarkable for 

 close and accurate thinking." I have not published my ex- 

 perience in bravado, but by stating facts and details of a long 

 experience I have endeavoured to guide aright those who may 

 require it, allowing my pupils to be my judges. I feel, more- 

 over, perfectly satisfied, that although the commendations be- 

 stowed on big stock hives may mislead a few, these will very 

 soon be confounded like a swarm which has lost its queen, and 

 will in the long run return to my directions, and will then 

 rejoice as a swarm which has found its queen. 



Will Mr. Pettigrew point out any statements which I have 

 made that I cannot substantiate ? I can, indeed, make good 

 everything that I have stated, and far more. He asks. How do 

 I know that " large hives in the spring months are compara- 

 tively small in population, and without sufficient warmth to 

 hatch the brood?" These are not my words. I said the bees 

 were few in comparison to the size of the hive, and this I 

 know by experience. I can assure him that he is not the only 

 one who has used large hives, of which the disadvantages are 

 many. First, a newly-hived swarm does not build combs so 

 fast as when put into a smaller hive which is capable of being 

 enlarged. Then the bees are more apt to fabricate drone combs, 

 whilst in many seasons they are unable to store food enough 

 for the winter in consequence of having so much comb to 

 build, and when they have made honey and deprivation takes 

 place, much valuable comb is lost or destroyed During winter 

 the bees are sometimes located at a distance from their honey, 

 and consequently many die from that cause ; then in the spring 

 a swarm cannot, as a rule, cover nearly the whole of the combs, 

 in consequence of which moths and other vermin gain access 

 to the hive and destroy much of its contents ; the bees, also, 

 are unable to maintain the same degree of heat as when they 

 are located in a smaller hive, and many eggs laid by the queen 

 are lost on that account. These are some of the disadvantages 

 of large stock hives, which are all obviated iu the Stewartou 

 hive. 



If, instead of my satisfying Mr. Pettigrew, he will satisfy 

 himself as to the quantity of eggs a Stewarton hive can contain, 

 he will, perhaps, be convinced, and I would ask him why he 

 questions that which he will not put himself to the trouble of 

 ascertaining ? If he will do so, he will then see that I have 

 neither gone beyond the bounds of pos-ibility nor of reason 

 and it he will cast aside prejudice and submit to be taught, he 

 will find that Stewarton hives are both swarming and non- 

 swarming. If, also, he will peruse my former letters, he will 

 there find some valuable information with regard to the ma- 

 nagement ol bees both on the swarming and on the non-swarm- 

 ing systems. Again, I did not say that three thousand eggs 

 were laid and hatched daily, I only said there was accommoda- 

 tion for that number, showing that there was room for more 

 eggs in a hive of the dimensiono which I stated than were 

 allowed even by Mr. Pettigrew to be laid daily ; and had ho 

 appeared desirous of learning, I would have stated the exact 

 number of eggs laid, together with those hatched, iu a hive 

 from March till July, showing the average deaths for eveiy day, 

 thus giving to the bee-keeper a precise knowledge of what size 

 a hive ought to be for every day in the year. Mr. Petiigrew's 

 method of keeping a number of hives one year in order to 

 strengthen them the next is extravagant bee-lieepiug. which 

 must result iu loss, and I am quite sure that bee-keepers 



