Miroh 12, 1868, ] 



joubnaij op hortioultobe and cottage gaedeneb. 



215 



he said, if yellows were bred together. I may also mention 

 Carriers and Darba as proofs in favour of my opinion, as 

 breeders match the best Blacks with Duns without injury to 

 Blacks. The result of my own experience, therefore, is, that 

 we cannot dispense with the colours which Mr. Volckman says 

 should now be thrown aside as having been used more than 

 enough already. 



I always use Splash birds more or less for breeding Wliites, 

 as I find I obtain finer birds in size and shape than from Whites 

 alone, and if the right sort of Splash is used very few marked 

 fcirds will be produced. 



Before concluding, I should like to say a word on the question 

 of infection. I am quite of Mr. Huie's opinion, that roup and 

 canker are not infectious. 



Canker in my birds, I am glad to say, I have never been 

 much troubled with, but now and then a case has occurred, 

 but never spread, though left with my other birds. 



Roup my birds have suffered very much from. I do not 

 think, however, ithat it is now nearly so virulent in character 

 as when it first appeared in Scotland about fifteen years ago. 

 Till then it was unknown to the fancy here, and for a year or 

 two almost every bird attacked died ; no treatment had any 

 effect. Now, I believe it is often cured ; but whether this is 

 owing to superior treatment, or to the disease being in a 

 milder form, I cannot take upon me to say. Something, very 

 likely, is due to both. — George Uke, Rnsehank, Dtimlee. 



P.S. — Mr. Volckman takes care to let us know that he has 

 had a long practical experience with this class of birds. Such 

 being the case, why has he not given even a single fact from 

 all this experience ? I think he ought to have done so before 

 condemning so hastily, I might almost say rudely, the method 

 of breeding followed by the oldest and most successful Pouter- 

 breeders.— G. U. 



Mk. Hdie'.s criticism on Mr. Tegetmeier's book entitled 

 " Pigeons," in which I fully concur, has been the means of 

 commencing much-needed artd most useful discussions in your 

 valuable Journal, and I hope that they will extend until all the 

 varieties of Pigeons have been fully discussed. As there is 

 much still left to bo said in connection with Pouters, my re- 

 marks will be on that grand bird. 



I quite agree with Mr. Huie when he condemns some of the 

 crosses in colour recommended by Mr. Tegetmeier, such as 

 crossing a Blue Pouter and a Ked, or a Mealy and a Yellow. 

 Any good fancier who has tried the experiment will not 

 repeat it in a hurry, or recommend others to do so ; and I 

 was very much astonished and disgusted to find such advice 

 given in a book said to be written " for the use of the Pigeon- 

 fancier." No experienced fancier, at all events in Scotland, 

 has any " slavish fear of breeding away from some one parti- 

 eular colour," but to the best of their judgment they select 

 such birds as they think suitable for producing the most per- 

 fect colours, at the same time keeping in view size aud form. 



I read in the Journal of the 6th ult. the remarks by Mr. 

 Volckman, who says he has not read Jlr. Tegetmeier's book ; 

 at which I feel astonished, as I did not consider any real fancier 

 could withstand reading a work on Pigeons produced by ojiewho 

 has figured as judge at some of our principal shows. However, 

 I do not think Mr. Volckman has lost anything by this neglect. 



Mr. Volckman enters into this discussion " irrespective of 

 Mr. Tegetmeier's book or its reviews," and says "the corre- 

 spondence appears to be proceeding on a wrong basis." Now 

 it appears to me that the correspondence has not only proceeded 

 on a right basis, but that it has been fully argued and satis- 

 factorily concluded. The question raised was merely on the 

 matching Mealy and Yellow Pouters. 



Mr. Volckman tells us that by the use of Mealies, Chequers, 

 and Splashes we have destroyed the colours and markings in 

 our Pouters, and that for the present they must be " rigorously 

 discarded." On the other hand, Mr. Tegetmeier says the 

 Pouter-fancier has a " slavish fear of breeding away from some 

 one particular colour." Now, this is an awkward position for 

 a yonng fancier to be placed in : whom is he to beUeve, and 

 what is he to do ? My advice would be, as we have no printed 

 guide, to adopt neither theory, but use Mealies, Chequers, and 

 Splashes in their proper places, and he will find to his own 

 satisfaction, as I have done, that practical experience is safer 

 than theory. 



Mr. Volckman says, if we wish to produce "Blacks of 

 raven brilliancy, Reds rich and lustrous," that we are now to 

 commence the process of selection. For the information of 

 Mr. Volckman, I have to say that the experienced Scotch fanciers 



have finished this process of selection for the coming breeding 

 season a month ago, and that they have niatched-up their 

 Pouters this season in the same manner as lliey have always 

 done — viz., selecting the best colours that they have of their 

 own breeding, or could find to jnuchase ; but if Mr. Volckman 

 could spare them some of the brilliant colours that he speaks 

 about, the Scotch fanciers would feel very grateful to him ; 

 and I am sure that a fancier of "long practical experience," 

 and having such a good theory, must now be in a position to 

 extend a helping hand to his less fortunate brothers in the 

 Pouter fancy. 



The proper crosses for the Mealy and Yellow Pouter have 

 been already taken up by Mr. Huie. As far as my own expe- 

 rience goes, and from observation in the lofts of our best Scotch 

 breeders, I believe that the Chequer bred from Blacks should 

 be crossed with Black only ; and by following this method a 

 Chequer Pouter will be quite as good for stock purposes as a 

 Black, and the produce be "Blacks of raven brilliancy." 



I also approve of occasionally crossing the White Pouter 

 with tlie Blue. The White Pouter being constitutionally a 

 weak bird, the produce is improved in strength by this cross ; 

 and the Blue gains in colour, as the White Pouter helps to 

 clean out the foul feathers so often found in the limbs, &c., of 

 the Blue Pied Pouters. It was from a cross of this description 

 that I produced the progenitors of the White and Blue Pouters 

 that stood first at Glasgow for more than one season. 



When breeding for length of feather I would have no hesi- 

 tation in selecting a small handsome hen, as I have found 

 such to be the best breeders and to produce large birds, and I 

 could point to a great many first-prize birds from hens of this 

 description. Although I say a small hen, I would not have 

 her to be under 17 inches in feather, and (Ji in limb. 



It is always desirable to match what is termed a stocking- 

 limbed bird' with a rough-limbed bird, as by this means we 

 keep the limb strong and having the proper cover of feather. 



Two birds having stocking limbs matched-up are apt to pro- 

 duce birds spare of cover, and even birds with spindle shanks. 



When matching-up Pouters for a season's breeding there are 

 a great many points to be considered, such as length of limb, 

 length of feather, girth, crop, colour, marking, &c. Now, 

 as it is almost impossible to find one Pouter having all the 

 properties, the best method is to select two birds that with 

 both their points combined come nearest to perfection. 'When 

 we do this we do all that we are able, and it is not absurd to 

 expect a happy result. The finest-marked birds will often pro- 

 duce the mismarkcd birds. The plan I take to cure this is to 

 destroy the bird in the nest. If this method were adopted by 

 all our Pouter-fanciers it would soon rid the fancy of those 

 birds complained of as having markings " wildly inaccurate." It 

 is also advisable to have one of a pair matched-up older than the 

 other, as a pair of young birds seldom do well the first season. 

 I have seldom had a case of canker among my Pouters, bat 

 find that my Short-faces are very subject to this disease. The 

 method that I adopt to cure them is the old simple one of 

 washing out the mouth, and then touching the affected part 

 with caustic, also giving them occasionally a piece of butter 

 mixed with salt. This disease is certainly not infectious. 



The roup has been for years, and still is, a source of annoy- 

 ance to me, particularly among my young Pouters. It attacks 

 young birds at no particular age. I have seen birds take it 

 when two weelvS old, and again when they were breaking into 

 their first moult, and it often hangs about them until theyare 

 reduced to skeletons, ending in something like consumption. 

 I have tried many, almost all methods of cure, and when I 

 thought I had found one effectual, again I was disappointed. 



The treatment that I have most faith in is to keep the bird 

 in a warm place, and in a hamper with straw, give it a tea- 

 spoonful of cod-liver oil night and morning, occasionally taking 

 the bird in the hand, and rinsing its head through cold water. 

 I have never found one case in which roup was infectious. 

 For the sake of experiment I matched-up a Pouter hen very 

 much affected with roup to a common Pigeon, and confined 

 the pair in a pen for a couple of months, allowing them to eat 

 and drink out of the same dishes, but the disease did not 

 affect the cock.— M. Sidaet, 73, Waterloo Street, Glasgow. 



UTILISING CONDEMNED BEES. 



With regard to "A Devonshire Bee-keepek's" useful 

 paper on the above subject, I may mention, having the autumn 

 before last saved from the brimstone pit the bees of two stocks, 



