252 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 26, 1868. 



and refuse leaves are being cleared from the stage beneath, 

 after which net and worms are again let down upon it. These 

 nets are to be made of the same size as each compartment of 

 the stage, or eight in number. Larger would not be conve- 

 nient, as they would belly too much in the centre with the 

 weight of the worms. The meshes of the nets should be from 

 half an inch to three-quarters of an inch square. It will be 

 necessary to have as many nets as will cover all the stages, as 

 they have to remain under the worms. Many persons use 

 paper, perforated with holes the size of marbles ; but I do not 

 find it in any way preferable to nets ; on the contrary, it 

 presses too much on the worms, and all do not find their way 

 through ; besides, paper is not so durable. 



Ladders or Stepx. — These are to assist in reaching the higher 

 stages of a castle. Folding steps, 5 feet high, running upon 

 castors, would be more suitable than common ladders, as it 

 would not be necessary to lean them against the castle. Each 

 castle requires two, or one on each side. 



Leaf-cutting Machine. — This is a box with a knife in the 

 fashion of a chaff-cutter, and is used by large Silkworm-rearers 

 who have many leaves to cut for the worms. A good clean 

 sharp knife answers the purpose well on a small scale. The 

 leaves should not be cut until wanted, as they must be given to 

 the worms immediately, or the edges where cut soon dry, and 

 they would then not be so acceptable. 



Baskets will be necessary, or large open hampers to put the 

 leaves in on being gathered. Some persons use sacks, and 

 these will answer the purpose if they be emptied before the 

 leaves have time to heat, which might be detrimental to the 

 worms. They should not be placed on the ground, as there is 

 then a danger of ants, earwigs, and other insects, finding their 

 way among the leaves. On the Continent large sheets are also 

 nsed f or this purpose, the leaf-gatherers descending from the 

 high trees with large apronsful of leaves, which are emptied on 

 the sheets, carried home in a cart, on the backs of donkeys 

 or mules, or on men's heads. 



Wooden Stands are employed to support small sheets of linen 

 or calico, on which the female Silkworm moths are placed to 

 deposit_ their eggs. They are made about 1 yard square. The 

 most simple mode of construction would be to form a frame 

 with inchsphnes, nailing half -inch ones across at every 6 inches, 

 to give more firmness, and to secure the linen more evenly. At 

 the back of this two inch splines 24 feet long are fixed on hinges 

 to the top part of each side, to serve as supports, which on 

 being opened cause the frame to take a slanting position ; this 

 is better than a perpendicular one for the moths. At the 

 bottom of the frame in front there should be formed a sort of 

 gutter to hold any eggs that may fall from not adhering to the 

 linen. This can be formed by pieces of rather stout wire 4 or 

 5 inches long knocked into the spline at the bottom of the 

 frame, and then bent circularly upwards in gutter form, in which 

 the linen will lie. The linen must be evenly suspended and 

 tacked round the sides of the frame, and can then be placed 

 for use on a table or a Silkworm stage. This size of frame and 

 sheet wOl contain easily the eggs from a thousand or more 

 moths. It is necessary to have at least two of these stands ; 

 one for the moths to pair upon, and the other for the females 

 alone to lay their eggs on without disturbance. 



Bone or Wooden Knives are recommended by some authors 

 for scraping the eggs from the linen before being hatched. 

 This cannot, however, be done until linen and eggs are soaked 

 in soft water to soften the gum by which the latter adhere. I 

 have found that a common tablespoon answers the purpose. 



Little hnishes, or a kind of whisks, are requisite for brushing 

 the stages clean, as well as close baskets for carrying away dirt, 

 &c. Traps will be necessary to catch mice and rats, if any, 

 for they are sure to eat the worms ; but to prevent their 

 mounting the posts of the castle, the bottom of these could be 

 encircled by tin soldered round, up which they could not 

 mount. A dredger or sieve with holes a quarter of an inch in 

 diameter is used by some Silkworm-rearers to sift the cut 

 leaves ever the worms, and although I never have adopted 

 the system, I consider it good, for I believe the less the 

 leaves are touched by the hands before being given to the 

 worms the better; besides, they can, doubtless, be distributed 

 more equally than by hand. — Leonard Haeman, jcn. 



perly, but were left to do as they liked during the winter. 

 They have been fed on peas, with the addition of a little barley 

 occasionally. Wheat is very good for them when rearing 

 young. — L. B. 



Age at which Pigeons Lay. — I have several hens hatched 

 last year that have laid twice, and one three times. They 

 have not reared all the young, as they were not paired off pro- 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Salt roR Fowls (Tyro).— We do not think it necessary to give salt to 

 fowls. 



Hen Laying Small Yolkless Eggs [Inquirer). — If you had not killed 

 the fowl she would have become that which is called a hen-cock. She 

 would never have produced natural egtrs, and would have been that 

 abomination in a yard, a crowing hen. All hen-cocks in fowls, and the 

 mis-called mules in Pheasants, are found in the same state when dis- 

 sected. The whole of the inside is covered with yolk of egg which 

 escapes from a fiseure or other injury. 



BEEEDrNG Dark Brahma Pootras lOhl Subscriber). — Large birds may 

 be bred from small ones, but it is always doubtful. For breeding good 

 birds we like good birds, and have no affection for the late-hatched 

 dwarfs. If the cross is a good one, try it by all means. April is a good 

 time for hatching. 



HATCHrNG Pullets' Eggs (E. A. S.).— Yes, the first season's eggs, but 

 not the Brst eggs. The later eggs of the first clutch may be.trusted in 

 every way. 



CochinChina Cock's Head Swollen {C. r.l.— We should purge him 

 freely with castor oil, and rub the face with cold water and vinegar every 

 morning. It is not roup. Cochins are! not subject to it. We should, 

 while he feeds well, give him a table-spoonful of castor oil every day. 



Giving Meat to Cochin-Chinas (Lrmmi BujT).— Meat is not necessaiy 

 at all, but if you give it, give it cooked. Raw meat [makes weight, but 

 causes mischief in every way. It induces apoplexy in laying hens, from 

 inordinate fat. K creates all sorts of vicious and depraved appetites, 

 which they gratify at any cost, eating the most sensitive parts of their 

 companions' bodies. It induces a gi-eat growth of comb, and is often 

 fatal to the hope of success. 



EemtjNEration for Rearing Chickens [An Old Subscriber). — It would 

 depend partly on the time of year. If the chickens are two months old 

 now, they would be worth Is. Gd. each. If to attain that age in June, 

 Is. each, food being found. 



Age of Pullets Laying (M. A. B.). — It is partly dependant on breed ; 

 thus, Brahma Pootras and Cochins lay earlier than Dorkings. If an 

 average were taken, it would be found they lay at about sis months. 

 New-laid eggs ehould make now about three-halfpence each in towns. 



Black East Indian Ducks (Many-years Subscriber).— These, Buenos 

 Ayrean Ducks, need no especial treatment. They are not early layers, 

 and you need therefore be neither surprised nor disappointed. You may 

 let the Duck have part of her eggs, but yon doubtless know " it is bad tc 

 put all ynur eggs into one basket." We believe hens are always better 

 mothers than Ducks for Ducks. We have always found them hardy. 



Poultry in Confined Space (C. A. J.).— We agi-ee with what was said 

 by " Old Fox." 



Fleas on Pigeons (A Young Foncier).— If the cote and nests are kept 

 scrupu'ns'y clean, and llmewashed with a little flowers of sulphur in 

 the mix' nre, there ought not to be vermin of any kind. Dust under the 

 feathers with a powder composed of erjual parts camphor and flowers of 

 sulphur. 



Books (S. TayZorl. — Yon can have Brent's, " The Canary,'' sent to you 

 free by post from oui- office, if you enclose twenty postage stamps with 

 your address. 



Bullfinches — Material for Nest-making (J. A.). — Hang in the cage 

 a net of the same material as that which Canaries have for nesting, and 

 also place at the bottom of the cage plenty of dry moss and hay cut 

 1^ inch long. 



Y'ouNG Turtle Doves Ejected (Nutchil). — The only reason that we 

 can assitm for one of the young birds being turned out of the nest is, that 

 the nest-pan or bos is too small, or that one bird is hatched a day or two 

 before the other, and the stronger bird turns the other out of the nest. 

 The only remedy will be to give a larger pan or box, and to watch at- 

 tentively for the cause of the young bird being turned out. 



Hive Covers {Apis). — The milk pan, doubtless, answers very well, al- 

 though we have never tried it. All our hive covers are similar to the one 

 delineated in page 17 of the last edition of *' Bee-Keeping lor the Many,"' 

 and which we find leaves nothing to be desired. 



Squirrels (L. E.). — No reply has come to your inquiry whether these 

 animals eat the grubs in oak galls, and we have no knowledge of the fact. 

 We think it more likely that they eat the galle, for they are not car- 

 nivorous animals. 



Points of Himalayan Rabritr ( Catlierine). — Himalayans arc Rabbits 

 of colour. Their skin should be dead white, save the ears, feet, nose, and 

 tail, these should be a very dark brown; the eyes pink. Wc have kept 

 Lapwings where there were many cats. We never lost any, nor do we 

 think they would take them. 



POULTRY MARKET.— March 25. 

 There is a great scarcity of good poultry, and prices have gone up. 

 We cannot guarantee their continuance, but good qualities will sell well 

 for some time. 



s d. B. d 



Large Fowls 4 6 to 5 



Smaller do 4 4 6 



Chickens 3 3 6 



Goslings 8 9 



Ducklings 6 6 6 



Pigeons 8 9 



d s. 



too 







Pheasants 



Partridges 



Guinea Fowls 3 



Hares 



Rabbits 14 1 



Wilddo 8 



