S84 



JOURNAL OF HOBTIOULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ Majr 21, 1868. 



" onr Joamal " or the Editors may have it for a museum. — 

 Qekby Ensor. 



PACKING EGGS. 



A MONTH ago I purchased from Mr. J. Fletcher, Stoneclough, 

 near Manchester, a sitting of fifteen Game eggs, and which 

 were sent from Mr. Fletcher's runs. South Staffordshire. These, 

 after their arrival, were put under an oidinary-sized Black 

 Bed Game hen, and on Wednesday last I had thirteen chickens 

 from this clutch. Two of the eggs were unimpregnated. To- 

 day (Saturday), one of the chickens has died, but all the others 

 are strong birds. I may mention that the eggs were packed in 

 a small tea chest, having some straw in the bottom, then 

 the eggs were put on this, some chopped hay covered and 

 separated them from chance of collision, and after the eggs 

 were carefully packed in this manner, the box was filled with 

 straw, and the lid tied down firmly. Seeing that the parcel 

 had a journey by railway of about 250 miles, and then the 

 rumbling through the streets before delivery, I think the system 

 of packing must be effectual. — Black Bed. 



[We shall be glad to hear from you. — Eds.] 



HOW TO BREED PURE LIGURIAN QUEENS. 

 As many of the readers of " our Journal " may not be in a 

 position to purchase the discovery of Mr. Koehler, I think they 

 might in the meantime try the plan of an apiarian friend of 

 mine for preventing his Ligurians from crossing. It is this. 

 As soon as a young queen is hatched out in a nucleus box a 

 number of pure Ligurian drones are selected for her com- 

 panions, and confined along with her in the box for two or 

 three days. Then, on the afternoon of a fine day, when all 

 other drones in the apiary have gone to rest and the queen is 

 judged ready to take her wedding flight, the hive is opened. 

 As might be expected, the queen and her companions imme- 

 diately avail themselves of their liberty, and a pure breed is 

 secured. Should the first tour prove unsuccessful, the hive is 

 again shut up, and not opened until the following afternoon. — 

 M. J., Lockerbie. 



[The plan above described is well worth trying, and although 

 1 find myself precluded by my promise of secresy from declar- 

 ing how far it resembles Mr. Koehler's process, I may state 

 that I have written to Mr. de Eomestin enclosing a copy of 

 " M. J.'s " communication, and expressing my regret at being 

 compelled to decline receiving further subscriptions. — T. W. 

 WooDBUBY ("A Devonshiee Bee-keepee"), Mount Radford, 

 Exeter.'] 



TEMPORARY SUPPORT OF COMBS. 

 In reference to your note appended to remarks on frame 

 hives by " J. J. S.," I have to commend the method, at which 

 he hints, of using indiarubber bands for the temporary sup- 

 port of combs placed in frames, having myself adopted it for 

 two summers with much success. Common tape, of a suitable 

 width, may also be used for the same purpose. It is tied 

 tightly over the top bar, and when unloosed may be pulled up 

 and removed at any time without disturbing the frame. — 

 J. Lowe. 



ADDING QUEENS. 



Please give me advice as to the following plans : — 1st, Place 

 a Ligurian queen and brood comb in the centre of a hive, 

 putting it in place of a black stock. 2nd, The same as the 

 above, only the comb to be empty. 



Will the returning bees be likely in both cases to receive the 

 solitary queen as their own ? — C. A. J. 



[The returning bees would in either of the supposed cases 

 be nearly certain to destroy the strange queen if exposed with- 

 out protection to their tender mercies. The use of a queen 

 cage might render success possible, although by no means 

 certain.] 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Books {Omega) — "Bee-keeping for the Many" will suit yon. Yon can 

 have it free by post from our office, if you enclose sis postage stamps with 

 your address. 



Pigeon Book (A. V. D. M.).—yfe believe Mr. Brent's " Pigeon Book " to 

 be on the whole the beat and most useful work of its kind ever published. 

 It can be had from our office, free by post, if you enclose twenty stamps 

 with your address. 



Henb Laying Soft Eggs (B. C).— There 18 some mistake in your feeding. 

 We are followers of Nature, and therefore laugh at burnt oyster shells as 

 poultry food. We call it food, because there Is no doubt the shell is 

 formed from that which is eaten. It cannot, however, be properly done un- 

 less the body is in a healthy state. Mortar and old ceilings, bricklayers' 

 rubbish, &c., are very good for forming shell. The hens must also have 

 green food andsomewholo corn, as thehusk contains lime. If your birds 

 are enjoying a good grass run, we can only advise a dose of castor oil all 

 round. If they are in confinement give them plenty of lettuce, and 

 some large sods of growing grass, cut with plenty of earth. If they are 

 in a pen put a barrowload of earth in a heap, and let them search it over. 

 They will often see medicine where it is hidden from us. 



Hen Broody (E. C. A'.).— Do not torment her any more ; her longing 

 for the honours of maternity will soon disappear, and she will lay again. 

 When she is again broody let her sit. We always think it is cruel to pre- 

 vent it, and we are sure nothing is gained by it. 



Fattening Spring Chickens (Miss J.). — Put up your spring chickens 

 at once. They should have been put up before, and will never again be 

 so valnable as at the present time. Every day will help to diminish the 

 value of spring chickens. You may grow any shrub or climber not poi- 

 sonous in your aviary ; you cannot help the birds eating them. We do 

 not think the ants Mill do any harm. 



Vaeious {R. J. W.).~li the Dorking cock have sufficient merit to make 

 it desirable to keep him, do so by all means, even under the circumstances 

 you name, but for this year only. Brahmas' oggs arc not as a rule longer 

 in hatching than others. The extra time is often caused by the eggs 

 being kept so dry ; the chickens cannot get out. and many die imprisoned 

 in the shell that, with the least assistance, would have made their way 

 into the world. Another cause is. that hens sometimes get to the sitting 

 nests, and lay a day or two after the other ben began sitting. The Ducks' 

 eggs were " all behind," but we should attribute it to the same cause as 

 the delay in the other case. It cannot be too strongly impressed on all 

 amateurs and others, tbat regular and successful hatching cannot be 

 looked for unless the eggs are regularly and thoroughly wetted. 



Growth of Brahma Chickens (G. N.). — Your Brahmas are growing 

 very well, and if you keep them nt the present rate they will leave nothing 

 to desire in the way of size. We have some of the same age, and the 

 pullets are larger than the cocks. It is positive nonsense to talk of 

 keeping pullets from laying with a view to improving them for exhibition, 

 because it cannot be done. 



Brahma Cock {B. P. C.).— The cock will not or should not be dis- 

 qualified. 



Fodder (Qui2).— All cattle, horses, and sheep eat white clover. Cows 

 will not eat buttercups, notwithstanding the vulgar idea that they make 

 the butter yellow. Buttercups flourish where the soil is rich and moist. 

 The grass there is also abundant and nourishing, and it is the rich herb- 

 age which imparts the colour. 



Literary ( ,7. B. B.). — The attempt was made, and occasioned a heavy 

 loss to the able conductors. A sufficient number of subscribers cannot 

 be obtained. 



HcLi. AND East Riding Pocltry Snow.—The second prize for Black 

 Bantams was awarded to Messrs. Tonkin & Tuckey, Norfolk House, 

 Gloucester Street, Bristol. 



Food for Pigeons {/^a;ifa(n.— The Pigeon is a granivorous bird, and 

 therefore must be fed on grain. Other food may be used as additions, 

 but not as substitutes. 



American Collateral Plan (A Fifcshire Bee-keeper). — An ordinary 

 straw skep (empty) is placed in front of the stock when the bees begin to 

 get busy in May or June, and in good seasons a second skep is placed in 

 front, and by taking the backmost skeps away after the bees have taken 

 to those in front, a good supply of honey is ohtained. The objection tc 

 this plan is that the bee-keeper obtains none but dark-coloured honey in 

 old combs, whilst there is great risk of so large a proportion of drone 

 combs being built in the added hive as to preclude the possibility of 

 prosperity for the future. 



Mr. Koehler's Discovery. — Amongst those German apiarians whose 

 testimony to the success of the Koehler process has come under my 

 notice, none is so well known to English readers as the Baron von 

 Berlcpsch, whose evidence on the point is most conclusive. Writing 

 under date of the 27th of November last, the Baron declares that he has 

 tested the discovery at six different times, and that on every occasion it 

 has proved successful. — A Devonshire Bee-keeper. ^ 



Food for a Squirrel (Poj)Iar).— Give your Squirrel bread soaked in 

 milk fresh every day ; also nuts, apples, and any other kind of fruit. It 

 would not be safe to place a Squirrel in an aviary with Canaries. 



Scientific Wonder (T. H. P.).— We have not seeu it, and therefore 

 can give no opinion. 



Butter Becoming Rank {Dairymaid). — We do not think the butter- 

 cups are the cause, for cows avoid eating them, and they exist in quan- 

 tity in most of the best pastures we have ; but there are other weeds that 

 sometimes affect the milk, one of the worst being a sort of bulbous plant, 

 called ramps or ramson, a near ally to the garden ooion or garlic, which 

 grows in moist shady places. We have also known much damage done 

 by allowing the cows to eat the waste cabbage and other greens thrown 

 out of gardens at this season, and in the autumn some (but not all) cows 

 partake, to their injury, of horse chestnuts. Many other causes tend to 

 render milk iU-flavoured. We are, however, promised further informatiotr 

 on this head. 



POULTRY MARIvET.— May '20. 



Poultry is still very scarce, but there are signs of a greater supply of 

 small chickens. They will, doubtless, now come in more abimdantly. 



