132 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Febraary 6, 1873. 



brood is operated on and the other half left foll-winped. We have then 

 known many of the latter remain with their mates. The operation may bs 

 performed at any time. It is as well, when it eau he done, to do it while they 

 are young — seven or eitfht weeks oW. At that time no bono is formed, and it 

 is necessary only to take a sharp knife, and placing it between the spur and 

 the wing, to cut strai^rht through. With adult birds it is a very easy opera- 

 tion also. If you begin at the point of the wing, you will find a small joint 

 hf)lding the five principal feathers; this is called the flight, and many per- 

 sons, believing it. have been content to cut it ofT, only to discover a bird can lly 

 ahuost as well without it as with it — at any rate sufficiently well to fly away. 

 You will therefore go down the wing till you come to the spur. You will be 

 careful uou wj ;ut off the spur; it protects the wound when unhealed, and it 

 is almost the only offengive weapon a Duck has. T':.e spur is connected with 

 the wing by a small web. You may cut through the web, and you will tind 

 this brings you to a principal joint. Take the bird in your left hand, holding 

 the wing, and placing it on a post or the comer of a table, put the edge of the 

 knife on the wing immediately above the joint, let a second peraon strike the 

 back of the knife sharply with a mallet or a stout stick, and the operation i« 

 performed. If it can be done, it ia well to put thorn in the water at once; ifc 

 stops the bleeding. 



Cochin Bantau3 (C. B.). — Two or three years sinoe many were shown. 

 Large prices were made of some, and refused for others. We have tried un- 

 successfully for years to buy some. We oie now trying to make some. 



Pullet'^ Eggs Deformed {Dark Brahma). — Wa attribute your mis- 

 shapen eggs to the use of buckwheat and the absence of the nocesaary ma- 

 terial for forming shell. If you were to examine the eggs as soon as they were 

 laid you would find they are semi-soft, having, instead of a hard shell, only 

 here and there a small knob of chalky substance, not suffloient in quantity 

 to orde» shape ; you would also find the outside hardened from exposure to 

 the air, and that it became creased and uneven during the procesa. The main 

 quality of buckwheat is oil. Oats and barley give flour from the kernel, 

 whilst the hull contains chalk. Feed on barley and ground oats, varied at 

 times with a little whole maize, and let some baaketa of bricklayers' rubbish 

 be put whore the birds can have access to it. 



Shell-less Eggs (E. M. P.). — Quackery in the present day is doing much 

 harm to poultry. Stimulating and artificial foods are destroying constitu- 

 tions, and bringing in new diseases. We should like to hear of what your 

 wholefiorae food consists. There is something radically wrong when pnUets 

 laying in December get leg-weakness, or, in common language, become so 

 weak they are unable to walk. We have some hundrwls of pullets, but know 

 nothing of leg-weakness. With regard to shell-less eprga, we advise you to 

 read the answer to the preceding question. Your case is the worse, inasmuch as 

 your eggs have no shell at all. Your feeding must ho altogether wrong. Feed 

 as we have advised above, and add thereto some road grit. Avoid oily, stimu- 

 lating, and artificial foods. A wooden floor is an abomination in a poultry 

 house, and often produces cramp. The floor should always be earth. 



Fowls Moulting, and for Exhibition {A. S. IT.).— Yon do not tell ns 

 the breed of the bird you wish to prepare for exhibition. As the treatment is 

 not alike in all cases, you must give us more information before we can 

 answer, lloultiug bu-ds should be kept at night in a house free from draught, 

 but not artificially warmed. Their food should be nourishing, but by no 

 means heating. We prefer ground oats to any other food fur luoulting fowls, 

 and in hard weather we mix it with milk. Anything heating or exciting 

 perishes the young feathers. One of the principal points of Spangled Ham- 

 burghs is in both sexes the comb, which should he firmly seated on the head, 

 and quite straight. It should he piked behind, and the pike should turn up, 

 It should have no hollow, and must neither be loose nor crooked. Both should 

 have blue legs with four toes, clear tails, mooned at the tips of sickles, and 

 straight feather. Both should have spangled breasts, and the hens striped 

 hackle. Both must have faultless white deaf ears of moderate size. Both 

 should have barred wings. 



Barrow-in-Furness Poultry Show. — Mrs. Cross informs ns that she 

 took a second prize with Creve-Coeurs in Class 14, instead nf being "higlily 

 commended" in Class 15 (Black Red Game Bantams), as stated. A prize card 

 is often affixed to the wrong pen, but this does not entitle it to a prize. The 

 judge can only decide which was correct. 



Parentage of Fowls ( W. B. H.).— Your chickens, bred from a Wright's 

 Brohma cock and a Gwydyr Brahma hen, would not be entitled to be stated 

 as " the strain " of either, hut a cross between the two. 



Barb's Eye-cere Red (F. 1'.).— Age will probably partly accomplish that 

 which you desire. Condition will do the rest. No bird alters through age 

 more than a Barb. 



Various (Flying Tu m 6 /^r).— Brent's "Pigeon Book" and Brent's "Contr 

 rie.^ and British Finches" contain much that has been pubUshed in our 

 columns. There are many communications on Flying Tumblers and Canaries 

 in our three last vulumes. There are no " Transactions " such as you name. 



Dressing a Canary for Exhibition (Amateur Exhibitor).— Thexe are 

 several ways of getting over your httle difficulty; but you must first sink 

 your conscience, after which all will be plain sailing. If your Cinnamon bird 

 be a good colour, you can pnll out the two white feathers from his tail and 

 enter him in a Clear class. You neod not fear detection or exposure as things 

 go now-a-days. By putting a prohibitory price on it you will bo sure to have 

 the bird returned to you, and no one will suspect you. If you wish it to be 

 sold, you can put a low figure on it ; and to hide your delicate handiwork as 

 long as possible you may, in this case, simply cut the feathers close to the 

 stump, BO that the purchaser will not discover the little trick till the bird 

 moults, by which time you con be non est with his money. If you think there 

 is any fear of the judge taking such a liberty with the property of the British 

 subject as to count the tail feathers, you can either insert two Cinnamon 

 feathers, securing the joints with Derby cement, or you can dye the two white 

 feathers with Derby ointment. You may enter on this course boldly. It is 

 not unusual, and is very successful. It may bo as well, however, fo make 

 friends with the judge, for if ho be not on your side he will slate you to a 

 certainty. Could you not give him an interest in your bird 7 If you both 

 sail in the same boat he will be sure to try to screen his own complicity in 

 the fraad. If the worst comes to the worst, and you should be discovered, 

 why, you can get him to offer to affirm on oath that he knows you bought it. 

 It will be convenient, however, to forget the name of the person who sold it. 

 Never mind how much dirt sticks to you, yon will pull through! If you don't 

 like either of these plana, enter the bird in the "Any Variety of Cinnamon" 

 class, where, from your description, he has not a ghost of a chance to win- 

 But tryl— W. A. Blakston. 



Parrot Unwell (O. N, B,).— Tom- Parrot, drinking but not eating, is 

 suffering from a very severe cold, and we advise you to cover over half its cage 



and keep it near the fire. In addition to its ordinary seed give it some sponge 

 •ake lUppad in sherry, also some warm bread and milk, and rice boiled in milk 

 sweetened with sugar. Keep the bird's stren','th up with any nourisiiing food* 

 ■uch as sago or tapioca pudding, and leave the rest to nature. 



METEOROLOGICAIi OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Square, London. 



Lat. 51" 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8' 0" W. ; Altitude 111 feet. 



29th.- 

 30th. 



REMARKS. 

 ■The morning eiceedingly dark, though not foggy; tht day rather 



frosty, and scarce any sun. 

 -Not quite so cold or so dark as the previous morning, but darkened 



soon after 8.30 a.m., and so continued all day. 

 3Ist. — A dull though dry day ; frosty in the morning, but warmer at night ; a 



few flakes of snow at noon. 

 Feb. 1st.— Dull mornmg, sleet about 10 a.m., then beautifully fine for a short 



time; sleet again in afternoon and evening, and very cold. 

 2nd. — Snow in the night, and snowing nearly all day, at times heavily, but 



chiefly sleet like snow. 

 iird. — More snow in the night ; dull morning, the snow continuing on tba 



ground all day without thawing; a little fresh snow fell about 9 p.m., 



wind rather high at midnij^'ht. 

 4th. — Snow still on the ground, but soon began to thaw, slightly at first, bub 



more and more rapidly ; a little rain about 5 p.m. 

 Temperature low and uniform. Unu-ually deep snow (for London) between 

 Saturday and Monday, lying on an average 7 inches deep, and yielding 0.65 inch 

 as its equivalent of water; it was therefore of such a density that 10.8 iucij 

 would equal linch of rain. — G. J. Svmons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET. -February 5. 

 We arc still without much improvement in any branch of business; prices 

 are nearly stationary, and the supply of hothouse and out-door produce is 

 sufficient. Very few English Apples or Pears are to he had, the latter con- 

 sisting of Beurre Ranee and No Plus Meuxits. French Pears consist of Easter 

 Beurre and baking sorts. The Apple trade is confined almost exclusively to 

 Canadian and United States varieties. 



FRUIT. 



Apples j sieve 



Apnuuts doz. 



Cherries perlb. o 



ChesCnuts bushel 13 



Currunta | sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 



Lemons ^100 



Melong each 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparagus !»■ 100 



Beans, Kidney ^ 100 



Broad bushel 



Beet, Red doz. 



Broccoh bundle 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums l^luO 



Carrota bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 

 Cucumbers eiicti 



picklmg doz. 



Endive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish bundle 



Li'cks bunch 



Lettuce doa 



0t0 6 

 

 

 20 



I Mulberries %^lb. 



Necturmi-s doz. 



o! Oranges ^100 4 



O' Peacnes duz. 



Pears, kitchen doz. 1 



1 dessert, doz. 8 



PineApplra lb. & 



el PJums J sieve 



1 Quinces doz. 



0[ Kaspberries lb. 



Strawberries t*'lb. 



Walnuts bushel 15 



I ditto *H00 2 



3. d. 8. 



otoo 







10 



VEGETABLES. 



. d. s. d. 



Oto6 



10 















<J 



















3 





 3 



1 6 

 1 6 

 3 

 



MuBhrooms pottle 1 



Mustard & Cress. .punnet 

 Onions ^ buhhel 2 



pickling quart 



Parsley per doz. buucUea 2 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bukbel 



Kidney lo. 



Round do. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy v bundle 



Savovs doz 



0to2 

 2 



I Scorzonera.... ^bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bnnch 



Vegetable Marrows. .doz. 







POULTRY MARKET.— Febrxtary 5. 

 There is a tendency to a rise in prices. This is always the case in colii 

 weather, and is somewhat influenced also by the ending of the Game season. 



s. d. R. d. 



Large Fowls 4 to 4 C> 



Smaller ditto 3 f. 4 



Chickens 2 G 3 



Geese .. 7 8 n 



Guinea Fowls 3 R 



Ducks 2 2 6 



B. d. 



Pheasants 6 



Partridges 



Hares 



R.ibbits 1 



Wildditto 



Pigeons 1 



s. d. 

 to 

 

 n 

 4 1 .=; 

 9 in 



13 



