February 13, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



153 



SaowN AS Extra St'^ck.— I, C. Herring, Sandbach. 



Docks.— ii'jufrn.—l. J. Flatt, Swanlow. 2, S. L. EdwarJa. he, R. Ashley. 

 Nantwich. Any other variety.— 1, Mrs. Hornby, Poole Hall, he, Miss H. F. 

 ClemeoBon, Stapeley. 



Geese.— 1, T. Whittingham, Bartherton. 2, W. Bowera. he, T. Comer, Bas- 

 ford : W. B. Etches. 



ToftKRys.-l, W. B. Etches. 2, STrs.E.Gibba, "Worleston. Ac, Mrs. E. Gibbs ; 

 A. EobiDson. 



PiOEONS — Crtm>r--.— 1, Prince & Pass, Nantwich. DraQOon*.—!. S. Cliff, 

 Nantwich. 2. J. Tavlor, Cre've. Eitri 2. W- Gimon. Chester. Poutpr$.—l,J. 

 Taylor. BarbH.—l. Prin-'e & Pa»a. 2, J. Taylor. Nuns.—l. J. Taylor. 2. S. 

 Armstronti, Unrland. Tambk-rs.—l, E- J. Rjwley, Bursiem. 2. P. Hinde. Bud- 

 worth. Fantaiis.—l, Prince & Pass. 2, J.Tavlor. Jacobini. — 1. Prince A Pass, 

 Trumpeters.— I and ■_', \V. Gainon. Owls. — 1, W. Gamon. 2, W. Kycroft. Actoii. 

 Turhiti.—\, J. SKiuk, Austersoa. 2, S. Armstrong. Burlanl. Any other variety. 

 —1, T. Gam in, Santwich. 2, A. B. Biiley, Ljngtou. Dovit.—l, T. Gaman. 2, 

 2£.Ta. J. Hockenhull, Nantwich. 



Srs'GiNG Birds.— Canarifis.— Yellow Belgian. — 1 and he, S. Williamson, Nant- 

 wich. Buff Belgian— \, S. Williamson, he, W. Barnett. Cungletnn. Yelloui 

 Norwich. — 1, W. Barnett. 2, S. Williamson. Buff Norwich — 1. S. Williamson. 

 Varieaated —i and 2, S. Williamson. Linnets — Brown. — 1, H. Timmis, 

 WalKhen.m. Re<i.~l. H. Timmis. 2. S. Williamson. Sfiylark—l, W. Sim- 

 jnonds, Nantwich. 2, T. Jervis, Nantwich. Bullfinches.— 1, tl. Timmi*. 2, S. 

 Williamson. 



Rabbitb.— I, T. Gatnan he, W- Beckett. Northwlch; F. Boyer, Nantwich. 

 Heaviest.— 1, T. Gaman. 2, J. R. Whittmgham. 



Judges. — Poultry : Mr. J. Douglas, Clumber. PigeonSj d-c. : 

 Mr. Ridpetb, Liverpool. 



SOUTH LONDON FANCY BABBIT SOCIETY. 



The half-yearly meeting of this Society "was held at the 

 "Angel lun," Webber Street, Blackfriara Road, on the 10th 

 oust. The following are the awards : — 



Prizp Age. LenRlh. Wiaih. Weight. 



m. d. ins. ins. lbs. ozfl. 



iBt. Mr. Pritchard's Fawn doe 6 21 .. 23 .. 5J .. 8 B 



9nd. Mr. Pritcsard's FAwn and-white doe 6 21.. 21|.. 5t .. 8 13 



3rd. Mr. Cornwall's Grey and-white back .. 5 28 .. 20i ..5 ..7 15 



<th. Mr. Green's Black-and-white doe 4 11 .. 20J .. 4! .. 7 2 



5th. Mr. Bainbrid^re's Fawn-and-white buclt 3 22 .. 20J .. B ..7 2 



eth. Mr. Bambndce's Tortoiseshell bock 3 24 .. 20i .. 4i ..7 14 



8th. Mr. Cornwall's Grev-and-white doe 5 2ti .. 20J .. i\ .. 7 12 



„„, IMr.Pntchard's Fawn bock 6 21.. 21J.. 6 .. 7 6 



""'• (Mr. Bainbri.lgf's Fawndoe S 23.. SOJ.. 5 .. 7 2 



loth. Mr. Red^rave'd Fawn-and-white doe 4 12 .. 204 .. 4i .. 8 4 



Judges. — Messrs. Vaaghan, Lewer, and Bakewell. 



PIGEONS. 



Tour correspondent (January 23rd), 'who signs himself " Ohb 

 •OF THE Old School," is misled when he says there was not a 

 single Pouter or Short-faced Tumbler exhibited at the young 

 Show of the Peristeronic Society. I exhibited in each class. 

 Again, if by those who simply purchase birds to show and make 

 money of them, your reporter means dealers, he says they 

 show birds till their constitution is exhausted, and then sell at 

 an exorbitant price ; and y«ur reporter also says it is very annoy- 

 ing to an exhibitor to be asked the price of a bird. If either of 

 these statements were true of the amateur or dealer, which I 

 deny, where is a young fancier to get stock from ? The auction 

 is ail that is left, and he might have to wait longer than suited 

 him. — H. Heritage. 



[We admire your valour, but your offer to exhibit for a twenty- 

 guinea prize would be an advertisement. If our reporter 

 omitted noticing any deser'ving birds the omission was caused 

 by our urging brevity, for we had little time for printing the 

 report. — Eds.] 



NEW METHOD OF INCREASING STOCKS OP 

 BEES. 

 [Tour readers will recollect some time back, that I drew 

 attention to a plan for " increasing stock," put forward by an 

 American bee-keeper of the name of Hosmer, by dividing stocks 

 in autumn and encouraging them to breed early after cellar- 

 'wintering. I extract the folio-wing excerpt from the American 

 " Bee Journal," which will show both what Mr. Hosmer's plan 

 is, and how attention has been drawn to it across the Atlantic. 

 Xiet it be understood that what is said below was spoken at a 

 meeting of the North American Bee-keepers' Society. — B. it W.] 

 Loud calls were made for Mr. Hosmer, of Minn., who issued 

 the challenge at the last meeting, to obtain 10,000 lbs. of honey 

 from ten stocks of bees to start -with in the spring, or forfeit the 

 price of 103 swarms of bees at §1.5 per swarm. Mr. Hosmer 

 came forward and described his method of increasing stock. In 

 the fall his plan is to divide his swarms so as nearly as possible 

 to have them composed of one quart of bees. In taking these 

 from the cellar early in the spring, he places the combs with the 

 bees on one side of the hive, and suspends a sack of honey in the 

 opposite side of the same, which the bees work on, and as fast 

 as the combs are occupied -with brood they are separated, and a 

 new empty comb placed between the first. In this way the lower 

 hive is soon filled with brood combs, which are removed, one at 

 a time, to the upper part of the hive. In this way the whole 

 hive may be filled 'with, say, eighteen cOmbs, which are mostly 



brood and young bees. This he would manage to have occur about 

 the time that honey-gathering commenced in earnest. He then 

 gave an instance of what he did with one hive the past season 

 thus filled with brood. First taking out one comb, and placing 

 it in a nucleus hive between two other combs, he allowed the bees 

 to make as many queen cells as they chose, and just before these 

 were ready to hatch removed three of them, and attached them 

 to as many combs taken from the parent hive, and placed them 

 in as many nucleus hives, -with two more combs of brood taken 

 from the parent hive. As soon as the queen was hatched he re- 

 moved the three frames to a full-sized hive, and filled up 'with 

 empty frames of comb and combs of brood from the parent hive, 

 at the same time removing more queen cells from the first nucleixs 

 hive to the other nucleus hives, and treated as before. In this 

 way, at the end of the season ho had nineteen good strong swarms 

 of bees made from the one to start with. It was by this method 

 of increasing stocks that he intended to secure the large yield of 

 honey proposed. 



Mrs. Tupper said she must yield the palm to Mr. Hosrner. 

 She aimed to increase brood as fast as possible, after removing 

 from the cellar in the spring, in order to be ready to divide as 

 early as the honey season commences — by last of May — she then 

 divides, so as to make two swarms one. Did not seek to divide 

 further, but aimed to prevent any after-swarming. When di'vid- 

 ing, places a queen cell, nearly ready to hatch, into each old hive. 

 This prevents any tendency to swarm; sometimes had made 

 later swarms by dividing. 



Moon. — I aim to have my stocks as strong as possible early m 

 the season, then take one frame of brood and honey from a hive, 

 and place in an empty hive (if the stock is extra strong can take 

 two from a hive), and thus fill up the new hive. Go over the 

 apiary once in about three days in this way, as long as the honey 

 •eason lasts. Have thus increased a stock to the extent of nine 

 or ten colonies from one. Supply the new hives with a fertile 

 queen, or a queen cell just ready to hatch. 



Several others gave their methods, which did not vary materi- 

 ally, but the above will give a fair idea as to what extent the 

 dividing may be carried on. 



iMFORTg OF Pisa Apples. — The island of St. Michael, so 

 justly celebrated for its Oranges, is likely soon to be equally 

 famous for its Pine Apples. The production at present is not 

 large, but is annually increasing. " The Ocean " steamer 

 brought 150 last week, which realised at public auction from 

 lOi. to 30.-. each. 



OUR LETTER BOS. 



BooKJ (S. if. L.).— li youmean bee-keeping, onr "Bee-keepers' Mnnoal" 

 will suit X""- ^o" ••" i^"' i' '^66 '■y P"" " J"" enclose flT« postage stamps 

 with year address. 



PocLTmr-PLDCKixo (B. P.).— Ton, as wsU as oar critical contemporary, aro 

 qoite wrong. The moment the koiie is passed through the root of the 

 fowl's month it enters the brain, and seasation ceases. The quirering the 

 A'«i» Tork Tribuna mentions is only the contracting ol the muscles, known 

 to professional men as the rigor morlM. Oor critical contemporary should 

 dire.t his lash against the sheep-and-call-kiiling butchers. 



'WoLTiBHAiiPTo;i iSD BiHEOw SHOWS.— Mr. T. r. Anadell informs ua 

 that he won the eitra prize for Dark Brahmas at the Show first named, and 

 the first prize for Bult Cochins at Barrow. Wo published the prize Usts as 

 we reeeiTed them. At the latter Show Mr. G. Fletcher was second, and Mr. 

 G. Cartmel and Mr. J. 'W. Taylor highly commanded in the same class. 



CHiLK POK Fowls (J. H.).— Do not mil chalk -irith the food. Hare a 

 miiture of the chalk a»d coal ashes in a heap, that the fowls can risit as 

 they like. Oyster shells calcined in the lire until they readily can bo pounded 

 are quite as good as chalk for the purpose. There is nothing in melt that is 

 superior to any other scraps of flesh for fowls. 



Food vok Pocltht.— " 'Will ' Orsxin Shell' state the food which he 

 says 'you noTer mention,' but with which he has aucceeded in obtaining a 

 Tery eonsiderable number of eggs ? — Ikquirbb." 



Eoa-EiTlna Hexs iF. E. S. and An Old Suiicrihtr).— There is no cure 

 but watching each hen on her nest and taking away the egg when hiid, or 

 haying the nesta made a> drawn and described in our ssteateenth TOlume, 

 page 427. 



DiKK BBiHjiiS (£.).— Yon may safely set eggs laid during the moultinff 

 season but it is rery unusual for hens to lay at that time. After a pullet ha* 

 laid eighteen or twenty eggs yon may set the others. The cock you hare lost 

 doubtless died from stoppage arising from improper feeding. It is more than 

 probable that, having only hard food, the poor animal substituted hay for 

 green food, and that it formed a baU in the giizard. Such is almost always 

 a hopeless case. As soon as you had succeeded in softening the contents of 

 the crop you should haTO held the bird up by the legs, and by that means the 

 contents would hare been got rid of. Vie helieTe, if you have a post-mortem 

 eiamination, you -.rill find the inner part of the giziard full of dry hay or 

 grass preventing the passage or digestion of food. We have, since writing the 

 above, read your second letter. The piece of wire you enclose could not cause 

 death. We have known fowls live and do as well as any others with a large 

 pin passing literaUy through the gizzard, and having remamed lonj enough 

 therein to have been considerably eaten away, and to have formed itself a bed 

 in the flosh. The smaU piece of wire would have passed away m the ordinary 

 way, and without effort. 



Fowls roE a Farm (J. 3/.).— If von ivish to sell very high-class poultrr 

 you must keep Dorkings, and tor a farm we beUeve no fowl is more prohtable. 



