498 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTURS AISD COTTAGE GARDENER, 



[ June ID, 1873. 



is lined with perforated tin, so as to present a rough surface for 

 the bees to climb, and the top of the entrance-tube is half an 

 iuc-h lower than the height of the feeder, so that when covered 

 with its tin lid it will allow the bees to climb over to the wood 

 float, which rests on the surface of the symp, and sinks as the 

 bees take and store it in the hive. 



HoNKYcoMB Knives (Jig. 11). — These will be found useful im- 

 plements for cutting-out surplus honeycomb. One is constructed 

 for cuttiug perpendicularly, and the other horizontally, and for 

 lifting out the comb when cut. In the autumn it is often found 

 that more honey has been stored in the stock hive than the bees 

 will require, and that it is not desired to do away with the old 

 stock ; in this case the outer combs will generally be found full 

 of pure honey, and with the aid of a little smoke these combs 

 can be cut and removed as easily and safely as those from a bar- 

 frame hive. 



Bbown-baheed Silver Dragoons. — At the last Crystal Palace 

 Show all the prizes and commendations were awarded to the 

 black-barred birds. Being an admirer and breeder of their 

 brown-barred brethren, I am anxious to see a class for them. I 

 am willing \o subscribe one guinea towards a cup and prizes for 

 the best single birds of the brown-barred variety at the next 

 Crystal Palace Show, trusting that other fanciers of the same 

 will follow suit. — William Bishop, The Orchard, Dorchester. 



OUR LETTEB BOX. 



Books [J. M.^Inxicrnrss). — Our "Rabbit Book" will suit yon. It maybe 

 had free by post from our office for Id. 



Fowls Dying {A. Wright).— ThQ shrub has nothing to do with their doath 

 It is Cotoueaster microphylla. 



Cochin-China Hen (.4. B. C).— Shut-up the hen with the swollen vent- 

 Let her have no food by her. That which ia given, (,'ivo scantily. She may. 

 drink throe times per day, a very little at a time. Let hor food be gniel. 



Scunp ON Combs [C. 7?.).— Yon do not mention the breed ot your fowln. 

 Beiupt black and double-combed, wo presume they are Hambur^-hs. The 

 Spanish have played their part m loaking them, and will at times prove the 

 relationship by showing some of their beauties. To this we believe you may 

 attribute the white face ; not so the white comb— that is a malady, and is 

 often very difficult to cure. The only way is to keep the affected parts and the 

 spots constantly moistened with compoiuid citrnu ointment. The bare places, 

 where the feathers have been eaten, maybe treated in the same manner. You 

 need not be discouraged by some oiufile combs. They come in these breeds 

 as in the Sebright Bantama. Yon must never breed from them, as the single 

 comb becomes hereditary. Kill them when young and put them in a pudding. 

 They make an excellent one. 



Eaklt Laying (.4.).— We are startled now and then with these early layers. 

 The earliest wo ever kuew was a Cochin that laid at the end of sixteen weeks. 

 We believe it is injurious rather than otherwise to them. They never attain 

 to any size, and they soon wear out. Those that are early layers In June 

 have bad trreat advantage in weather {query in 1673), days getting longer and 

 warmer throughout their lives to the laying time. There is more of ma- 

 turity about a pullet that attains the age of fom- mouths in June, than in one 

 that becomes fcix months old in March. 



Nostrils Disordered (it. <?.). — The symptoms yon name are those of 

 severe cold or incipient roup. Spanish are not subject to this latter com- 

 plaint, but like all breathers they are subject to colds, and when allowed to go 

 unchecked it often takes a dangerous form. JuHt as a surgeon when fever is 

 rife, asks the state of the drains, and examiuos the sloepiug apartments of 

 the infected dwellings, so we should like to know rather more about the 

 lodging and haunts of your fowls than that they have " a stable and a yard." 

 Where do they roost? AVhat is the Hooring ? What is your die! ary ? Do 

 they get any siin ? We should advise you to give Baily's or Walton's pills, 

 and to give them every day fresh-pulled lettuce and sods of grass, cut with 

 plenty of fresh earth adhering to them. 



Crkvh-Cceub Hen (FtZ/x).— Keep her with tho Creve-C<:eur cock es- 

 clueively. 



Crooked Breasts (H.F. C). — There is no euro for crooked breasts in Ham- 

 burgh chickens. It is always better to leave the chickens with the mother as 

 long as she will care for them, aud after they are deserted to let them roost 

 in the rips where they have been brought up. We have chicken.s now four 

 months old that have never perched. It is weakuess of coostitution that in- 

 duces crooked breasts when the parents have it not. No fault ifl more here- 

 ditary ; it is detected whenever a fowl is handled, aud is a disqualitication. 



Dorkings Diseased (C. M. S.).— All the fowls wasting away should bo 

 separated from the others. They should be treated with a copious dose (at 

 least a table- spoonful) of castor oil, then fed on bread and ale, bread and milk, 

 and have no drink but camphor julep. Separate them entirely from the hens 

 and pullets. Give them mutton and meat scraps chopped fiae. 



Judges op Pigeon's iAa Old Southern Fa7icierl—\Ye have nothing to 

 say against the geuflemeu yon mention, hut it would not he quite con-ect to 

 publish your commendation. 



Pigeon with Sore Foot, &.c. (Mrs. Lanfifon).—'Gj ynnr description wo 

 think that there must be a gathering in the foot, which, if opened aud kept 

 clean, will no doubt heal nicely. Probably tho bird has been kept in a dirty 

 cage at a dealer's, or experienced some injury by the prick of a nail, itc. Let the 

 bird have a pan of water placed in the sun to induce it to bathe every morn- 

 ing, as that alone may do it great good. As you are a beginner we strongly 

 recommend you to have a copy of Brent's " Pigeon Book " fx-om our office, free 

 for nineteen stamps. There you will have full details as to feeding, manage- 

 ment, &.C. 



Sex in Jacobins (S. A. 5.).— Your Pigeons arc either two cocks or two 

 hens, most probably the former, as, had they been of opposite sexes, they 

 would have paired; or, if two hens, and being kept without a possilility of 

 getting a mate, they would very probably have played at pairing, have made 

 a nest, aud laid foiu" eggs in it, with, of cour.^e, no xesult. Theie are no par- 



ticnlar marks of difference of sex in Jacobins, The cock Pigeon is usaaUy 

 stouter- built, has a thicker beak and a thicker neck than the hen, his coo is 

 longer, and he turns quite round when cooing. It requires experience to 

 know for certain, but if you placed a hen with one of your birds you would 

 know then, as her presence woiUd rouse him to much cooing and playing 

 i-ouud her. It is not a good plan to clip the wing, but it is better to pull out 

 the feathers, and by the time they have again grown the birds will have be- 

 come accustomed to their homo. 



Removal of Ekes (li. M. B.).— We have not had much experience in the 

 use of, or removal of ekes from straw hives. With boxes we usually have a 

 moveable adapter between the stock hive and the eke, having Ruitable aper- 

 tures cut out for free communication; or we use shallow boxes titted with 

 loose bars in the ordinary way, to which the bees attach their combs, leaving 

 those in the original box much as they were before, rendering the removal of 

 ekes very simple. Perhaps Mr. Pettigrew will kindly reply to our cuiTespon- 

 dent's query as to how he manages with his straw hives, when removing ekes. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Square, London. 



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



BEMABES. 



11th. — Fino all day, hut still cold and unsummerlike. 



12th. — Fine morning, getting cloudy towards noon, and very stormhke about 



2 P.M., when a few large drops of rain fell; from that time very fine. 

 13th. — Very fino morning; stormlike at noon ; thunder at 3.50 p.m., finer after, 



and very pleasant evening, though a very close day. 

 14th. — Fine morning; beautiful at noou, soon, clouding over, began to rain 



between 4 and 5 p.m., and continued more or less all the evening. 

 1.5th. — Fine morning ; rather cloudy iu the after-part of the day ; fine at night. 

 IGth. — Fine morning ; and till between 5 and 6 p.ai., when it was very dark 



and stormliko in the east, but soon cleared off ; evening aud night fine. 

 17th. — Very hazy in (he morning, soon dispersiug, tho sun being very bright 



and warm at intervals, with appearance of storm between. 

 Temperature a trilie above that of the preceding week. There has been very 

 little rain till the night of the 17th, but it has freipiently beeu dark and stonn- 

 like in the distance. Thunder heard on the I3th. — G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— June 18. 

 We have no alteration to report. 



Apples i sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cnernes ■\:^ box 



t:he3tnuts bushel 



Currants i sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 



Coba lb. 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 



Lemons t* 100 



Melons each 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparaaus |*100 



French 



Beans, Kidney tT*- 100 



lieet. Red d../. 



Broccoli bundle 



Cabbage duz. 



Capsicums v luO 



Carrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts. . doz. bunches 

 Cucumbers each 



idokling doz. 



Kndive doz. 



Fennel bunob 



(iariio lb. 



Herbs bun ch 



Horseradish bundle 



Loeka buiicli 



Lettuce duz. 



Mulberries v- b. 



Nectarines doz. 15 



Oranges ^'^ 100 4 



Peaches do^. 15 



Pears, kitchen noz. 1 



dessert doz. 6 



PineApples lb. 8 



Plums i sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries 1^ lb. G 



Walnuts bufthel )5 



ditto vlOO 2 



d. 8. a. 

 OtoO 





 

 

 

 18 



Onions bn&hel 4 



pickling quart 6 



Parsley per doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 9 



Peas quart 2 



Potatoes .bushel G 



Kidney do. 



Round do. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 1 



Rhubarb bundle 6 



Salaafy bundle 1 D 



Savoys dnz. 2 



Scorzonera bunclle 1 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 3 



Ppinach bushel 2 '» 



Tomatoes doz. 1 



Turnips bunch 3 



Vestetable Harrows 



d. B. d, 



0to2 



2 



10 







POULTRY MARKET.— June 18. 

 Although prices have not greatly vai-ied during tho past week, yot ther(^ 

 arc not wanting indications that a large supply is at hand, 

 s. d. s. d. 



Larg.> Fowl"! 6 to C 



Sniallorditto 5 5 6 



Chickane 4 4 6 



Gnslings 6 R 6 



Gre-n (ieese 



Ducklings 4 4 6 



s. d. 8. d 



Pheasan's OtoO 



Partridges 



Harea 



Rabbi',s l 5 1 fi 



Wildditto 9 10 



Pigeons 9 1 



