July n, 1865. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE G.UIDENER. 



37 



DonKlVB.— PriM, .1. Bell, Thorntonle-Moor. , „ ,. ,„ . , , 



PoLiND.— First, BowTiand Greonwood. Second, J. Diilton, Sleiungtoru 



OncHix-C«raA.— First, Bown and Greenwood. Second, J. Walker, Hay- 



""GoL^SJSiAKoLED.-Fixst, J. Walker. Second, J. B. Topham, Borough- 



SiLVEK-srAXoi.ED.— First, J. Walker. Seeond, T. Heim'h. 

 Gou>EN-PENCii.LED.-Fir9t, G. Cr.ver, Hartirith, Ripley. Seooud, Bon u 



and Greenwood. ^ „• .. , ti. 



Golden-laced Bastam.— Prize, G. Nicholson, Shiirow. 

 Gaub Bantam.— Prize, Bown and Greenwood. 

 Airr OTHER VAMETV OP BAXTAil.— First, Bown and Greenwood, bocona. 



Turkeys.— First, J. Greaves, Clothcrhobne. Second, S. Gothorp, Xun- 



Geese.— First. .T. Hatlersley. .\bel GranRc, Thirsk. Second, S. Gothorp. 



DCCKS (.4ylcshnr>).— Prize.'ll. Walker, South Stainley. 



DccKS (Koueu).— Prize, .T. Greaves. 



Ducks (.'Iny breed or cross).— Prize, T. Renton, Ox Close House, Bipon. 



PIOEOSS.— rnrri.is (of any colonr).— Prize, J. Hattcrsley. Ttmhiers 

 (Almondl.— Priac, R. Gmv, Eorobridae. TumbhrH ( Any other variety ).— 

 Mrst R. Gray. Second, T. H,immond, North Stainley. Pou-(fr,<.— Prize, 

 J. Hntterslev. JacoLiiw.- First, .J. Hattcrsley. Second, G. Petty Boro- 

 bridKc. Fa'ntaiU.— first and Second, J. Hattcrsley. Oirh and TmmpeJers. 

 —Prize, J. Hatterslev. Barl«.— First and Second. U. Gray. TurbtU.— 

 First and Second, J. Hatterslcv. Ih-o.oooas.- First, .1. H:ittersley. Sccoml 

 G Petty. Bai.i« 01- B.-ariJi.-First, T. Hammond, Second, J. W. Wood 

 Ripon. Anil new or distinH variety.— Sin^, J. Hatlersley. Second, J, 

 Malthouse, lUpon. 



IT.UJAN MODE OF FATTENING ORTOLANS. 



Sir Hugh Lyos Playfair, in his lectures ou the application 

 of physiologT to the rearing of cattle, gives a very remarkable 

 illnstration of the influence of rapid alternations of light and 

 darkness, without reference to the diurnal revolutions of the 

 earth, in inducing sleep and inclination for food, in the Italian 

 mode of rapidly fattening Ortolans. '■ .\t a certain hour in the 

 morning the keeper of the birds places a lantern in the orifice 

 of the wall, made for the special purjiose of dai-kening and 

 illuminating the room. The dim light thrown by the lantern 

 on the floor of the apartment induces the Ortolans to believe 

 that the stm is about to rise, and they awake and greedOy 

 consume the food upon the floor. The lantern is witbth-awn, 

 and the succeeding darkness acting as an actual night, the 

 Ortolans fall asleep. During sleep, little of the food being 

 expended in the production of force, most of it goes to the 

 formation of flesh and fat. After the birds have been allowed 

 to repose for one or two hours to can-y on digestion and 

 assimilation, the keeper again exhibits the lantern through 

 the aperture. The mimic daylight awakes the birds again ; 

 again they rise and feed; again darlmess ensues, and again 

 they sleep. The representatlTe snnshine is made to shed its 

 rays foiu' or five times every day, and as many nights follow its 

 transitoi-y beams. The Ortolans thus treated become like 

 balls of fat in a few days." 



[It is not improbable that chickens and other poultry might 

 be similarly deluded into frequent voluntary feeding when put 

 np for fattening. If they conld be so induced to feed, it would 

 be far better than cramming, so often and cruelly adopted. 

 —Eds.] 



THE STORIFYING SYSTEISI. 



Your esteemed correspondent " J. E. B." asks me in No.213. 

 to detail my mode of procedure with storitied luTes, and I 

 append the following remarks in the hope they may prove alike 

 useful to him and the brotherhood generally. 



First, then, as to hives. From a lengthened ex])erience of 

 square and octagon hives kept side by side, I have no hesita- 

 tion in giving a decided preference to the latter. I invariably 

 find, should hives be at all weakly in spring, that the bees 

 congregate in one side of square hives, gradually but slowly 

 extending as they increase in strength to the otier ; wliile in 

 octagon hives they stick to the centre, increase in numbers, and 

 ■go ahead much more rapidly — easily accounted for by the 

 better concentration of heat in the octagon form. At the same 

 time I by no means disparage square hives for other purposes ; 

 lliese during the working season retain no insignificant place in 

 my apiary, and, from the greater number of frames they contain, 

 possess advantages to the scientific apiarian clearly apparent ; 

 still I seldom employ them as storifiers, e5Lcept when I mn 

 short of an octagon box, and for which rea-son I take care to 

 bave both sorts of uniform width — viz., 1-4 inches, and, that I 

 may transfer a frame or bar handily from one to the other, 

 have them also of the uniform depth of 7 inches. 



The usual depth of Stewarton hives is 6 inches. Tlie enlarged 

 size I find advantageous, enabling me to employ them singly 

 for second swarms, or for beat-out bees at the end of the season. 

 Tliey also afford space for a larger window for observation, 

 ;") inches from top to bottom, -1 inches across ; the glass is let in 

 from the inner side of the box, bedded in putty or sunk to the 

 flush, secured in addition with a few small sprigs ; the outside 

 edge of the cut is bevelled off in imitation of putty externally. I 

 adopted this plan of fixing wmdows, from finding frames catch 

 on the edge of the cut when letting Jowti into the hive, and also 

 combs, when frames were not employed, being carried out into 

 the window space, and of course broken when the bar was raised. 

 Each hive contains eight bars with the usual 7-lGths slides, the 

 six central bars are IJ, and the two end ones 14 inch broad- 

 The four central bars carry frames ; all are kept in their place 

 by means of half-inch brass screws ; the entrance full width to 

 dovetails, half inch deep, with the usual moveable door. 



So much for the hives, now for their management. Two of 

 the deep or breeiling-boxes are fii-mly tied together with cord 

 attached to the little weighing-hooks, the slides withdrawn 

 from the lower, and the little pegs inserted ; then hive the 

 earliest and lar-gest prime swann to be had ; so soon as the two 

 boxes are filled, nadir with a third breeding box. A swarm so 

 treated in the north is not expected generally to yield any 

 honey harvest the first season, it being more important to the 

 storiiier for the following season's procedure if pos.sible to get 

 the lower box combed. From the greater earliness of swarms 

 and richer pastm-age of the south, glasses or, a small super 

 might possibly be taken in addition. 



To ensure honey the first season here, the following plan is 

 almost invariably adopted. Eight or ten days after the first 

 swarm is hived in the boxes as above mentioned, a second good 

 prime swarm is secured in a single breeding-box, and set down 

 close to the other. At dusk the same evening the swann in the 

 two boxes is raised, and the new swarm in its box placed under 

 the slides of the lower, which are then drawn, and the morning 

 reveals a peaceful tmion, with the lower box empty, which had 

 better be at once removed, and a super placed on above for 

 access thereto, drawing only one sHde on either side, the outer- 

 most of course. The pressure of the combined force has 

 generaly the effect of compelling a detachment to be told off 

 to take possession of the super. So soon as comb can be seen 

 therein through the windows, the third or lowest breeding-box, 

 formerlv withdrawn, is now reinstated ; as the snper gets well 

 fiUed, place a second empty one above the first, at the same 

 time withdrawing all the slides of the lower so as to afiord free 

 access between the two. The first super can be removed com- 

 plete, when the cells of the central combs are observed to be aU 

 sealed ; the upper super then takes the place of the imder, and 

 in Uke manner a fresh one takes the place of the upper. AU 

 supers mtist be well wrapped up with old woollen or other warm 

 material. Meantime, the population may have increased to 

 such an extent as to require a fom-th breeding-box added below 

 to avoid the escape of a swarm. " J. E. B." wiU find as he 

 becomes more experienced in this system, that a little nadir 

 space afforded a fuU hive, instead of diverting attention from 

 the super, will on the contrary only stimulate to greater 

 activity, while withholding it, "in all probabihty, forces a 

 swarm" to the desertion of one or more supers, possibly for the 

 season. 



In young hives standing in three breeding-boxes at the end 

 of the season, so soon as it is observed that the bees have 

 vacated the lowest, it had better be removed, the slides run in, 

 and after wrapping it up in paper, it can be hung up in a dry 

 loft or garret, and in its room a shallow eke for ventilation 

 inserted, that eke to be removed so soon as breeding fairly sets 

 in in spiing. 



After work has been fairly stai-ted in a super, or even earlier, 

 the lower combed box can be looked out and once more set 

 beneath the hive. As a rule bees in these hives are generally 

 wintered in two boxes set on a shallow eke. Older hives in 

 four or five breeding-boxes, during the working season, wUl 

 generally in addition to the removal of supers and the lowest 

 box empty of comb, be able to spare, should the season bo 

 favourable, the upper breeding-box fiUed with honey. As in 

 the case of my friend " B. B.," alluded to at page 478, a hive 

 overloaded with honey, particularly at the beginning of the 

 gathering season, is a decided disadvantage. 



Sometimes, should the second prime swarm intended to be 

 added be available sooner than the prescribed eight or ten days, 

 it may be advisable to retain it for a few days in the box before 

 imiting it to the other, so as to gain the advantage for that 



