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JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



July 81, 1886. 



EXTRACTING THE GAPES WORM. 



I noticed in your Number of July 24th remarks upon ex- 

 tracting the gapes worm. This is a frequent disease in America, 

 and carries off numbers of young chickens. 



The plan I adopted was to take the top, say 4 inches down, 

 of a quill feather, and strip off all the feathers except for three- 

 quarters of an inch at the end where cut. The remaining part 

 I cut with scissors about one-half the length, running the finger 

 down to spread it and give it a barb-like appearance. Of the 

 sharp part of the stem where cut I dip just the tip in sealing- 

 wax to prevent its injuring the windpipe. I then anoint the 

 feather with spirits of turpentine or coal oil, thrust it down 

 the windpipe, twist it round, and then withdraw it. This 

 barbed part brings the red gapes worms up with it. I never 

 experienced any difficulty in doing this, and in most instances 

 effected the cure. — James Spbatt. 



ON PRESERVING EGGS. 



At a late meeting of the Farmers' Institute in New York, a 

 note was received from Mr. W. M. Brown, of Indiana, inquir- 

 ing whether there is any way to pack eggs so as to keep them 

 good from spring until the winter months ? Upon this question 

 the following discussion took place. The name of the first 

 speaker is not given : — 



There are various modes of keeping eggs, none of which are 

 quite successful. Sometimes eggs packed in water saturated 

 with lime keep perfectly well, and sometimes they do not. 

 Some persons say they can keep them in water saturated with 

 salt, others keep them packed in fine dry salt, others in char- 

 coal dust. If packed in sand and kept in a very cool cellar, 

 they will remain through the year. They should always be 

 packed small end up. The best way to preserve eggs is to 

 tore them in one of Professor Nyce's preservatories. 



Professor Smith, Columbia College, said that the common 

 way of preserving eggs in the north of Europe, and which 

 appeared to bo more effectual than any other mode he had ever 

 seen, was this : — The eggs are placed in a barrel, keg, earthen 

 jar, or any other suitable vessel, and then melted tallow, only 

 just warm enough to flow, is poured in, filling the interstices, 

 and thus hermetically sealing the eggs from the air, which 

 appears to be all that is necessary for their perfect preservation. 

 When wanted for use they are easily obtained by warming the 

 open end of the vessel to soften the tallow. 



Mr. Solon Robinson said he thought lard or oil would answer 

 the purpose ; it would be more convenient. He had heard 

 molasses recommended, and did not see why it would not 

 answer perfectly. 



Mr. Carpenter said he had found no difficulty in preserving 

 eggs in fine dry salt. He packs them endwise, and about once 

 a-mpnth reverses the ends of the casks, or rather box with 

 straight sides, so that a board and cloth or paper fits down 

 and holds the contents in their place when reversed. 



Professor Tillman gave it as his opinion that anything which 

 would exclude air would preserve eggs. Recent experiments 

 in France have developed the fact that varnishing the shell 

 destroys the value of the egg for incubation. 



Mr. E. Williams said he had seen eggs perfectly preserved 

 by packing in meal.— (Canada Fanner.) 



years ago in Birchanger Wood, near Bishop Stortford, and as 

 it was only wounded, an attempt was being made to keep it 

 alive. 



Wood Owl. — This is a strong and fierce bird, of a dusky 

 colour, with different shades of brown. It was so common 

 that when a boy I always had one or two of them tame. They 

 used to breed within a hundred yards of the house, and were 

 great destroyers of rats. It was pleasing when walking on a 

 fine night to hear the solemn notes of these birds responding 

 to each other at a distance ; but they are all destroyed, I be- 

 lieve, not one of them now remains. 



Brown Owl. — Smaller than the preceding, of a lighter colour, 

 and not so often seen, as it did not frequent out-buildings, but 

 kept more to woods and other retired situations. Like the last 

 it is now gone. 



Bam Owl. — This beautiful and useful bird is now like the 

 others nearly extinct. Its food consisted of mice, which it de- 

 stroyed both in barns and fields ; it used to begin its hunt 

 about an hour before sunset, and continued it till daylight, 

 thus rendering great service. Like the Kestrel Hawk, it touched 

 no sort of Game, but it is so often destroyed by ignorant people 

 that I fear we shall soon have to deplore its loss altogether. 



The Little Seoj>s Owl is said to have been seen here, but I 

 believe it to be a mistake. — D. S. French. 



NOTES ON BIRDS OF PREY IN ESSEX.— No. 2. 



Great Homed Owl. — A very fine specimen of this noble bird 

 was once shot in Mark Bushes, Latton, by Mr. Paine, keeper 

 to Colonel Burgoyne, of Mark's Hall. The Colonel had it 

 stuffed and placed in the front hall. 



Long-eared Owl. — This is a very beautiful and rare bird. 

 During the severe winter of 1860-61, three of them were shot 

 in this neighbourhood — one at Sawbridgeworth, one at Harlow, 

 and one at North Weald. This last I saw. It is an extremely 

 rare visitor in this district, and the birds shot were probably 

 driven southward by the intense cold. 



Short-eared Owl. — This is still more rare than the preceding. 

 Some years ago one was shot at Sheering Hall, but so far as I 

 am aware, this was the only instance of its appearance. I may 

 here remark, that Sheering Hall is situated in a vale by the 

 river Pincey, which, until of late years, was densely wooded. It 

 was, therefore, sometimes the resort of rare birds. 



Tengmalms Owl. — Very rare. I saw one that was shot some ' 



THE EGYPTIAN BEE.— Part H. 



ITS INTRODUCTION INTO AND ACCLIMATISATION IN GERMANY. 



(Continued from page 75.) 

 " Of animals hostile to bees which exist in Egypt," con- 

 tinues Herr Vogel, " only hornets and wasps are known to 

 me. At a certain time in summer a boy must always be sta- 

 tioned near the bee-hives, in order to drive away the hornets, 

 or else these animals would rob all the honey from the stocks. 

 He who knows how rich Egypt is in troublesome insects may 

 form an idea what a pest the hornets especially are for the 

 bees and their keepers during the hot season in Egypt. If 

 robbing a stock by wasps has once commenced, it is difficult to 

 afford help. It is, therefore, the chief task of the watchman 

 to ward off the first attacks of these enemies. 



" As but a few Fellahs and Copts keep bees, it requires a good 

 deal of time to find out an apiary. A European who does not 

 know the Arabian language can discover an apiary mostly only 

 by chance. Moreover, the Fellahs are so intolerant as often 

 to throw great difficulties in the way of discoveries of this kind 

 in Egypt, which difficulties cannot often be overcome, and 

 travellers are frequently attacked by robbers. In Manzur a 

 Copt keeps bees, who is said to be the Egyptian master of bee- 

 keeping. Herr Hammersehmidt, a photographer, went to this 

 man in 1863, to buy a stock for the Berlin Acclimatisation 

 Society ; the gloomy, distrustful, and very superstitious Egyp- 

 tian did not, however, give a decided answer. Not even a dead 

 bee, which was to be sent to Berlin as a sample, could Mr. 

 Hammersehmidt obtain from him. For 15 to 20 this. (£2 5s. to 

 £3) only was he willing to part with a dead bee. Herr Ham- 

 mersehmidt fortunately succeeded, in 1864, in finding out a 

 small apiary in Old Cairo. The proprietor, a Fellah, who had 

 been brought up in a European family, gave a bee as a sample, 

 and parted with a small swarm for a considerable sum of money, 

 he also made the hive for transportation, and had the box for 

 packing it in made by his son, who was a joiner. This Fellah 

 was only induced to sell the swarm by Mr. Hammersehmidt, 

 who is a perfect master of the Arabian language, remarking to 

 him that his name would not only be mentioned in Europe, 

 but become immortal. This alone had the desired effect. 

 The Fellah would not hive the swarm in a wooden hive, being 

 of opinion the bees were not accustomed to wooden hives, and 

 would die in it. He, however, is not quite an unpractical bee- 

 keeper. In order to compel the bees to make combs parallel 

 to the diameter of the cylinder, he puts old combs on a small 

 forked stick, which is exactly as long as the cylinder is high 

 inside, and fixes them in the hive which is to be stocked. The 

 bees fasten the inserted combs to the surface at the top of the 

 cylinder and to the twig, and after they have been loosened at 

 the top the Fellah can take them out with the stick, and also 

 insert them again. The Fellahs have also partially moveable 

 combs. The new combs which the bees make in the cylinder 

 they make parallel to the inserted ones, and the excision of 

 honeycombs is thereby much facilitated. 



" The Egyptian bee, which is distinguished from all other 

 known varieties by its small size and light pubescence, is 



