134 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 14, 18G6. 



Second, E. Hutton (Brown Call). Third, T. Wakefield, Newton-le-Willows 

 (Brown Call). Highly Commended, R. Tate (Grey Call); D. Parsons, 

 Cnerden (Call). 



SINGLE COCKS. 



Game.— Cup and Second, C. W. Brierley (Black Red). Third, N. Grim- 

 Shaw, High Field, Burnley. Highly Commended, .1. S. Butler, Poulton- 

 le-Fylde; J. Fletcher (Black Red). Commended, R. Greenall, junr., Rib- 

 chester. 



Game Bantams.— First, H. Smaller, Accrington (Black Red). Second, 

 T. Wareing. Third, C. W. Brierley. Commended, S. H. Scott (Duckwing) • 

 J. Percival, Birmingham (Pile). 



UTTOXETER POULTRY SHOW. 



This took place on Friday last. The following is the prize list : — 

 Spanish.— First, S. Mills, jun., Walsall. Second, A. O. Worthington, 

 Burton-on-Trent. Highly Commended, W. Tarns, Hilderstone, near 

 Stone. 



Dorking (Any rariety). — First, Mrs. F. S. Arkwright, Derby. Second, 

 Lady Bagot, Blithfield. Highly Commended, Hon. H. W. Fitzwilliam, 

 Wentworth Woodhouse. Rotherham. Chickens.— First, Mrs. F. S. Ark- 

 wright. Second, Lady Bagot (Silver-Grer). 



Cochin-China.— First, S. Mills. Second, E. Daniel, Cheadle. Com- 

 mended. Mrs. P. Wolferston, Tamwortb. Chickens.— First. W. S. Bag- 

 shaw, Uttoxeter. Second, F. E. Richardson, Bramshall. Highly Com- 

 mended, Mrs. P. Wolferston. Commended. S. C. Hamerton. Warwick. 



Game (Black or Brown-breasted Reds).— Prize, G. Bagnall, Cheadle. 



Game (Any other variety). — Prize. G. Bagnall. Chickens. — First, 

 — Beck, Uttoxeter. Second, G. Bagnall. 



Hamburgh (Golden-pencilled).— First. Hon. H. W. Fitzwilliam. Se- 

 eend, A. K. Wood, Burnside, Kendal. Cldckens.— First, A. O. Worthing- 

 ton, Second, F. D. Mort, Moss Pit House, near Stafford. Highly Com- 

 mended, E. Bell. 



Hamburgh (Golden-spangled).— First, E. Frnner. Leek. Second, H. 

 Bagshaw. Highly Commended, J. Atkins, jun., Walsall ; A. K. Wood. 

 Commended, W. Tatton, Leek. Chickc ns.— Prize, T. May. 



Hamburgh (Silver-pencilled).— First, A. K. Wood. Second, E. Bell, 

 Burton-on-Trent. Highly Commended, H. Richardson, Roycrofts. 



Hamburgh (Silver-spangled).— Prize, A. K. Wood. 



Brahma Pootra.— First. A. O. Worthington. Second, T. Greatrex, 

 Walsall. Highly Commended, Mrs. P. Wolferston. 



Bantams (Any variety).— First and Second, R. Charlesworth, Man- 

 chester. 



Ducks (Aylesbury).— Prize. H. Chawner, jun., Houndhill. 



Ducks (Rouen).— First, C. Whitaker, Uttoxeter. Second, H. Chawner, 

 Jan. 



Geese.— First, F. E. Richardson. Second, G. Walker, Sandon. Highly 

 Commended, W. A. Rawlins, Uttoxeter. Commended, Mrs. P. Wolferston. 



Turkeys (Cambridge).— First, F. E. Richardson. Second, W. Bagnall. 

 Highly Commended, F. E. Richardson. 



Guinea Fowls. — First, H. Chawner, jun. Second. W. A. Rawlins. 



Extra Class.— First, E. S. Wolferston, Tamworth. Highly Com- 

 mended, F. E. Richardson (Black East Indian Ducks). 



SWEEPSTAKES FOR SINGLE COCKS. 

 Spanish.— Prize, E. T. Holden. Walsall. 

 Cochin-China (Buff). — Prize, F. E. Richardson. 



INCUBATORS. 



It would be a great sendee to the poultry world if, through 

 your Journal, any one having used artificial incubators duriug 

 this season would give an impartial account of the results 

 thereby obtained, and especially as to the strength of the 

 chickens, and how many reared artificially; also the cost of 

 the heat, and the difficulty or otherwise of keeping up the 

 proper temperature. 



I keep Spanish fowls, and this year bought several sittings 

 of eggs from noted breeders, and I found, as I anticipated, 

 that the hens broke far too many eggs. If artificial incubation 

 is a real success this would be avoided. 



My idea is to hatch artificially, and then place the chickens 

 when pretty strong under hens which have been sitting — say 

 on pot eggs. 



I, like many more, would certainly use an incubator if I were 

 satisfied that with a fair share of care the results would be 

 satisfactory ; but before purchasing I should very much like to 

 have, through your Journal, some of the results from gentlemen 

 who have tried the various inventions. — A Spanish. Breeder. 



Long Sutton Poultry Show. — It will be seen from our 

 advertising columns that this is to take place on the 10th of 

 October. The prizes are liberal, and include eight silver cups 

 of the value of £5 each. 



Gapes in Chickens. — I have seen this disease treated as 

 follows by American housewives. The horny tip or scale at 

 the end of the tongue is plucked off by the thumb-nail, and a 

 wing feather, pulled from the chicken, is thru6t as a seton 

 through the skin of the neck, and so remains until it wears off. 

 -D.J. 



COCK PHEASANT SITTING. 

 A friend of mine has a cock Silver Pheasant two years 

 old, and one Silver hen one year old ; they have been running 

 with some Game fowls, and a nest was made in the shrubbery, 

 and seven eggs laid, which were scattered about several feet 

 from the nest for fourteen or twenty days in the hot sun. To 

 his great surprise one day he saw the cock Pheasant collecting 

 the eggs to the nest. The cock bird sat on them, and on Wed- 

 nesday, July 25th, brought off three chickens, all doing well. 

 No doubt more eggs would have been hatched, had they not 

 been exposed so long in the sun. The father is as proud as 

 any father of a family. Is this a common occurrence with 

 Silver Pheasants ? — Affection. 



[Tour account is most interesting. We once met with a 

 similar case. For a long time it was denied that a Silver hen 

 would lay good eggs the first season, but two of ours did so 

 last year.] 



LIGURIAN BEES. 



" Is the Ligurian really more prolific than the common bee ?" 

 Such is the inquiry of one of your correspondents in a recent 

 Number. The question is fair and natural, and I have no 

 doubt is often reiterated by many of your readers. That the 

 Ligurian bee is said to possess this and other qualities which 

 render it superior to the common species, is evident from the 

 reported results of its cultivation by scientific apiarians both 

 in Germany and England. Admitting this, however, the 

 question still recurs, Can the deductions of scientific observers 

 be depended upon by those who aim chiefly at practical results, 

 and keep bees only for profit ? Undoubtedly so, or science and 

 empiricism would become synonymous. True science takes 

 cognisance of all circumstances, and investigates without pre- 

 judice or partiality. The establishment of a theory is one 

 thing, that of fact and proof another. In theories it is very 

 easy for a man to impose upon himself ; in comparative ex- 

 periments, fairly and honestly conducted, with the exercise of 

 ordinary observing and reasoning faculties, conclusions in 

 time become irresistible, and proof rests upon an irrefragable 

 basis. 



The experiments alluded to in my former letter were under- 

 taken neither to disparage our old friend the black bee, nor to 

 exalt the asserted superior qualities of the Ligurian, but 

 simply to ascertain for myself, and in my own way, whether 

 there is any difference between them, and if so, in what that 

 difference consists. My experiments were conducted on the 

 <■■■ ' rts paribus principle (without which I should not have been 

 satisfied with results), and I made them as fairly and as fully 

 comparative as I could. I was influenced by no prejudice, and 

 my aim was simply the satisfactory establishment or disproof 

 of an asserted fact. With the results, as given in a former 

 Number of this Journal, your readers are already acquainted. 

 I will briefly recapitulate my statistics of progress, and append 

 one or two additional facts of an interesting character, which 

 place in a still stronger light the fecundity of the Ligurian bee. 



I began the season with six stocks, two of them so light at 

 midwinter that I never expected them to survive until the 

 floral season. However, I watched them carefully, and when 

 the increase of temperature awoke them into activity, I gave 

 them a liberal supply of strong syrup slightly salted. Under 

 this treatment they rallied, but their numbers had diminished 

 to such an extent that I never expected them to swarm ; each 

 of these, however, has thrown off three swarms. For brevity's 

 sake I will call my six stock hives A B C D E F. 



Date of First Swarm. Second Stcarm. Third Sicaruu 



[1 suspect that the third swarms 



. ,..„ r.±i , . t.,„„ Q.i. from these hires, which were 



A. Mar 2itb, A A.. June Hth . ,. „. „„ , ., „• . . .„„. 



r> t "~Q...q i. „ imi - both strong, t.i.tk tli^ht verr 



is. June 3rd J une 15th ... . , • r,. j 



" uuo mhi early in the morning and 



\ were lost. 



C. June 3rd, C C .. June 19th .... June 21st. 



D..Tune8th June 19th June 21st. 



E. June 9th June 20th June 22nd. 



F. June 23rd June 30th July 7th. 



MAIDEN SWARMS. 



C C.June 23rd July 9th July 10th. 



A A. June 25th July 8th 



The results, then, are these : — My six stocks have yielded 

 me, without taking into account the two third swarms which I 

 am fully convinced were lost, twenty-one swarms, aud leave 

 me in possession at the end of the season of twenty-seven 

 stocks altogether. I have occasionally, although rarely, had 

 from first-rate stocks of the common bee three swarms, and a 



