194 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBR AICD G0TT4GE GABKBKEB. 



[ September 4, UM. 



two. This mixture is so well adapted for the purpose that 

 it really leaves nothing to be desired. 



We have had no experience of wintering bees in a- gfteen- 

 houee ; but, although we do not think very favourably of it, 

 should, nevertheless, like to see the experiment tried. We 

 prefer their summer-stands as the best site for bees in winter, 

 although aware that they will do well in a dry cellar or dark 

 zoom adapted to the purpose. If your hives are fitted neither 

 with bars nor frames, the expelled bees should be inducted into 

 them in the manner recommended in the same page of " Bee- 

 keeping for the Many," to which we have already referred, 

 and fed by means of an inverted bottle until they have built 

 combs and stored them sufficiently to last the winter. ] 



Greentiuch Mule BBEBD&ra. — In the Number of the 7th 

 |ult. " W. B. H." says he has five young ones from a "Green- 

 finch hen mule " and a cock canary, and the hen is again 

 sitting. Such an occurrence is: so rare that it would be well 

 worth authenticating ; and if " W. B. H." will give his name 

 and address, also state how and by whom the greenfinch mill 

 hen was bred, he will greatly oblige ; for many persons not 

 naturalists not unfrequently call a green or pied canary a more 

 bud : consequently his statement requires more explanation 

 ere it can be received a* faet. I have no wish to disparage 

 " W. B. H.'s " statement, but would be glad to have it in an 

 authentic form. — B. P. Bheicc; 



A SORROWFUL TALE OF JBEE-KEEPING. 



In the spring of 1865 I lost my old gardener, who had an 

 affection for bees. Three old stocks were then reduced to one 

 old and one new. My new gardener cared nothing for bees, 

 and I had no time to go into college on their behalf, or to 

 attend to them. The summer passed, and in September, 

 lamenting the lost harvest, I had the curiosity to examine my 

 two hives. The new one is Mr. Neighbour's improved arrange- 

 ment for depriving, with three apertures and slides, and upper- 

 storey skep to cover them. I attempted to lift this, and finding 

 it very heavy, proceeded to take off the upper skep, which was, 

 however, fast. With a knife I prised it up, and found it 

 entirely full of new honey. One of the zinc slides had been 

 displaced in fixing it on the lower chamber, and the bees now 

 had free access to the whole area. This I took then as my 

 harvest ; it weighed 33 lbs., and when taken out the prime 

 honey in the comb weighed 22 lbs. 



The old skep had a small straw cap on the top, merely placed 

 there to be out of the way, and having no communication with 

 the hive. On turning my attention to that, I observed that wasps 

 were passing into the cap, and, lifting it, found it filled with a 

 wasp's nest ; accordingly after sundown I brought a bucket of 

 boiling water to this hive, and lifting the cap transferred it to 

 the bucket. A few stray wasps were easily killed. The winter 

 passed but the bees were not fed, as I had no keeper, and sup- 

 posed the new hive was well stored before the upper compart- 

 ment was filled, and that the old hive was stored, as I had not 

 deprived it. 



This summer there has been very little " business " going on 

 in either hive, and we have no honey ; also, the hives are very 

 light. My impression is, therefore, that I deprived one hive, 

 and the wasps deprived the other of all, or nearly all, the 

 stores they had for winter use in 1865-6, and that winter being 

 very mild they needed the more, and so have been reduced in 

 population by starvation. Well, then, on Saturday last there 

 was a great commotion in both hives, which culminated in a 

 pitched battle, and ended in a " great slaughter on both sides ;" 

 but whether either has "knuckled down," I do not know. I 

 send you a few of the slain, as taken from the battle field 

 before the camp of each of the belligerents, as I think you 

 may thus be enabled better to judge the nature of the conflict. 

 Since the battle wasps are observed to pass in and out of both 

 hives. What does that mean ? Are they rifling the slain, or 

 pillaging both hosts ? 



Pray console and give the best advice to one who loves to see 

 i and see them thrive. — Chaxles Ellis. 



[You may possibly have deprived the Neighbour's hive of an 

 undue proportion of its stores, but we should be more inclined 

 to fancy that the honey-harvest has been a failure this season 

 in your locality. We are confirmed in this opinion by both 

 your stocks being in the same condition, as we doubt if the 

 wasp's nest did much harm. The weakest colony has probably 

 " gone to the wall " ere this, but as " dead bees tell no tales," 

 especially afler being subjected to the manipulations of the 

 post-office officials, those which you enclosed do not enable us 

 to assign a reason for, or to judge of the nature of, this inter- 

 necine conflict. Whenever an autumnal scramble of this kind 

 takes place, the wasps never fail to take advantage of it by 

 pilfering one or both belligerents, acting apparently on the 

 conviction, that " when bees fall out, wasps come by what is 

 not their own." The best mode of averting the probable 

 ruinous consequences of a combat between two hives, is to 

 shut up one of them in the evening of the first day on which 

 serious fighting is observed, and convey it to a distance of not 

 Ibbb than a mile and a half, there to remain a few weeks until 

 the quartel is forgotten on both aides.] 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



[N.B.— Replies to many correspondents are unavoidably postponed till- 

 next week.] 



Chevk Cosr/B and Houdan Hens (Mrs. Brent). — Mr. Baily, Mount 

 Street, Grosvenor Square, can give the information yon seek for. 



Chickens Declining ' Fanay Fowl). — Yon do not describe the malady 

 from which your fowls are suffering. The loose ruffled feathers are the 

 result and sign of the disease ; they are not the disease itself. Purge 

 with castor oil, and feed on bread and ale. 



Food for Fowls to be Exbibitbd (IP.).— Ground oats slaked alter- 

 nately with milk and water, bread or damaged ship biscuit, table and 

 kitchen scraps, given three times per day. Birds to be kept very clean an<l 

 running at liberty. All the best poultry is fed on ground oats mixed with 

 milk. As these can only be had in Sussex, oat or barley meal must be 

 substituted where they are unattainable. The finer the meal is ground 

 and the less bran there is taken from it the better it is for the birds. Ift 

 Sussex, the fowl-feeding oonnty par excellence, some millers have stones 

 dressed for Ihe purpose, by means of which they grind the whole of the 

 oat so fine that it mixes smoothly, although nothing whatever is taken 

 from it. It is this fact that makes-ground oats so nutritious. 



Spanish- Chickens (R. 67.):— The eggs were quite right. Not only do 

 Spanish chickens show a great deal of white, bnt the flight feathers often 

 remain white till after the first moulting. 



Ir-ewiSH Poultry Soctbxy.— Having received many inquiries from ex-» 

 hibitors at a distance asking if we have any connection with the Suffolk 

 or Woodbridge Poultry Society, we beg on behalf of the Committee to 

 state that our Society is perfectly distinct from, and in no way connected 

 with, that of Woodbridge.— W. B. Jeffries, G. W. Bales, Hon, Sect. 



Cottinoium Poultry Show (F. Ken).— It is very difficult to distin- 

 guish an early pullet that has laid from a young hen ; and from your 

 statement and your offer to submit the bird to other arbitrators, we eon- 

 elude that the Judge was wrong in disqualifying her. Yon should appeal 

 to the Committee, and if they afford yon no redress we fear you most 

 submit to the injury. 



Halifax Poultry Show. — " I find my name down as having won a 

 number of prizes in the Game classes, including the silver cup for a pen 

 of Game chickens. I also find in the Pigeon department, ' Barbs, second! 

 prize, J. Firth, jun., Halifax;' The addresses want reversing, as I do not 

 flhow poultry ; but I did win the second prize for Barbs, and Mr. Firth, of 

 Halifax, won the Game prizes mentioned.— J. Firth, jun., Webster ifilt, 

 Detosbury." 



Book (IP. B. Woolley).—" The Poultry-Keeper's Manual," published at 

 our office, price Is. 6d. 



White Dorking Chickens (Maud).— We have received the MS., and wis* 

 we saw the same hand-writing oftener. It will be published next week. 



Wry-beaked Alhond Tukblkb P. IP.).— I know of no cure 'or the 

 distortion known as wry-beaked or Parrot-beaked. It somet'ineB arises 

 from the birds being reared under Pigeons with longer htfls, but I think 

 it is as often constitutional. — B. P. B. 



Grey Parrot Unweli, (Swumnak). — As wonns have come from your 

 Pareot, I recommend areea nut in powder as the best vermifuge, if aJJ 

 food were taken from the Parrot overnight, and a little of the powder 

 mixed with its food for breakfast, I h ve little doubt it would expel the 

 worms, and then the bird probably will legain its health. If at first it 

 refuses to eat the food mixed with the n wder let it fast a little longer 

 and try again, always mixing fresh food, if the powder is exposed long 

 it becomes bitter. — B. P. B. 



Bees Unproductive (Winchfield). — As yo do not state the dimension 

 of the stock hive we can offer no opinion as o its size. Your swarm not 

 being particularly early, the season may not i ave permitted them to de 

 more than fill their stock hive, which, nevertheless, may not be too large. 

 We should have made an artificial swarm, had one been desired, from a 

 Btock the bees of which were often hanging out. We can assign no 

 reason for their not swarming naturally, but it is certain that the fact of 

 two casts having united together can have had nothing whatever to do 

 with it. 



Peas for Pigs 'B. OX— The common grey pea is that usually given t» 

 pigs. You can obtain the seed' from any corn-dealer. 



POULTRY' MARKET .— Septembek 3. _ 



We are hardly able to give any- quotation for poultry. There is little or 

 no demand for it. The supply of Grouse diminishes a little, and they 

 have sold better the last few days* 



s &. 



s. d 



Large Fowls 3 to S « 



Smaller do. 1 r) ., 1 9 



Fowls a a„ o o 



Chickens 1 8 .,, A 



Geese 5 0',, & 0- 



Dntks... h fr„ *. S 



8. d e. d 



Partridges „ 



Hares l> „ • f 



Rabbits 1 4 ,. * * 



Wilddo f>» J 2 



Pigeons f » » » • 



Grouse 1 9„ J • 



