35C 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AKD COTTAGE GAIIDENBR. 



[ May e, 18661 



Mr. Ludlow goes on to say I came forth without evidence in 

 support of my fancy. Not bo. I have offered to refer the 

 matter to Mr. Esquilant, a gentleman well qualified to offer nn 

 opinion, from his long experience not only as a Dragon breeder 

 bat as a Dragon fancier. But lest Mr. Ludlow may think that 

 Mr. Esquilant is the only gentleman in the fancy to whom I 

 tun willing to refer. I beg to mention tho names of Mr. Bellamy, 

 Mr. Carroll, Mr. Else, Mr. P. Eden, Mr. Bidpeth, and Mr. 

 Betty, any or all of whom, I am sure, will be willing to point 

 out to Mr. Ludlow the error he has fallen into. 



Blue Dragons, Mr. LuiUow goes on to say, are understood to 

 be white-rumped, that it is the exception to obtain them other- 

 wise. I admit that the common white-rumped birds may be 

 obtained much more readily, but surely this is no argument 

 in favour of such being perfect or correct ; on the contrary, it 

 only goes to show, as I before stated, the difficulty in breeding 

 to perfection tho Dragon as well as all other birds, for where 

 one perfect bird is reared there are fifty imperfect and valueless. 

 What, I ask Mr. Ludlow, would he think of a white-rumped 

 Bed, Yellow, or Black Dragon ? If consistent or correct in the 

 Blue, he csannot surely disclaim it in other colours. 



Mr. Ludlow says he loiows of one pen of white-rumped Blue 

 Dragons which have taken fifteen prizes. If this be so, I can 

 only say there must either have been an absence of blue- 

 mmped birds or a great want of discrimination on the part of 

 the judges. — Jones PjiiicivALL. 



[Here this passage of pens between Mr. Percivall and Mr. 

 Ludlow had better close. Each abides by his opinion. We 

 shall be glad to hear, however, from any or all of the gentlemen 

 named by Mr. Percivall what is their opinion on the question. 

 —Eds.] 



drones enter one 

 CwcilUld, Switex. 



of my hives.— H. D. HinuigoN, iUjtUnr 



THE MEMORY OF BEES. 



1 All able to confirm the statement of your pagan correspon- 

 dent (" The Blackheath'an "). a week or two ago ; having had 

 a very similar case, but extending over a longer period. It has 

 been so repeatedly said that the winter sleep of bees impairs 

 their memory of localities, nnd allows of their safe removal to 

 a new stand, that I resolved to try the experiment. A strong 

 hive had been unusually quiet all the winter, only turning out 

 on exceptionallj' fine days, and this I determined to move into 

 an adjoining garden should the opportunity serve. Accord- 

 ingly after nearly three weeks of cold weather, during which 

 not a bee stirred out, I effected the removal very quietly. This 

 was on the 3rd of March, and for eight days more the bees re- 

 mained prisoners. On the 11th, being a fine bright day, they 

 were out sunning themselves, and a few went back to the old 

 place. The same thing occurred on the 17th. This I had ex- 

 pected, and I was prepared to lose two or three hundred bees ; 

 but, although the numbers were never large at any one time, 

 they continued to visit the place up to April 15th, six weeks 

 after the removal of the hive, and nine weeks after their last 

 flight on the old spot. The hive is now rapidly recruiting, but 

 it has received a check which I did not expect, and I shall 

 have too much respect for the memory of bees to repeat the 

 experiment. — P. H. West. 



THE TOMTIT A FOE OF BEES. 



If the large tomtit is alluded to by your correspondent 

 " R. S." of last week, I reply it is an inveterate enemy to 

 bees in the winter season. On visiting some years ago a friend 

 who kept bees, we noticed a bird of that kind at the apiary, 

 and on closer inspection observe! that he came a second time 

 and tapped with his bill at tho entrance of one of the boxes, 

 and after waiting a short time knocked again, when one of the 

 guards rushed out in a great rage with wings erect, and was 

 instantly picked up and carried to the branch of a neighbouring 

 tree, from which we noticed the wings of the bee fall upon 

 the snow underneath ; and shortly afterwards, the visit by that 

 or another was repeated with a similar result. My friend, being 

 a good shot, stood guard himself, and soon bagged several of 

 the enemy. — Wm. Goodsaix. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



SExnreo FOWI.B TO the AsTtroDBs (.^mrfin).— We lire onnblo togiTO 

 you tho oxfict diiucnsions of the coop yoa will require, becaiuM ^n do 

 not Htat« tho !>reP(l of the fowls you are ftl>out to send. CoCbina, 

 Dorkiogi), and Brabmas require almost aa lunch again a>i H.iinburjfha or 

 (.fame. Tho eoop must l>e kiph cnoiu;b to admit «( a perch ; tlic front 

 »;lo8cd all but one-(inarter space, uhiih should be square and In a comer 

 opening on tlio water vessel, and ofTordinp tho ineana of foedinK. The 

 eoop should bo raised 6 incbos from the dwk, to aliow water to rax^ 

 under instead of thrr>uKh it, and the roof should have a fall to the back 

 of :i inches to f^'et rid of any water that falls on it. Tho flooring abnujd 

 also slant from front to back, and there should nt the bnek be an openlne 

 of ail inch for the facility of cleanini;! out. If the rise from back to front 

 be 2 inchcH, tho fuwk will do part of thu cloauiug IhumstiWaa by 

 scratching. 



IlENR Eatino their Er.os M in<fi/).— Hens will sometimes cat tho 

 ep(?s plnred under thom, but it is a very uncommon case. It unqiWB- 

 tionably uriaes from a diseased state of body. The habit, bowover, aeetns 

 to take such bold of them, that we always advise they should bo killed. We 

 recommend yoa to put a (.'ood heap of dust, road sand, and black sulphur 

 —two pounds of the latter to a bushel of the former, dose to their sUting 

 place, and before yon entrust ^'fKjd eggs to a suspected hen put her on 

 some hard composition ones, at which she can peck till she ia tirD<L 

 Better still, put such a one on none at all. If you have no sitting hens, 

 buy some in the neighbourhood. If they come from a cottager, s.i much 

 the better. These unnatural appetites generally arise from ovpr-faoding, 

 and that is a complaint to which cottixgers' fowls arc not subject. 



Fowxfi StiDPRNtv Il.T, mtnck Bfnitan\.~A\. would seem as thongb yonr 

 fowls ate something injurious to them. Wherever there ia the distention 

 of tho crop with the fluid you mention there is disease at work, alLhoogh 

 the bird may '.,'0 on for d:iys without showing it. There ig inward lever 

 and consequent thin;t. This induces inordinate drinking, ami lays tho 

 foimdation of fatal disease. It is not uncommon. The most sacceemfol 

 treatment is to purge freely ^nth castor oil, then to feed sparingly on 

 bread steeped in milk if the bird is strong, and on strong beer if it is 

 weak ; but the most essential point is to confine them, so that they shall 

 not have access to water. There is no cure while they can havo an un- 

 limited supply of drink. They may be allowed a little water three times 

 per day, but when they have scantily drunk it must be taken away. The 

 treatment is helped if the patient be held up by the feet till tho crop is 

 empty. 



Er.r. BuoKTN ANT> THEN HATCHED (/T. ^.).— Your man is clever and has 

 his poultry wits about him. The operation of pasting paper over the hole 

 in the egg has been performed before, and we have scon an egg containing 

 a live chicken patched ;ip in all directions. We hope he was wise to the 

 end, and assisted in bringing the duckling into the world, as assistance 

 is generally needed after these accidents. Failing this, the chick diea in 

 the shell. It is a ver}- common mistake for people to forgot that Ducks 

 sit longer than fowls. 



Hen Leavtsg nr.n Eggs (ITarrift). — Leaving them for an hour, especi- 

 ally at the very commencement of sitting, will not have the slightest 

 ill effect upon their batching. 



Food for a Caudinai. (if.). — Give it Canary, rape, millet, and hemp 

 seed mixed, but not tou much of the latter : and in a separate pan place 

 some oats. German paste, and a large (jnantityof bread crumbs mixed 

 with it. Keep also tho food which the bird has been accustomed to in 

 the cuge. it being rather a difBcult bird to keep any length of time in con- 

 finement. It will pintj away, probably, if its regular food bo altogothor 

 withdrawn. Tr>- for a change a little fig dust, mixed so as to be rather 

 stiiT with cold water. The fits and poorness have most likely been 

 brought on by not having a change of food. Varj* it about once or twice 

 a-week. 



Canaries (J. 8. D.).— Yon can have Brent's '* Canary " from onr offlco 

 post free, if yon enclose uineteeu postago stamps with yonr address. 

 You might do worse than apply to 5Ir. Walters, Bird-fancier, Bydo Street. 

 Winchester. 



Frame HrvEs (T, A,, Writmfluth). — Wc believe no frame hives are more 

 simple and efficiout in working than those devised by our corrospondent 

 Mr. Woodbury, and named after bim. 



I LiGtTRiAN Bees (.V. .S'.. Pelham Plntr). — The dead l»ees bad all broken 

 loose from their moorings before they reached us. so that it was qnlte 

 impossible to identify them. One or two were fairly marked, but we can- 

 not undertake to give any opinion as to the purity of a Ligurian stock 

 I from the examinatiou of a few dead specimens. 



Bees Mistaking a Hive for tiikir Owv (A. S.^.—ln your two hives 

 standing together in a wooden house with separate entrances, the bees 

 of which on returning from their work on entering the house are some- 

 times attacked by several others and killed — this evil nrises from the 

 returning bees mistaking their hive, .and will probably <liminish, if it doe6 

 not entirely ilisappcar, as the season advances and the Itees becomemore 

 active. It'is. however, a very serious e-.il in spring, and we should Sug- 

 gest as a palliative adding a porch to one of the entrances, which might 

 also be painted a diJETereut colour from the rest of the bee-honsea. 



Eaelt Swarms. — A swarm of bees came off on the 27th of 

 April. The hives belonged to a blacksmith in a village near 

 Hayward's Heath, Suecox. On the same day I saw some 



POULTRY JIARICET.- 

 A aooD supply, and dull trade. 



-Mat 



s. d. D-d 



ftuinen Fowls OtoO 



Partridges 0., 



Hares „ 



Rabbits 1 4 „ 1 6 



Wild do 8 „ 9 



Pigeons 8 n a S 



