386 



JOURNAL OP HOBTrCTJLTtmE AND COTTACJE GAKDElJfext.' 



t Mny: 



DoRKraos.— First, Sir St. G. Gore. Second, licv. T. O'Gntdy. Com- 

 mended, W. Hnrvey. 



CocHiK-CnniA— First, W. Harvey. Second, J. Bradock. Highly Com- 

 xaecdrd, B. W. Bovlo. 



Game.— First nnd Second. C. W. Brierlov. Third, Sir St. G. Gore. 

 HiKbly Commended, H. Crosulcy; Sir St. G. Gore. Commended, 

 A. B. Dyas. 



HAUsiTRoii (rcncillod).— First, IT. Beldon. Second, Sir St. O. Gore. 



HAHBrRGll (Siwincledl.— First, Sir St. G. Gore. Seoond, J. Fielding. 

 Hisbly Commended, J. H. Turner. 



Bantau (G.imc).— Mrst. Sir .St. G. Goro. Second, ,1. Crosulfind. jnn. 

 Third, J. A. Collinpon. Ilit-hly CnminonJed. Hon. II. W. Fitzwilliiun. 

 Commended, R. Tato ; J. W. Uoiris ; U. Buckley ; J. Fryer. 



Game Hens.— First, Sir St. G. Gore. Second, C. Clmlloncr. HiRhly 

 Commended, J, G. Pearson ; W. Bradley. Commended, W. Harrrreaves : 

 C. Clinlloner. 



Pais of Hens (.\ny vnrietT>.— First, Messrs. Blireh & Botilter (Spnnishl. 

 Second, Hon. H. W. Filzwillinm IDorkinRs). Hiiihly Commended, W. 

 Roberts (Duckwinir (ianio) ; Sir St. G. Gore, Bart. ■ Polnnrts) ; O. H. Roberts 

 (Brabma Pootrr.) ; H. F. Goodwin (Uhck Hiimbm'Kb) ; \V. Silvester (Golden 

 Polish). Commended, J. G. Pearson Coloured Dorkings; , 



Ddcks (Wliito Aylesbury).— First and Seoond, J. K. Fowler. 



Ducks (Rouen).— First, Sir St. Gore. Bart. Second. G. Wostonholm. 



Ducks (Any other variety).— First. T. C. Harrison (Mandarins). Second, 

 .T. R. ,lessop (Oarolin,i Ducks). Highly Commended, Sir St. G. Gore, 

 Bart. (Grey Calls). 



Selling Class.— First, H. Sa\illo (Sebastonol Goose and GanderU 

 Second, G. H. Itobcrts (Urnlimii Pootra). Third. Messrs. Kindle and 

 FumisB (Silver-pencilled IlnmliurKb). HiRbly Commended. Kev. P. W. 

 Stoiy (White Feathered-lcf:;ged Bantams) ; .T. Stephens (Laced Bantam); 

 J. Booth fi^ilver-sp.Tnffled Hamlturgb . Commended, H. Beldon; F. 

 Powell: T. Dyson (SUver-iiencilled Hamburgh); E. Loft (sultan): J. 

 Marchaut iSpanisb). 



PIGEONS. 



CARnrEES.— reel:.— First, Miss E. Brown. Stcond. J. Smith. Third, 



R. Fn)ton. Commended. P. Bower. Sen I?irst, B. Fulton. Seoond, 



G. F. Statter. Third. — Firth, jnn. 



PowTEKS.—c'oct. —First, W. H.orvey. Second, E. Fulton. Third, G. 

 Wostenholm. Commended, Miss E." Bro\vn : G. Crookes; H. Brown. 

 HsiL— First. F. ICey. Second, W. Harvey. Third, K. Fulton. Highly 

 Commended, W. Harvev. 



TtmrBLEES (Almond).'— First. R. Fulton. Second, P. Key Third, E. D. 

 Xeardloj'. Commended, F. 0. Bradley: Miss E.Brown. 



Tumblers (Any other varietv).— First, 11. Fulton (Short-faced). Second, 

 H.TardIey. Third, G. Wostenholm (Mottled). Highly Commended, F. C. 

 Bradley (Black Kite) : H. Yardley. 



Owls.— First, J. Fielding, jun. (Blue Owls). Second, H. Yardley. Third, 

 W. Pepper. 



TuRBjTs.— First, \V. T. Wilkinson, jun. Second, Miss E. Brown. Third, 

 H. Yardley. 



Fantails.— First and Third, H. Yai-dlev. Second, TV. Pepper. 



jAcoBnis.— First, Miss E. Brown. Second, Messrs. C & E. Royds. 

 Third, H. Yardley. 



Barbs.— First, H. Beldon. Second and Third, H. Yardley. Highly 

 Commended, G. H. Roberts. 



Draooss.— First and Third, H. Yardlev. Second, W. Harvey, 



Akv other Distikct Brt.ed.- First and Third, U. Yardley. Second, 

 W. Harvey (Yellow Swallows). Highly Commended, H. Beldon. Com- 

 mended. Miss E. Brown (Swiss) ; H. Yardlev. 



Selling Class.— First, Messrs. O. & E.'Eoyds (Swiss). Second, J. J. 

 Wilson (Mottled Trumpeters). Thii-d, H. Beldon (Yellow Turbits). 



The Jn(Jpea were Richard Teebay, Esq., of Fnlwood. near Preston, 

 nnd Edward Hewitt. E.sq., of Sparkbrook, near Birmingham. 



LIGURIAN BEES. 



In your impression of the IStli of Jiily last yon vrere kind 

 enough to insert some rather crude notes from my juui-ual in 

 reference to a stock of Ligurian bees from ^Jr. Woodbury's 

 apiai-y. Since that time I haye been entirely successfnl in 

 raising four queens artificially by following Mr. . Woodbury "s 

 directions in your Journal, and it is only fair to add that I have 

 found every direction coming from that gentleman quite to the 

 point, and very practical. 



I am sorry to have to aay that in consequence of a little 

 delay in early spring feeding I lost one of my younj; qneens 

 with her subjects, to the number of three thousand. Notwith- 

 standing considerable c.are, a second hive was blown over during 

 winter, and to prevent a chill I never ventured to lift «S 

 the top and inspect them until sunny weather came. On lift- 

 ing the cover I found the combs and frames in a state of con- 

 fusion, -which I could not have beheved possible from a tumble. 

 However, thanks to the form of hive, I succeeded in putting in 

 fresh comb and making matters more comfortable. The hive 

 is now all right, only ii little weak. Of my four queens then, 

 1 have three left. Of these three I am sorry to say that tv.-o, at 

 any rate, are hybrids ; but I am not sure about the third, as 

 many of the bees are very yellow. 



But now let me say a word about my pure It.ilian queen. 

 Kor some time I watched the conduct of the bees in her hive, 

 and was by no means pleased at their want of activity and the 

 absence of bees carrying pollen. After two inspections my 

 worst fears were realised. I, found neither brood nor eggs. 



Alas ! sha is dead, and with her my Fangnino hopes of several 

 pure Italian queens this season. Will Mr. Woodbury kindly 

 tell mo how to proceed, since I cannot feel myself a snccoKafiil 

 apiarian, if I lind it nccdfnl to obtain a fresli stock of ItaliaoB 

 each spring ? I fear such a plan wnnld add largely to the debit 

 side of the bee account. I see no plan, however, but procuring 

 another queen, and in this mailer I shoidd like advice. I m»y 

 just add, that when I found the queen missing I added a brood 

 comb, and have to-day had the pleasure of seeing a sealed 

 queen cell. — E. B., Clericcs, Cumberland. 



[I much regret the misfortune of my clerical friend, for 

 which, however, he has sugccsted the best remedy — viz., the 

 obtaining another queen. I hope ere long to have the pleosnre 

 of forwarding to him a pure queen at tlio head of a small 

 swarm, whicli he wnll introduce into the well-fnrnishcd hive of 

 a stock of common bees (the rightful inhabitants having been 

 previously expelled by driving), and thus form a pood stock 

 without the ri-k of imiting. — A Pi:vonsui!.i; Ble-kukper.] 



TOMTITS EATERS OF BEES. 



2\iXA r.r, evidence must .il-.v:iys give way to positive testi- 

 mony, and I nm glad to find from the reply of Jlr. Goodsall, 

 that he has been an eyewitness of the ravages committed by 

 the tomtit. The specie? to which 1 alluded as innocuous cor- 

 re.^ponds to the description given by Maunder of the " Cole 

 Titmouse ' (Parus ater). If the samo, it is very oominon in 

 the Fouth of Scotland, and tlie only species that frequents the 

 district in which I reside. I paid particular attention to its 

 habits in tho apiary during last winter, and 1 am bound to say 

 that it seldom visited my hives, excejit when snow was on the 

 groimd, or the day so chilly as to benumb such bees as lingered 

 a short time while out of doors. When suffered to approach the 

 hives and act as instinct dictated, I failed on every occasion to 

 detect it seize either emerging or returning bees. The inactive 

 alone fell a prey. 



Being curious to know what the stomachs of tomtits con- 

 tained. I had two of them shot and dissected. The contents 

 showed a small portion of the bee mixed with a large nmotmt 

 of other insects. I will not afllrm (hat this species to which 

 I refer never destroys bees in an active state, but certainly it 

 is a foe as little to be dreaded in tho apiary as either the hedge 

 sparrow or the chaffinch, and should create no uneasiness in 

 the mind of a bee-master. — B. S. 



Eaely LiGtEiAN Swarm. — The first swarm that I have heard 



of in this county issued from a hive of Italians in my own 

 immediate neighbourhood during tho forenoon of Sunday last, 

 the 13th inst. The parent stock left my apiary last year, and 

 has thriven remarkably well in its present locality. — A Devok- 

 SHiRE Bee-keepei;. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



r>oi. ' is-s Dying (,r. 0. f.).— Seven found dead one inoming 



in the ro<i:«, tog. ilur with one Sparrow; four more dyinff durinp theday 

 and .another Sparrow, are strong circumstantial evidenec that poison was 

 mi:;ed with the food. This could not be determined witliout having it 

 analysed, for there is no inflammation of the crops indicating acrid 

 poison, and the j,'rains of wheat in the crops of all aro undigested. 



Fowls Losing TirEm Feathers i}r., Jirighton).— You do not mention 

 Die breed of your fowls, but from experience we believe they are Spanish. 

 We had a yard of that breed last year, and many were ahnost naked, 

 having little more tlisji the tail and wing feathers* They began to lose 

 their feathers at this time. Thoy never suffered in healta. The only 

 treatment we adopted was to remove any of the hens that h;;d an inclina- 

 tion for picking their companions* feathers, to avoid all stimulating food, 

 and to give them a hirge grass run. We then tried a good supply of 

 lettuces, which seemed very effectual in staying the plague. It did not 

 restore the phuuagc. but it prevented farther inroads on it. 



Swollen Crops — Bantams Falling BACKWAitns (Inquirer'', — TtisBOt 

 wind in tho Dorliiug hen's crop ; it is water. You must take bor by the 

 legs, and hold her head downwards till the croi) is empty; then confine 

 her in some place where she can have only such food as is given to her. 

 Let her have water four times a-day, a small quantity e.ich time, and let 

 tho water-vessel be t-ikon from her as soon as she has di-uuk. By adopt- 

 ing this plan the crop ^\ill contract. Food should ))e given very sparingly. 

 The Bantam hen has what old women call the *' gids,'* and you may kill 

 her. The plaoe yon mention ia quite large enough for the bens to Bit, 

 but the space is not enough for them to como off. We should cousidec 

 it detrimental to health, and it might cause the attack yon mention. 



Pigeons — Chickens (J ^t-«' Subtrrihrr). — If you send twenty postage 

 stan^ps with your direction, and order " The Pigeon Bt)ok.-* you will have 

 it sent from our office free by post. Let the coop be in the open air 

 during fine days, and in the greenhouse at night and during wet weather. 

 Let it stand on the gravel walk close to the grass. 



