18 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 1, 1809. 



jamp, like a feeding machine, and the young ones have hardly 

 had time to compose themselves lor forty winks after their last 

 meal before the cramming process is repeated. So long as this 

 machinery works well, all goes on well, but if from any canso 

 the hen become sick or out of condition, visible or otherwise, 

 at once the young ones begin to decline ; a retrograde move- 

 ment becins, which most certainly ends in the loss of the whole 

 nest. When a nest of fine, plump, healthy, lusty young birds, 

 such a nest as I cannot describe, but which every breeder full 

 well UHderstaudH, once begins to lose that appearance {and a 

 practical eye can at once detect it), it is a saving of time, a 

 service to the old birds, and a happy release to the young ones, 

 to nip their necks, unless they can be at once transferred to 

 another more healthy nurse. To the uninitiated this may 

 eem cruel treatment, but in the long run it is tho most merciful. 

 The first forty-eight hours of a young bird's life are very impor- 

 tant ones, if well fed then you may hope for size and health ; 

 Ibut if only nursed in a step-mother sort of way, it never seems 

 to recover the neglect, and at best grows up a dwarf. *' Never 

 •row till you are out of the wood." The man who first said 

 that, must have been in the " fancy." It means, Do not count 

 your young birds till they are sitting on the edge of the neet; 

 then do so with fear and trembling, but hold them with a light 

 hand till they are on hard seed. Notice carefully every day if 

 any in the flight cages look puffy, or sit thick. I have called 

 attention to this once before, but some may have overlooked it, 

 and it may be of value just now to know that the best treatment 

 in such cases which arise from a disordered state of the bowels, 

 and digestive apparatus generally, is to administer a good dose 

 of castor oil. I put my stick well down into the bottle to 

 ensure its holding sufiacient, and allow the bird to swallow not 

 less than three good drops. Its action is quick and effectual. 

 Tut the invalid on ground canary seed, mixed with maw seed, 

 and in place of an emaciated sufferer you will in a few days 

 find him as plump as ever. 



" Subscriber " should continue with the Diamond Finch as 

 he has been doing. Nature will, however, do most to assist 

 the bird in getting rid of the swellings.— W. A. Blakston. 



NEEDLESS DESTRUCTION OF BEES. 



The first week in June we had a small swarm which we lost 

 for that day, but found in another part of the garden the next 

 morning, 1 hived them and they appear to be doing well. On 

 the 8th we had another small swarm, so I thought I would 

 unite them to the other of the week before, which I did the 

 same evening. All appeared to go on well till Friday the 19th 

 ult., when I saw outside the hive a number of dead bees. On 

 the 20th I raised the hive to examine them, when I found more 

 than half the bees dead on the floor, and those alive all very 

 weak. They had made a considerable quantity of comb which 

 was much discoloured, and in several parts full of either a 

 small white maggot or in others of a dark brown grub. The 

 whole had an unpleasant smell ; now, fearing this was the foul 

 brood I have read of, I thought it best to destroy them all. so I 

 poured over them some boiling water and destroyed the hive. 

 Did I do right? — Thomas Comber, 



[You did right in uniting the two small swarms, but wrong 

 in destroying them, as they were simply dying of starvation 

 arising from the late unseasonable weather, and might have 

 been saved by a little timely assistance in the shape of food. 

 The maggots and grubs were the brood of the bees, and were 

 doubtless in a perfectly healthy condition.] 



HONEY CON SUIVIED— DRONES. 



We have a hive of bees twelve months old. We know that 

 they have swarmed once, and we think they have swarmed 

 twice. A few days ago the outside comb next the glass window 

 was full of honey and sealed over ; it is now all gone, and the 

 hive appears to be three-parts full of drones. Is there any 

 means to destroy a portion of them ? They appear to be so 

 strong in numbers that they will consume all the honey. — 

 W. Strettle. 



[When bees swarm they always fill themselves with honey, 

 and this has, doubtless, had more to do with the rapid con- 

 sumption of honey than the presence of drones, although the 

 latter are unquestionably good feeders. The workers will soon 

 expel them when their office is accomplished and the young 

 queen begins egg-lajing, and you had better leave it to them. J 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Food for Fowls {A. B. C.).— We have muny timon tried to explain, ani 

 do BO af^ain, thnt wo cannot Dnino any quantity of food hb eafflcient for 

 a nnmbcr of p<tuitry. It is eiii'lt^il ^y many tbinftd. u, for instance, the 

 nature of tbe ran tboy nse, tholr condition and health, their breod. Yon 

 aro aa Wfll ahlo to form your conclusioD as we are to advise yoa. Feed 

 them by hand, and with moasured food. Keep accoaot of tho confltnop- 

 lion, and after one week you will bo able to judRo f or yoorself , If they 

 are in bad condition wlivti you bcKin, they will consame more at fh-st, as 

 they have to make np condition, after thin Is accomplished there shonld 

 be little variation. A ffrass run is one-tMrd food, and with Oeeso one- 

 half. Ducks and Oooso do best on oats. Fowls waut ground oats and 

 barley, varied at times with whole com and maite. 



' PouLTRY-KKEPiNO FOR pROFiT— Gapes [H. J. C). — As you f<peak of 

 the market, wo prosnme you mean to breed for the table. In such a 

 sitnation as yoii describe, wo should adviso you to keep Brahma Pootras. 

 They are hardy and protitablc. No really adult fowls lay in tbo winter 

 months. To ensure crbs during December and the fulIowinR two months, 

 you must keep early pullets of the previous sprinp. Most fowls prefer to 

 roost in trees, and dupm; the summer tljey du. wo think, bttter there 

 than elsewhere. In tho winter tbe house is better and safer for them. 

 Grass is a far better run than fjravel, and in an orchard yon will find the 

 hens clever at making du<4tiug places round the stems of the treet. 

 Gapes are cured by pivinR one or two pills of camphor the Blze ol a peai 

 and by giving them strongly camphorated water to drink. 



Eggs UspnoDrcTivE (H. /?.).— It is so manift-Rlly against tho interest 

 of those who make egg-dealing a pro6t to send out stale eggs, or those 

 about which they have any doubt, that we should not think either of tho 

 persons you mention would do so Wo think you might fairly appeal to 

 both of them. We are disposed to doubt the close sitting of the hens ; bad 

 they done so, tho eggs being damped should have prof^uced all tbe 

 chickens and ducklings, if not at once, certainly within a few hours of each 

 other. It is not necepsiry to damp tho egRS at first, but for ten or 

 twelve dajs before hatching; and we think the exit of tho chickens is 

 facilitated by the eggs being left in warm water for ten minutes when 

 they arc tried a day or two before Ihoy are expected to hatch. 



Game Bantams at the Thorve Snow.— We are informed that Mr. 

 J. Crosland, jun., won the cup as well as tbe first prize. 



LiCF. ON Poultry {W. H'.).— Dust flowers of sulphur under their 

 feathers, so as to reach the skins of the fowls. Mix flowers of sulphur 

 plentifully in the dust heap where they bask. Let the nests be made of 

 fine deal shavings, and let the young chickens rest at night upm the 

 same kind of shavings. The vapour of turpentine from the shavings is 

 fatal to lice. 



Duces Sctferino froii Cramp fJTenirt/fl^.— We fear Ton have a bad 

 case. All you can do is to shut them in a dry pl-ice, the floor covered 

 with dry straw, and feed on oatmeal put in a shallow vessel with sods of 

 growing grass and some gravel. It is more than pro> able tho Duck has 

 had her liberty, and has dragRcd them thr ■mgh the grass when covered 

 with dew or white frost. They should not be out till the sun is up and 

 the grass dry. 



White Mcsk DncKS— White SrANisn Geese (R. P.).— Tho White 

 Wusk Duck is scarce, but seldom wanted. White Spanish Geese are only 

 ornameutal. 



Weight of Aylesbury Ducks (,r. S.).— With few and rare exceptions, 

 r, lbs. form the present limit of weight for Aylesbury Ducks. There have 

 been rare exceptions where they have, when prepared for exhibition* 

 weighed 10 lbs. If wo are to understand you mean that when killed they 

 are to be fit for food, then we say 9 lbs. are an unattainable welcht. This 

 is tho result of especial feeding with a view to produce weight ; or of 

 extreme fat, the consequence of old ago. In either case, the bird is unfit 

 for food. A few years since 9 lbs. were the average weight of Geese, they 

 are so no longer. We commonly have them 15 lbs. or IC lbs. We have 

 weighed this morning six unusually fat and fine young Duoks, as fine 

 and larce as we ever obtained, two weighed 6^ lbs. each, two 5 lbs. each, 

 and two 4j lbs each. It is difficult to obtain them so heavy while they 

 are youu nd tender. Four pounds would be a large average. 



Tumbler Pigeons {A Yoxinr} Tumbler FaiiffiVri.— Almost every dealer 

 has " Feather-footed Tumbler Pigeons," now colled by them BirminRham 

 Rollers. Choice kinds could be easily obtained by ndvertisinfl in oor 

 columns, by which plan (fnr easier than by cr. psiuRj, you conld obtain 

 the " Chequered Blue Tumblers, and Barred Bl-iea." which you require. 

 It is certniuly best not to keep common birds with flying Tumb'ers, they 

 bring them down in flight, and injure their tumbling by so doing. Do 

 not cross the common birds with Tumblers Oid-ejitablished breeds, such 

 as Tumblers, have been raised by care and pains-, and it is not well to 

 spoil them, but it is best to preserve them carefully from an adnuxture ol 

 common blood. 



Pheasants Suffering from Cravp (S. BX — Nothing ia b» Rood as 

 grn^s to pen hens and Pheasant ponltn upon, hut it ebould be cut short 

 in the spots wh' re they are pnt. When many Fbeasantfl are roared, a 

 field should he chosen slightly on the descent, and covered with long 

 grass, but not thick at bottom. This should bo cut in squares like a 

 cbesR-l>oard, the mown p^rts being for the hens in rips, and 'he covered 

 parts for shelter fttr the poults. They also find much food in it. It 

 aflTords them a shelter from mid-day heat, which is often fatal to them. 

 Stale bread soaked in strong ale is the best cure for cramp. 



Rabbits (.Wpfiirjc).— The doe, whose yoting ones have been destroyed, 

 may be placed along with tbe buck now. 



Goo?;ebfrrt anh Grape Tabt. — A lady writes to us that "Green 

 Gooeeberriee mixed with the thinnings of the green Grape, sweetened 

 with pounded white sugar, make an excellent and agreeably flavoured 

 tart.'* 



Brittany Cows.—" In reply to ' A RrESCRiBEB,' these cows are said to 

 be kept for less than any other variety, and in proportion to their size, 

 g ve richer and more milk. I have not had mine long enough to give a 

 decided opinion, but some of my friends speak bigbly of them. Your 

 correspondent c«n purchase them from an importer Mr. Part-ons. Vew 

 Tree Cottage, Soulhgate Road, Wiucbeater, where I purchased mine. — 

 J. W." 



