July 15, 18C9. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



53 



sobactron Hookeri. iWilUi/) — 1, Deutzia scabra; 9, Echium vulgare. I 7, Veronica spicata;' 12, Silene noctiflora ; IS, Phlomis fruticosa; the rest 

 (Julia).— ^ilcne noctitlora. {H. H. C). — 1, an Iria, but quite rotten wlien next week. [John Sudspith'. — 1, Polypodinm valgare ; 2. Lastrea Filis* 

 It reached uti ; 2, Rudbeckia pinnata ; 6, Salvia prateusis, var. rosea ; | mas ; 4, L. dilatata, the typical form ; 3, a variety o( L, dilatata. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Subui-bs of London for the week ending July 13th. 



Wed... 7 

 Thora. 8 



Fri 9 



Sat.... 10 

 Sun... 11 

 Uon.. . 12 

 Tues. . 13 



Mean.. 



BAROHSTEB. 



Max. I Min. 



80.054 ] 30.018 



30.061 29970 



811.222 30.172 



30.314 30.232 



30.254 80.165 



3;i.0«2 29.988 



30.169 I 30.106 



30.162 1 30.C91 77.71 



TTTKRIWOMETER. 



71 

 76 

 75 

 79 

 81 

 89 

 73 



56 



42 

 44 

 55 

 42 



46.57 



1 ft. dp. 8 ft. dp. 



63 

 68 

 64 

 64 

 65 

 65 

 64 



59 

 69 

 59 

 69 

 60 

 60 

 61 



64.00 59.67 



a.w. 



S. 



W. 



W. 



S.E. 



S. 



N.E. 



Hoin in 

 inches. 



.00 

 .00 

 .00 

 .03 

 .00 

 .18 

 .00 



0.18 



General Resurks. 



Densely overcast ; cloudy but fine ; clear and fine. 

 Overcast, fine ; cloudy ; clear and fine at night. 

 Very fine ; cloudy but fine ; cloudy, cold air. 

 Very fine ; clear and fine ; fine but cloudy. 

 Fine and clear ; very fine ; fine ; slightly overcast. 

 Very fine ; fine, very hot ; cloudy but flue, rain. 

 Showery j cloudy ; densely overcast ; cold wind. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON CHEONICLP. 



FEATHER-EATING FOWLS. 



The weather has much to answer for. The Englishman has 

 always reserved to himself the right of grumbling at his fellow 

 creatures, their manners and customs, their clothing and diet, 

 and their means of locomotion. The travelling Englishman 

 invariably not only mutters, but makes exclamations both lond 

 and deep, against a portion of tho animal life of the countries 

 through which he passes, and against which his grievance is, 

 that it is neither lodged nor fed by paternal governments, 

 and, consequently, he finds frequent descents made under 

 cover of the night on himself in his own room. This year 

 it aeems that one of the plagues has descended broadcast on 

 our fowls. From fanciers of all varieties como tho queries — 

 What am I to do ? My fowls eat the plumage, the one of the 

 other ! All kinds of advice are propounded ; direful are the 

 remedies resorted to ; negative is the result ! Birds of price, 

 from this fell appetite, take tho appearance of scarecrows. 

 The loss to those amateurs who are negative dealers is serious, 

 as it is now that they want to sell the adults to make way for 

 the chickens. In our own and Lu the columns of other journals 

 wiU be found letters from despairing amateurs, who found that 

 day after day their birds were losing plumage to an extent that 

 induced them to write, under initials and assumed names, letters 

 which delicately described the bare state of their favourites. 

 We believe that two out of three attribute the loss of the 

 feathers to internal fever consequent on the breeding seasoc, 

 east winds, unnatural state of confinement, &c. 



Does it ever strike one, how much more is in the present day 

 required of a hen than was formerly ? Without going so far back 

 as Taseer and Chaucer, we may in many a standard work find 

 the performance of that hen extolled, who, when she had reared 

 her own brood, quietly by moulting prepared herself for the 

 duties of another season. We had almost written session, for 

 the members of parliament now escape from the nightly session 

 at Westminster, and find repose in addressing explanations and 

 apologies to every little town which furnishes a few votes. So 

 the poor hen. She must lay early. She does so, but then just as 

 she would be going into nursery quarters, and is anxious to sit 

 and rear her first brood, she is reviled because " she has only 

 laid us a dozen or so of eggs, and now wants to sit." He who 

 christened the Pencilled Hamburghs " every-day layers " has 

 much to answer for, because it seems that of later introductions 

 ao much more is expected that two eggs per bird per diem should 

 be the average. 



The unnatural appetite that has during the present season 

 caused so much trouble and annoyance may, we think, princi- 

 pally be attributed to artificial feeding. Where the food is of 

 a highly seasoned nature, it gives to tho fowl a craving un- 

 known to thfl bird previously, and induces it to peck at every- 

 thing, in the hope of finding the flavour repeated. Tlie im- 

 mature feather seems a specially dainty morsel, and the thanks 

 of the poultry world will be due to him who can devise a cure 

 for an appetite so unnatural and so miscbievous. 



MUTILATION OF FOWLS. 

 I SENT my two beet pens of Game Bantams to the Ipswioh 

 Show, held on the 1st and 2ad inst., and on the latter day re. 

 ceived a note from that town requesting me to telegraph the 



lowest price of either pen. I replied by letter that they were 

 not for sale, and were under engagements for two other shows. 

 They returned on the 4th inst., at noon, and the best cock had 

 both his sickle-feathers pulled out and laid in the bottom of 

 the hamper, evidently done intentionally to destroy my chance 

 of winning in future. It could not have been done accidentally 

 in the hamper, as it was a good one, well lined throughout, and 

 the bird is not likely to moult for a month or two. 



Your readers may form their own conclusions, and I donht 

 not most of them will agree with me that the offender deserves 

 severe punishment. I am instituting inquiries, and if I can 

 prove my case will not spare expense in bringing the individual 

 to justice. — W. F. Entwisle. 



OUNDLE POULTRY SHOW. 



The first meeting of this Society took place on the 9th inst., and 

 upon the whole the collection, both of poultry and Pigeons, was un- 

 usually good. A very excellent tent, provided with Messrs. Turner's 

 well-lmown pens, gave excellent accommodation to the competisg 

 specimens, but it was noticeable that there was not tho usual provision 

 of well-practised hands to pen the birds on their arrival, nor was there 

 any published catalogue, consequently we are unable to give any list 

 of prizes. 



Grey Dorliags and Spanish fowls formed very strong classes, and 

 many of the Cochins were also excellent. The silver cnp for the best 

 pen of poultry exhibited, was taken by a superb Partridge-colonred 

 cock belonging to Mr. Stephens, of Walsall. Some excellent Creve- 

 Cft'!(i-s were shown, and well-giown Rouen DiicUiiitjs. The day was 

 delishtlul, and the attendance of visitors far exceeded the expectations 

 of the Committee. 



Edward Hewitt, Esq., of Sparkhrook, near Birmingham, officiated 

 as Judge. 



BEES NOT WORKING. 



A STOCK in a Woodbury bar-frame hive gave me last year a 

 super of about 30 lbs. This season the bees appear far from 

 so active as their neighbours ; they have as yet only stored 

 16 lbs. of honey in their stock box ; no super has been given 

 them, and I have seen them bring out many bees in all stages 

 of partial development. A few days ago I saw some drones 

 flying in and out. It is a swarm of 1867. The cover of the 

 hive is formed of an adapting-board, and over that another 

 board not fastened down. To the adapting-board would be 

 attached particles of wax, which I thought would keep the two 

 boards a little apart, and thus ventilate the box; but it is 

 possible I may have kept them too enld. and chilled the brood. 

 What would you advise me do? — J. H, L. 



[Tou may possibly have kept the hive too cool, and have thus 

 chilled the brood, or the bees may have extruded it under the 

 influence of impending starvation induced by the recent un- 

 favourable weaiher. The obvious course is to lift out the frames 

 and ascertain the state of the colony by actual i^peetion.l 



DISLODGING BEES FROM A TREE. 



I THINK your correspondent, " Old Tme STnMP,"_ before 

 cutting his tree to pieces, might ti7 (I cannot promise hiin 

 success, though I wish I could help in the operation), the efiect 

 of smoke ; but in such a case, ordinary rag or tobacco smoke 

 would probably be of no avail. Bees dislike wormwood above 



