September 2, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDKNER. 



197 



Nan Monkton ; Mrs. SlinEoby ; C. Triffltt. Chickrnx.—l, J. Cocker. 2, T. 

 C. Back, Green-Hammerton. 



Gkese.— 1, Miss Thompson. 2, J. Walker. Goatings.—l, T. Back, Green- 

 Hammerton. 2, Miss Thompson. 



Ducks (White Aylesboryl.— 1, H. S. Thompson. 2, O. A. Toang. Duck- 

 lings— 1, O. A. Young. 2, H. S. Thompson. 



DDCK3 (Roaen).— 1, C. Graham, Aldboroagh. 2, O. A. Young, c, Mrs. 

 Sllngsby. Ducklings.— I, O. A. Young. 2, Mrs. Slingsby. 



Ducks (.\ny cro^s-breed).— 1 and 2, J. Walker. Ducklings. — 1, O, A. 

 Young. 2, T. Buck. 



ToEKEVS.— Prize, W. Firth, Sloarton. Poults.— 1 and 2, W. Candall. 



Sellixg Class.— 1 and c, C. Ttiffitl. 2, H. S. Thompson. 



Pigeons.— riiti;6;.Ts.—l and 2, G. Sadler, Boroaghhridge. FantoiU.— 

 1 and 2, G. Sadler, c, J. Walker. Pouter>.—l, J. Watson, Jan. 2, J. 

 Walker. Any Distinct Breed.— 1 and 2, G. Sadler. 



Selling Class.- 1 and 2, G. Sadler. 



Rabbits.— 1 and 2, Miss A. L. Farrer. 



ExTBA Stock. — 1, H. S. Thompson. 2, C. Walker, Boroagbbrldge. 



Judges. — Mr. Hutchinson, and Mr. E. Hatton, Pudsey. 



RABBITS AND THEIR JUDGES. 



If there is trnth in the saying, that a man's knowledge of 

 things in general must keep pace with the times (and the know- 

 ledge our grandfathers possessed of things in general, and of 

 poultry. Pigeons, and Eabbits in particular, was vastly inferior 

 to ours), I think the poultry-fancier is placed in an enviable 

 position ; for, perhaps, there never was a period in the history 

 of poultry and Pigeon rearing and exhibiting when a greater 

 number of competent judges could be found. Their names 

 always inspire the exhibitor with confidence, and prompt him 

 to forward more entries, feeling assured that the points of ex- 

 cellence of the varieties to be decided upon will be observed 

 by a very critical and experienced eye. The varieties are nu- 

 merous, compared to what they were in our grandfathers' days, 

 when, if one happened to be the owner of a good Game cock 

 and hens, and perhaps one or two more varieties, he was a 

 fortunate man, " The good time coming," I am sorry to say, 

 is yet the hope of the Kabbit-fancier, and, less fortunate than 

 the poultry and Pigeon-fancier, he does not know which way to 

 look for a competent judge of his pets, and they have to be 

 left to the mercy of anyone chosen to award the prizes in some 

 other department of the show. The Rabbits, too, are treated 

 at times in a sort of " anything-will-do-for-them " manner, very 

 unsatisfactory to the exhibitor in its result, and very injurious 

 to any show. If competent judges of poultry and Pigeons will 

 venture an opinion respecting the merits of Rabbits, in justice 

 to the exhibitor they ought to make themselves acquainted with 

 the points of the varieties, just as they have had to do with 

 those of poultry and Pigeons, and not commit themselves, as 

 frequently happens, and thus lay themselves open to censure 

 in consequence of their inexperience. 



I am inclined to think that the judging of Rabbits is too 

 little cared for by committees, and no competent judge is pro- 

 vided. This I consider a great injustice to the exhibitor, as he 

 sends his entries in the belief that his specimens will be in the 

 hands of a judge, not of horses, poultry, and Pigeons, but of 

 Rabbits ; and when he finds no judge is provided, he very justly 

 complains of the result. I am of opinion that many who 

 decide upon the merits of Rabbits are almost obliged to do so 

 by the secretary or some other of the " powers that be " for 

 the day. I have heard more than one confirm my opinion, 

 by saying that after their real duties were over they had been 

 asked to " look over " the Babbits, as a sort of " make-weight " 

 or supplement to the arduous duties they were engaged to per- 

 farm, and which they could carry out well with the knowledge 

 they possessed ; whilst the latter was less pleasurable, because 

 they were in doubt as to what they were doing. I know more 

 than one excellent judge of the feathered tribe who has objected 

 to giving his opinion as to the best Rabbits. I think competent 

 men ought to be provided, and I know more than one fully 

 able for the work. If the expense is the objection, that would 

 soon be more than compensated by the increased number of 

 entries, which would be obtained when it was known that a 

 competent judge was to award the prizes. I think competent 

 men might be found within twenty miles of each large show. 

 I am also of opinion that the large breeders and exhibitors of 

 every variety are the most competent judges, as one who exhibits 

 and sees many specimens is generally a critical observer, and I 

 should attach great importance to his opinion. 



I would, in conclusion, hint to committees and officers of 

 shows generally, not to exhibit so many specimens themselves. 

 I remember some time ago a show of Rabbit.s, at which the 

 secretary took nearly one-half the prizes. I admire the deci- 

 sion of some well-known breeders in reference to a show with 



which they are connected in the north of England, that being 

 not to allow any of their birds to be sent for competition, thna 

 preventing any remarks. I hope some fanciers will state their 

 views on this Rabbit-right question, and suggest a mode of 

 operation for the future, in order to insure justice being done 

 where Rabbits are exhibited.^HiMALAYAN. 



DOES THE OLD QUEEN ALWAYS HEAD THE 

 FIRST SWARM'.' 



The above question is one which I have hitherto deemed it 

 almost a matter of course to answer in the affirmative, until 

 induced to arrive at a contrary conclusion, from an incident 

 which has lately occurred in my apiary, and which I mention 

 in case yon may think it worth recording in your columns. 



On the 2nd of June last one of my hives swarmed, but the 

 original colony remained strong enough to necessitate keeping 

 on a good-sized super for some time afterwards. The hive 

 was one known as " Neighbour's Cottage," but enlarged by me 

 two years ago, to a depth of about 10 inches. It was not long 

 before the bees seemed to diminish in number, and as this re- 

 trogression went on, I attempted to account for it by attribut- 

 ing the fact to the extirpation of the drones ; but as week after 

 week the condition of the stock became worse and worse, I 

 began to fear that the young queen, which had, as I took it for 

 granted, succeeded the old one, must have met with a calamity 

 while on her wedding trip. 



So matters went on until about a week since, when that un- 

 failing sign of a helpless hive manifested itself in the general 

 and continued attack made upon it by robber bees. Having 

 observed before, that in such a case to narrow the entrance, as 

 a general rule, protracts the struggle of defence against victory, 

 but does not avert the destruction of any hive that cannot, 

 under ordinary circumstances, hold its own against all comers, 

 and with a desire, also, to save the robbers themselves from 

 many of them paying a freebooter's pena'.ty, I shut off all 

 communication between the remnant of the colony and the 

 outside world, and at the earliest opportunity I carefully took 

 out and examined all the comb in the hive. First, let me say, 

 there was not a particle of honey to be seen anywhere, and 

 believing that the hive was queenless, I saw, with some sur- 

 prise, contrary evidence, although this was of the feeblest kind, 

 consisting only of two small patches, one of drone cells, the 

 other of worker larva", both of these in all stages from the egg 

 when hardly visible, to the bee just breaking through its cover- 

 ing, suggesting a rate of increase of but two or three a-day. 

 Upon this I searched for the queen and found her with every 

 mark accompanying old age unmistakeably impressed upon 

 her; the legs bent under and carrying their owner as though 

 the effort was a painful one, while the wings were ragged and 

 battered in an extreme degree — an appearance of things which 

 fully accounted for the diminished strength and ultimate de- 

 struction to which I have before referred. 



Now, this queen's age could not, with every desire to be as 

 polite as possible on the delicate subject, be reckoned at some 

 two and a half months only, taking it as from the 2Qd of June 

 last, the date of the swarm ; and as no swarm at all issued 

 from the hive in 18G8 (the last previous swarm having been 

 sent out on the 12th of June, 18G7), this queen cannot be 

 less than two years old, and I believe her age must considerably 

 exceed that. I would with pleasure send the queen to you if you 

 cared to see her ; she is still alive and well attended to ; but, 

 deprived of her former attendants, and with only a little honey 

 to console her, I fear her term of life must now be brief indeed. 

 — C. H. H. 



[On receipt of the above we wrote for the queen, but un- 

 fortunately she had been dead five days when she reached us, 

 and our attempt at a post-mortem examination was therefore 

 wholly abortive. AU we can say is, that she looked like a very 

 old queen, and we shall be glad if any of our correspondents 

 can offer a probable solution of a mystery which our own ex- 

 perience fails to explain.] 



THE USES OF CARBOLIC ACID. 



As a preliminary to an intended relation of my experience 

 of the comploint called "dropsy" during the spring and sum- 

 mer, I shall describe a simple method of rescuing from their 

 assailants weak hives that are being plundered. It is as follows : 



