494 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( December 16, 1869. 



hare been attaincit bnt by dint of lon^ and carefal breedinf;. Tbo 

 Moles bred from this breed of Canaries were also very handsome in 

 shape. There were, however, two classes of Canaries which we 

 missed, and if tliey were introdaced into oar northern shows would 

 give, we feel snre, additional interest both to fanciers and visitors ; 

 we refer to the Belgians and Lizards. The former have been mach 

 ased for the improving of other breeds, and are, we think, well worthy 

 of caltivation ; the latter, so beautiful in colours and markinjis, bo 

 hardy and eaeily managed, and forming such a contrast to other 

 breeds, would come in as a further attraction. We wish our Kilmar- 

 nock friends all success in time coming, and would recommend them, 

 if pospible, to allow the .Judges a full day for their work, and the 

 pnblic the day following to enjoy the exhibition, 

 ^j^ We published a list of the awards last week. 



RABBITS AND THEIR VARIETIES. 



We have heard much rcapecting exhibited lUibbita of Lite, 

 and many things have been said about judges, committees, and 

 the officers in connection with exhibition.? generally. All this 

 will tend to a satisfactory result, I have no doubt, and so all will 

 be pleased. I have often thought of a method of judging Rab- 

 bits that might be more in accordance with a correct conclusion 

 as to their merits, regardless of any reference to the catalogue. 

 All the judge requires, in my opinion, is the schedule of prizes, 

 and for what they are offered — length of car, heaviest weight, 

 &e. ; and with that knowledge only he may commence his duties, 

 and in total ignorance of the owners' names. There could then 

 be no remark that the judge had given the prize to the owner 

 instead of the Rabbit, as is too often heard, especially when 

 the judge goes the round of the pens with catalogue in hand, 

 for in it there is no information that he requires. The speci- 

 mens are there, and the only question with him is which is the 

 best in its class. 



The Himalayan, or, as the word imfjiies, a " palace of snow" 

 — this " furry friend," as some enthusiastic admirer of the Rabbit 

 family is pleased to designate his pet, is found in great numbers 

 on the chain of mountains which extend 1800 miles from the 

 Burrampootcr, in Assam, to the western extremity of the 

 Hindoo-Koosh, in Cabul, and it is .isserted that this is a 

 sacrificial animal with the Chinese, who annually sacrifice thirty 

 thousands of them, with prayers that their crops may be as 

 prolific as Rabbits. Hence we at times find them spoken of as 

 the Chinese Rabbit, also as the Black-nosed Rabbit. They are 

 found and reared on the Continent ; and I have seen them 

 labelled at exhibitions as Antwerp Rabbits, and many are im- 

 ported into this country from that city. Egyptian Smut is a name 

 also applied to this neat specimen, and if variety of names adds to 

 the intrinsic value or interest of this little animal, the Himalayan 

 is highly favoured. Perhaps no specimen presents a more decided 

 appearance than it does, or has the point.s of excellence more 

 e\-ident to a judge. The darker the extremities are the more 

 valuable, and a greater certainty of a prize irrespective of the 

 size ; yet I have seen very imperfectly marked specimens at 

 shows carry ofi' prizes because of their corporeal magnitud« , yet 

 with very grey extremities. 



I may here remark what all keen observers of this variety may 

 also have noticed : that at times the extremities, especially the 

 feet, tindergo a great change, and for three months at a time 

 present anything but the deep dark shade so desirable. This 

 change occurs when the moult is in progress, and m.any an 

 anxious exhibitor has been disappointed at finding his probable 

 prize-winner looking anything but black enough in the face to 

 come off with honours. 



I would caution all owners of this variety to avoid chloride of 

 lime as a disinfectant in the hutch, it being too strong, and 

 producing a slight change in the shade of the feet. I have 

 tried many experiments in this particular. This variety is by 

 no means large — say 6 or 7 lbs., if of the pure kind. I have 

 obtained very large specimens up to 9 lbs. by crossing with a 

 large Polish Rabbit, but some five or six generations must elapse 

 before the true dark and glossy nose .ar.J other extremities are 

 fully presented. I would advise all rearers of this variety to 

 keep to the pure specimen as the most certain to afford satis- 

 factory results. 



In the marking no white foot should be seen; yet it so happens 

 that half the foot, or at times the entire foot, is almost white, 

 which is a decided objection, and must always exclude the 

 animal from any show, although in other respects a fine 

 specimen. 



Tho Himalayan is in my opinion one of the most decided varie- 

 ties we have, if not the most so, as no deviation from the dark 

 shade of the extremities can be allowed, and the judge makes this 



dark shade the real " point " of merit ; and no Rabbit les.s than 

 six months old ought to be exhibited, as its true marking is not 

 perfect earlier, or so soon in many instances. This is not a 

 variety to experiment with to any advantage, and when the 

 extremities are grey, especially tho oars and nose, be assured 

 that some ancestor not many gencrationa back was pure white, 

 or nearly so. 



The Himalayan is of a kind yet spirited disposition, not, 

 perhaps quite so tame with the same amount of potting as the 

 Dutch or Angora, yet a very interesting variety. I have no 

 doubt but many of my Rabbit-loving readers may have noticed 

 with what attention one of this variety, especially a doe, will look 

 at one and move its head about as it does, and one is much 

 interested by the appearance of its fully opened and beautiful 

 pink eye, which seems to watch every motion. The doo is 

 an excellent mother, and manifests great care for her young, 

 generally from six to ten at a litter. The fur is valuable, and at 

 times designated mock ermine ; it is finer and more lustrous 

 than that of the common white Rabbit, and on the Continent, 

 more particularly, it is valued by the furriers. This specimen 

 and the Silver-Grey imdcrgo, perhaps, the greatest change from 

 birth to maturity of any variety, the Himalayan when leaving 

 the nest being quite white to all appearance, except the extremi- 

 ties, which only an accustomed observer could detect as of a 

 slightly darker shade when a month old, and the Silver-Grey 

 quite black when of the same age. 



The Himalayan is at times, like other varieties from warmer 

 climates than our own, liable to a gathering of scurf in the ear, 

 or " car gum," which at times, if not attended to, proves fatal. 

 I well remember losing one of my first specimens, which was 

 brought by a friend from Canton, from this cause. The most 

 effectual remedy is to sprinkle in the car a little fl.owera of 

 sulphur, after fir.st loosening tho scurf with, say, a feather, 

 avoiding pain as much as possible, as the ear is very sore at 

 times ; a cure will be effected in a week. I hope ere long to say 

 a few words about the Silver-Grey. — Ch-vrles Ravson, York 

 Mount, Prcstwich, 



DR. PREUSS ON FOUL BROOD AND 

 INFECTION. 

 In compliance with the request of the Baroness von Ber- 

 lepsch, I have now the pleasure of redeeming the promise 

 which I made in "our .Tournal" of the 12th August, by pre- 

 senting to its readers in an English dress a full elucidation of 

 the views entertained by Dr. Preuss, of Dirscbau. The Baroness 

 in writing to me characterised it as an "important article," and 

 in this opinion I fully concur. It is, indeed, a most important 

 paper, interesting and suggestive to the last degree, and espe- 

 cially to the medical profession, since it briefly but clearly de- 

 scribes much of what has been effected by the profound thinkers 

 and untiring investigators of Germany towards solving one of 

 the most momentous, and hitherto one of the most inacrntable 

 problems to which the human mind could apply itself. — 

 A DEvoNsniKE Bee-keepek. 



ON THE SMALLEST MICROSCOPICAL FUNGI, ESPECIALLY 



THE FOUL-BROOD FUKGUS. 

 (.1 Contribution to the Theory of Foul Brood, its Nature, Cause, 



PrevcKtion. niid Cun:.) 



In the German Bee Journal of the 1st October, 1868', I oom- 

 mnnicated the results of the microscopical examination of foul 

 brood, and declared that a fnngus belonging to the species 

 Cryptocoocns was present therein. I also stated, and laid 

 great stress upon, the exactness with which such investigations 

 should be made ; described how we placed only a particle of 

 foul brood no larger than a grain of sand on a glass slide, diluted 

 this with a minute drop of freshly-distilled water the size of a 

 millet seed, and covered the whole with a thin glass about the 

 substance of a poppy leaf, bo as to bring it under the mi- 

 croscope, which latter it was absolutely necessary shoold be of 

 a very superior character. 



Should any of your correspondents state that they have 

 looked for the foul-brood fuDgas with a good magnifier, and have 

 not found it, the result may readily be explained by the fact 

 that small microscopes, which are sufficient for the investigation 

 of Trichin.T, are perfectly useless for the discovery of Crypto- 

 eocci. The size of Trichin.T, as compared with the foul-brood 

 fungus, bears the same proportion as that of a large eel to a 

 millet seed, and every expert can detect the former with the 



• Tide JooasAL or HoRTiODtTOBE of 22nd October, 1868. 



