110 



JODBNAL OF HORTICULTDEE AND COTTAGE QABDENER. 



( February 4, 1875. 



I am of opinion that it wag in a recent number of a periodical 

 that I read very explicit atatementa that swarma apent their 

 first year in filling frames with combs. But Mr. Hunter ahould 

 be able to correct ua (if we have been misled) from his own 

 experience. "What was the weight of his heaviest swarm last 

 year ? How much honey did he obtain from any one swarm ? 

 If his own locality ia not a good one for honey, perhaps he 

 will help ua to information aa to what swarma in frame hives 

 have done elsewhere in their first year. If swarms in such 

 hives rise to 100 lbs. and upwards first year (and why should 

 they not ?), the slinger may be used in casting honey from 

 their combs before they are removed to the heather. Heather 

 honey cannot be extracted by the machine in question ; and I 

 think it right to let Mr. Hunter know that the gentleman who 

 bought the machine could not get it to extract heather honey, 

 and he tried it fairly before he sent it here. The honey put into 

 the machine here had never been " allowed to set," and at the 

 present date is not set, standing where it did three months ago. 



I have read an account of the slinger from the same pen that 

 I fancy wrote the remark about the first year being spent by 

 swarms in filling their frames. Mr. Hunter well knows the 

 writer of this quotation :— " Extracted honey (by the machine) 

 ia for two reasons hardly equal in quality to run honey. It 

 usually contains more water, and is darker in colour; but if the 

 whole of the comb be sealed the first objection obviously will 

 not stand, because bees allow the excess of moisture to evaporate 

 before sealing. The strong colour arises from the stain given 

 by the old and tough comb, which is more suitable for slinging 

 than the young and tender." 



The correctness of this writer's viewa may be questioned. I 

 merely quote his utterances as I find them. — A. Pettioklw. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



INTEBMITTENT LlTijto {Bark JSraftm.e).— Your hens are merely sufferiuK 

 from change of home. It is usual for them on such occasions to leave off 

 laying for a day or two, till they get settled-down in their new abode. They 

 will soon begin again. Dress the cocks' combs with some citron ointment, 

 and they will soon be well. 



BRiHMi CB0P-30OND (T. H. B.).— See what is said on pa^e I 

 namber. 



[ of our last 



"WmTE Peacock (D. Drake).— Tha White is a distinct breed. When 

 crossed with the common bird the white is mlnsled with the various colours, 

 and often produces a very pretty and striking effect. 



Proper Homing Pioeons (O. H. B.).— The Long-faced Antwerps are the 

 proper Homiut' Pigeons. The Short-faced may perhaps home fairly ; and the 

 old-fashioned English homerwas the Dragoon. If you get good homers when 

 jou let them out they are sure to go home; but get such, let them breed, and 

 then train their young. 



Cbystai, Paiace Canary Show (M. G.).— No lird will be allowed to be 

 removed until after 5 p.m. on the 18th of February. See the eighteenth rule. 



Feeding Bees (^iicial.— See what is said on pa^e 89 of our last namber. 



Canary and Goldfinch Mules {OrnU An}ialee).—T:he best-coloured 

 Mules (Jonques) are undoubtedly bred from deep-coloured Canaries paired 

 with Goldfinches. You may experience far less trouble when breeding with 

 acock Goldfinch and a Canary hen than vlci' vt:rs<i. As a rule, a heu Canary 

 will go to nest and attend to her eggs and the youag broods in a more ship- 

 shape way than a Goldfinch hen will. One understands the nature of her 

 duties ; the other bungles over her work, and fails to perform it satisfac- 

 torily. When breeding with a Goldfinch hen it is very necessary you have a 

 Canary hen going on at the same time, so that you may transfer the eggs of 

 the former to the nest of the latter. It is odds against the Goldfinch hen 

 laying all her eggs in the nest; she may attempt to construct, or you may 

 have to provide for her. They (the Goldfinch hens) take it into their heads 

 sometimes to lay their eggs partly in the nest, and frequently they may be 

 found upon the bottom of the cage. It is fortunate it they are not found 

 broken. You are doing quite right in temporarily placing the Goldfinch hen 

 with the Canaries; it will familiarise her somewhat. We should prefer the 

 Jonqne or deep yellow cock for her mate ; but it will be time enough if yon 

 place them in their breeding quarters at the middle or latter end of April. 

 Goldfinches are not ready for breeding purposes so early in the season as 

 Canaries, unless they have been forwarded with an artificial temperature. 

 We have known instances of Goldfinches breeding in early March, but we 

 suppose, from what you have stated in your letters, that your birds have been 

 kept away from artificial heat. Yon may let the birds " share each other's 

 society" until the middle of March (when you will be breeding with the 

 Canaries) ; e.n\ it by then you should perchance notice any one of the three 

 cook birds "scrape an acquaintance" with the hea Goldfinch, then you may 

 select the pair and place ih^m in a smaller cage to make the cock Canary still 

 more attentive iu his loving devotions. If you were to keep the Goldfinch 

 hen with the Canary hens in the apartjient over the doorway whilst they 

 were breeding, her presence very likely would cause an annovauce, and the 

 work of building would not proceed so satisfactorily. Incubation would also 

 be retarded, and broken eggs might be found. 



Seed for Canaries (K. H.).— The seed we referred to in a previous issue, 

 tmderstood in some of the agricultural districts by the name of "kedlook," 

 M corn-cale, a species of wild mustard seed (Charlock arvensis), the blossom 

 of which is yellow, the seed being of a brownish colour. It grows very freely 

 in corn fields. As the corn-cale is not a marketable seed, corn chandlers or 

 seed merchants would be unlikely to supply it. The way we became possessed 

 of our seed is through having parchased it from those who have had the 

 opportunity of obtainiug the same either as a perquisite or at a cheap sum 

 after it had been sifted from threshed corn. An advertisement offering to 

 purchase the seed would no doubt bring some to hand. Even since receiving 

 your letter we have had the offer of half a peck from a bird dealer, which 

 offer we accepted. A little rubbish, such as sweepings and fine chaff, is 

 mostly nnavoiJably mixed with the " keillock " or cale seed, and we find it 

 better, when supplying it to the bu-ds, to occasionally throw a handful or so 



on to the bottoms of the cages for the birds to seek after. This plan is pre- 

 ferable to placing it either in the seed fountains or drawers, and the birds arc 

 none the worse for being kept industriously employed hunting it up. The 

 cale seed is of a warmish nature, but it suits our Canaries well, 7n the winter 

 espcciaUy. Goldfinches wiU eat it, and Linnets have great liking for the 

 same. The cale seed may be given to birds kept in small cages besides those 

 in avianes. It is of more value now, considering the scarcity of Canary seed, 

 which is realising 200s. per quarter, with the not very cheering prospect to 

 Canary fanciers of it still increasing in price. It behoves bird-keepers to 

 study economy by bringing into use more freely hemp, rape (scalded), flai, 

 white millet, and groats, and even the coarser portion of Scotch oatmeal, 

 and crushed biscuits and German paste. By this plan the use of so much 

 Canary seed may be avoided. 



C0CK.1TOO 3IANAGE5IENT (Po!;,!/).— It should have some tepid water in a 

 soup plate to bathe in once or twice a-week ; and a constant supply of fresh 

 water to drink. Feed on cold sopped bread and milk two davs running, on 

 the next rice boiled in mili, and on the fourth dav soaked Indian com. In 

 addition to this a small quantity of hemp and canary seed mixed should bo 

 put in a separate tin every day. We should also occasionally give it some 

 watercress, a radish, or a piece of raw potato, and sometimes a nut or some 

 orange; but it should never taste pastry, meat, nor, in fact, anything that 

 has fat in it. 



Crickets and Beetles (J. Boss).— Try Chase's beetle poison. It is sola 

 by chemists. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Sqcare, London. 



Lat. 51° 82' 40" N. ; Long. 0= 8' " W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



1675. 

 Jan. 

 and 

 Feb. 



We. 27 

 Th. 2S 





Hygrome- 

 ter. 



Dry. Wet 



Inches. 



30.259 

 30.192 



Fri. 29 80 316 



Sat. 30 30 572 



Sun. 31 80 592 



Mo. 1 30.372 



Tu. 2 30.251 



deg. 

 46.0 

 46.7 

 49.2 

 33 9 

 38.0 

 35.7 

 32.6 



deg. 

 45 8 

 46.6 

 49.0 

 31.8 

 36.6 

 35.0 

 S2.5 



• o 

 3 o** 



S.W. 



s.w. 



W. 



£. 



S. 

 N.W. 

 N.W. 



deg. 



40.9 

 41.6 

 42.9 

 43.5 

 40 5 

 S9.0 

 38 7 



IN THE Day. 



Shade Tem- 

 perature. 



deg. 



50.S 

 515 

 51.0 

 50.2 

 48.1 

 47.2 

 42.9 



41.0 48.1 oC.7 



deg. 

 £7.5 

 41.1 

 46.0 

 S6.4 

 S3.4 

 31.1 

 31.7 



Radiation 

 Temperature. 



In I On 

 sun. Igrasa 



deg. 



60.5 

 SOI 

 523 

 75.1 

 72.2 

 73.8 

 617 



deg. 

 36.1 

 37.0 

 43.0 

 34 3 

 28 8 

 27.7 

 28.1 



In. 



0.013 

 0.012 

 0.380 



REMARKS. 

 27th. — Dull, though fair in the morning, and soon becoming a fine bright day. 

 28th. — Rain early, but soon clearing up ; on the whole a fine, bright, and 



pleasant day. 

 29th. — A most uncomfortable day aod nieht ; very Uttle rain fell, but it wasi 



a continued small fall during the day. 

 .SOth. — Very fine bright day, but rather windy and cold. 

 31st. — Ver\' fine and pleasant all day. 



Feb. 1st. — Fair, but rather hazy till 10 A.3I., very fine after. 

 2nd. — Rather dense fog till after 9 a.m., and slightly so all day. 

 Temperature much the same as last week, but ii s range slightly greater, as 

 there has been less rain and a less cloudy sky. Bai-ometer very high through- 

 out.— G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Feeeuaet 3. 

 The general demands of the trade have somewhat improved prices, but the 

 supply is still well kept up, and very few articles will bear a higher quota- 

 tion. Frencli goods are coming in good condition, and frame Potatoes from 

 the Channel Islands are now offered at 2s. to Ss. per pound. 



Apples J sieve OtoO 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries l!>-lb. 



Chestnuts lushel 10 20 



Currants i sieve 



Black do, 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 1 16 



Cobs lb. 1 6 2 u 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse,.., lb. C, OHO 



Lemolis ,-'100 R 12 



Melons each 



Mulberries ^Ib. 



Nectarmes doz. 



Oranges ^100 8 



Peaches doz. 



Pears, kitchen doz. 2 



dessert doz. 2 



Pine .Ipijles lb. 2 



Plums j sieve 



Qataees doz. 



Raspberiies lb. 



Strawbeiries ^Ib. 



Walnuts buthel 8 



ditto f^lOO 1 



i. a a 

 OtoO U 

 

 12 

 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparngos........ .. *♦ '00 



French.... pjr bundle 

 Beans, Kidney. ...per 10) 



Broal bu hel 



Beet. R-'d doa 1 



Brocco i bandle 9 



Rrn^seia Sprouts 1 sieve 8 



Cabbage doz. 1 6 



Carroa.,.. batioh 6 



CapsLums ^ 100 u 



Caulillowe- ., doz. 4 



Celerv ..bundle 1 8 



Cohworts.. doz. bunches 4 



Cucumbers CMCh 2 



pickling diz. 



Endive l,)z. a 



Fennel buucb e 8 



Garlic... lb. 6 



Wprbs ...bnnch 3 



Horseradish bundle 



, d. s. d. 



OtoS 

 

 

 



10 

 



Leeks 



Letiuoe doz. 



MaahrOLmB pottle 



Mustard & Cress. .punnet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley per doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes., doz. bnnchea 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salaafy bundle 



Soorzonera bundle 



Sea-kale basltet 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bnnch 



Vegetable Marrows., doz. 



d e. d. 



StoO 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 



e 





 6 

 



(1 



B 



6 



4 







n n 

 



