134 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Februuy 18, 1875. 



Bervauta are prodigious favourites, I shall not bs hurt at all by 

 knowing that other people have better servants, possessing 

 greater powers of locomotion, of work, and of endurance. The 

 person who shall give me satisfactory evidence of this will be 

 looked ou as my friend and benefactor. It is not bald state- 

 ments we waut, but the evidence of facts. The intelligence of 

 England will do homage to such evidence. 



May I venture to ask the apiarians of Great Britain to help iu 

 promoting a fair trial of strength this year, according to a pro- 

 gramme which may be suggested by some one and fully con- 

 sidered by the public? Many would be much pleased if the 

 Bee-keeper's Association would take up this matter heartily. I 

 was much pleased to read a letter from the Hon. and Rev. Mr. 

 Bligh (I think he is the Chairman of that Association), suggest- 

 ing the offering of large prizes for the greatest quantities or 

 weight of honeycomb obtained from any kind of hives or system 

 of management. I am of opinion that the acting Committee 

 will command the general respect and confidence of bee-keepers 

 if they move in that direction, and endeavour to reward and 

 publicly notice the greatest, most exemplary, and encouraging 

 successes in bee-keeping ; and thus the best kinds of hives and 

 the best systems of management will come to the front, and be 

 known throughout the land. Prizes, I think, should be offered 

 for the heaviest hives and the heaviest swarms fliives filled by 

 swarms), managed under any system ; as well as for the greatest 

 produce of honeycomb from one stock. In some parts of Great 

 Britain there is a great demand for run honey, and very little 

 for honeycomb. The bee-keepers there, like Mr. Campbell, 

 enlarge their hives by eking instead of supering. If a great 

 prize could be raised and offered for the greatest results, not 

 excluding a mother hive and its swarms, exhibited in their 

 entirety, a great step would be taken to enlighten the country 

 as to what bees really can do under favourable circumstances and 

 good management. The expenses of carriage in this last case 

 would be very great if the competitors lived at a distance, and 

 therefore large prizes only would tempt them to compete. I be- 

 lieve with the Hon. and Rev. Mr. Bligh, that a few graud prizes 

 offered for the products of able and comprehensive management 

 would be more attractive and create a greater interest in the 

 exhibition than swarms of supers, which he terms " fancy 

 goods," the prizes for which may be carried off by mere 

 novices in bee-keeping. Acting on broad and open principles 

 the Committee will be amply supported and encouraged. 



I have to say in coxclusion that I trust the suggastiona of 

 this letter will bo read in the spirit in which they are written, 

 and that in the event of an arrangement being made for testing 

 the powers of Ligurian and English bees, I shall gladly lend a 

 few Bwarms of the latter sort to any respectable bee-keepers who 

 may undertake to cuter into the contest. I am too old now to 

 engage actively in this kind of work. — A. Pettigbew. 



OUR LETTERBOX. 



Dorkings* Toes Swollen {R. Walker). — There are two camee, either of 

 which may account for the disease in the f«et of your Djrkiai^s — fighting 

 throagh wire nettinpr, or livin:: entirely or partly on a level or plain sarfa':e. 

 If, howBTer, neither of these esiate with you, we ahouM advise constant bath- 

 ing, and a cold water bandage applied a^ goon as the swelling is obaerTijd. We 

 have known similar instances wliere the toe is very lai-ge. 



Fowls for Eug-laying (Bioxl.— Houdans or Dark Brahma^'. Begin with 

 a cock and four hens, increasing the numbar if you lind your accommjdation 

 sufBcient. 



Dorking Cock; Dying Suddenly (J. E. Jif.).— It diad of a blood-vessel 

 ruptured on the bram. 



Brahma. Pdllbt Moping (C. R. 3/.).— We should think the pallet ia 

 sufferinx from overf reeling. Three daily meals are ample. First, meal mixed 

 with wafer ; next, kitchen scraps or malza ; evening, meal as^'ict- We aAvisa 

 you, if she ia alive when this reaches you. to give a good d)«e, a fall |ta%Ie- 

 gpoonful of castor oil. Feed Bparini,dy with warm gruel, and repeat the nil 

 after twelve hours. She ie, we aboul-l think, BTiffsriug from fat, and she will 

 mot be better till she has got rid of it. Tou rau«t not inxa::,'iae we art) wronLi 

 if when you take up the bird you find the breastbone comparatively sharp, 

 and the body dry and thin. It will only be an additional proof it in suffering 

 from internal fat, which impedes the action of every organ, and will certainly 

 canse death unless it is got rid of. 



Hbn-coop (P. C). — The door is formed by the four centre bars of the front, 

 which slide-np as in most other coops. Th« tray at bottom does not slide 

 ont, but the coop is placed over it. No doubt the tray could be made to slide- 

 out at the ba(il£, bat it would soon get out of ord-^r, and would be liable to 

 catch the chickeuH* legs when being drawn-out. It can be readilv cleaned 

 from the front withi)at removing the hen. (E. J. P.). — The one Mr. Ling- 

 wood employs is not mauufuctured by anyone for sale. Any carpenter could 

 make one if ehown the drawing and the dimensions which we have published. 

 {Sfvernl Corrfspon i^^ntt). —Vrice about 14«. each; but it would of course 

 depend on the carpenter if he charged less for six. Any earpouter could 

 make them from the drawing. — T. C. Biirnbll. 



Blood in Eoris (Filfv).—\Ve think yonr bird* are overfed, and are safferin-r 

 from internal fat. We should reduco their allowance of food, especially any 

 heating or artiiicial part of it, and bring them to a simple meal and crashed 

 corn diet. 



Rabbit MANAGEsn^NT (Pro Bono Publico). — Sawdnst does no harm on 

 the bottom of a Rabbit-hutch. Does kept in a healthy state and well supplied 

 with yrceu foid. and with water two or three times per day, will uot eat their 

 young. Feed your doe well, and do not let her have more than four or live 

 young to rear. They will fattoa from the teat. Sill those you do not intend 



to rear at sis weeks old, and yon will say they are second only to a prime 

 chicken. The buck is probably injured. If it were not hard as bone, it would 

 be probably a cheesy tumour. It coold bo removed, bnt it would come ajcain. 

 Tl e flrst point of a Flemish giant is size. TUey should have heavy dewips 

 and lop-eara. They cannot be too heavj-. 



Bees Dying after Cold WEATnER (W. P.). — It is qnite imposaible, 

 witi^ufc further knowledge of the circumstances of yonr hives, to do more 

 than gaer*a at the reason of the death of so many bees out of two of your 

 hives, or of the total Ii>68 of the other. Daring u prolonged frost there is 

 sure to be a great accumulation of dead bees ia tho hives, and yet the mor- 

 tality is probably not much grciter than takes place under other circum- 

 stances, only in mild open weather bees carry out their dea4 continuously 

 from day to day. Of course, when they cannot move out, the corpses drop 

 down and lie in heaps b-^low till the weather ia mild enough to allow the bees 

 to carry them away. We should hope from the fact that those dead were 

 outside the hives, that these stocks will be found all right by-and-by. As for 

 tiie third stock, they must have been in a poor way before the frost ; but what 

 may have been the cauiiQ of their ruin we cannot te 11, unless it be that their 

 queen had failed them in the early antumo. Wo should advi^ie you carefully 

 to put by this stock in some dry and cool place out of reach of tho bees till 

 you have an early swarm to put into it. 



METEOROLOGICAL 0B3ERVATI0NS, 



Camden Square, London. 



Lat. 5 P 33' 40" N. ; Long. 0^ 8' 0" W. j Altitude, 111 feet . 



EE MARKS. 



10th.— Fair, though not bright morning, the day of the same character. A 



very slight fall of fine snow about 5 p.m. 

 11th — r>ry but rather dull aU the day ; snow and rain after 9 P.at- 

 13th.— Very wet morning ; damp disagreeable day ; liner at night. 

 13lh.— Very dark and damp all day, sometimes raining heavily, but only for a 



time; not fine at any time. , -^ , i, 



14th.— Damp bat fine-looking in the morning: rain before noon, and it fell 



more or less nearly all the remainder of the doy. 

 15th.— A most beautif ally bright day and night; bright sun in the day and 



equally bright moon at night. 

 16th.— A very bright fine morning and forenoon, though preceded by a white 



frost and very slight fog; the after part of the day rather less fine. 



Rather windy at night. ,, , i. -^ 



Much wwmer than last week, but almost sunless imtil Monday, when it 

 w.%s very powerful.— G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Febrcar? 17. 

 \ [There is so little change here, it is not worth notice. 



B. 



Apples J sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries l*lb. 



Chestnuts bushellO 



Currants i sieve 



Black do. 



Fii?8 doz. 



Filberts lb. 1 



Cobs lb. 1 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse.... lb. 6 



Lemons i|.^ 100 8 



Melons eaoh 



FRtJIT 



d. B. d. 

 OtoO 



Artichokes doz. 8 



AsyaragLis ^100 G 



French. ...per bundle 



Beans. Kidney per 10» 2 



Broaa bnehel 



Beet, Red doa 1 



Broccoli bundle 9 



Brussels Sprouts 4 sieve S 



Cabbaao doz. 1 6 



Carrots bunch G 



Capsicums y 100 



Ca-iliflower doz. 4 



Celery bandlo 1 B 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 4 



Cacumbers each 2 



pickling doa. 



Endive doz. 2 



Fennel bunch 8 



Garlic lb. 6 



Herbs bunch .S 



Horseradish bundle 



Mulberries Vlb. 



Nectarines doz. 



i Oranges ^100 8 



20 1 Peaches doa. 



0; Pears.kitchen...... dox. 2 



1 dessert doB. 2 



I PineApples lb. 2 



16 Plums i sieve 



6 2 i Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



1) Strawberries ^Ib. 



13 Walnuts bushel 8 



ditto ^100 1 



VEGETABLES. 



, d. B.d. 

 OtoS ! Leeks , 



d. B. 



OtoO 







10 I Letliioe doa. 



(I Mushrooms pottle 



S I Mustard & Cress.. punnet 



' Onions bushel 



S I pickling quart 



1 G Parsley per doz. buaohes 

 4 1 Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes buiheJ 



Kidney do. 



Radishes., doz.bunchea 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy bundle 



Scorzoaera buudla 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips..,, bunoh 



Vegetable Marrows .. doz. 



B. d. B. 



3 too 



1 2 

 S 

 S 

 8 



e 



4 

 



8 



n 



8 



•i 



6 

 3 

 

 

 

 



