210 



JOOBNAL OF HORTIOULTUSE AND COTTACIB GARDENER. 



[ March 11, 1875. 



As to the last paragraph of Mr. Wallace's letter, " Why was 

 there not a claes for this bird at Edinburgh ? " There was a 

 class there, though not a separate one (see catalogue) at that 

 time. The editor of the contemporary I refer to must put in 

 his word, right or wrong. However, his friend Mr. Wallace 

 unfortunately lets out that a Mr. McLean was the means of the 

 class for Mealies being in the Glasgow Show in 1806 and 1867, 

 thus showing that the claim of the editor is quite absurd. Now 

 has the matter come out ! Years before these two Exhibitions 

 did Mr. Ure and myself debate the question and had it settled ; 

 and yet the suegestion came from '* ourselves," says the editor 

 in question ! Further, he charges me with false representations, 

 and he goes on to lead his readers to believe that I have been 

 excluded from the columns of his journal, which is simply not true. 

 I do not wish to occupy space needlessly, therefore just a few 

 words and then I have done. Along with Mr. Ure I sent a letter 

 to this new contemporary in reply to a letter which appeared 

 there, but they were such as hurt the feelings of the editor, and 

 were likely, he thought, to do the same to the feelings of his 

 friends to whom we were replying. We were told unless our 

 replies were altered to suit they could not be put in print. Our 

 replies were, "No alteration; please return our manuscripts." 

 We had them returned, and forthwith, along with several others, 

 have excluded ourselves from his columns and have left him. 



In concluding this, to me, rather painful letter, allow me to 

 say that I have always advocated a position for the Mealy Pouter, 

 and some of those now loud in its praise at one time opposed 

 me ; but experience in breeding by it will more and more assure 

 fanciers of its sterling value. Now, some of our readers may 

 forget and others wonder what was the origin of all this corre- 

 spondence. Let them, then, satisfy themselves by referring to 

 No. 6G6, January 1st, 1S71, of this Journal. — James Huie. 



[We have another letter sustaining Mr. Huie's statement, 

 which we are obliged to omit until next week. — Eds.] 



NEGLECT AT THE OXFORD SHOW. 



I EXHIBITED some Jacobins there, and they contrived to lose 

 a very nice hen from my hamper by neglecting to tie the lid. 

 I received a telegram from the Secretary stating the bird had 

 escaped on its way to the station. I wrote back to say that I 

 should expect compensation for the loss of the bird, and that I 

 considered it worth M3, but I have not been favoured with 

 any other communication on the subject. The hamper had four 

 compartments, three were tied ; the one was not tied from which 

 the bird escaped. — Alfred Heath. 



[The Committee ought at once to pay for the bird. If yon sue 

 in the County Court they would be compelled to do so and to pay 

 all costs.— Eds.] 



LIGURIAN BEES. 



I AM glad to see that Mr. Pettigrew has thrown out a challenge 

 {if I may use the term), whereby the merits of the Ligurian and 

 the English bees may be tested and compared, but at the same 

 time I would suggest that the merits of the wood and straw 

 hives may at the samn time be put side by side. 



I also thiok the idea a good one for both parent hive and 

 swarm to be put to the test, and then take notes of the weight 

 either in bulk or run houey, or any other way that may be de- 

 cided upon, the supers to be taken as run honey. 



Now, the difficulty will be. To where are the bees to be sent ? 

 It will never do for the bee-keeper in the south to send his bees 

 to the north, or the reverse. I would suggest that several places 

 should be fised uprjQ ; f )r instance, Rowsley near Chatsworth, 

 the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, would be a good place for 

 the bee-keepgrs thirty miles around Rowsley, and it is easy of 

 access from all parts. The midland county apiarians might fix 

 their own place, als-» those of the south country theirs ; but we 

 in the north, near Manchester, must get away from the smoke 

 to compete with Worcester or Devon. 



I intend sending some of my bees to Bowsley this spring to 

 t'y for a good glass supar of pare honey, which I have never yet 

 obtained to exceed 20 lbs. upon my niue-bar Woodbury hive, but 

 think I cin do so from my Pettigrew 18inch straw hive. — South 

 Lancashire Bee-keepeb. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Aylesbubt Ducks {An Ifiiioramut). — If you do not infcenfl to show till the 

 end of the year, Dacka hatched next month will hi early enoush. Oatmeal 13 

 an excellent tliiu<» to yiva them when youns- Small oiec^s of raw meat ar^ 

 also good for them when a fortuis^ht or tliree week'* old. They should not be 

 much in the water. It i^ most e^9ential tha"; Aylesbury Ducks should have 

 pale flesh-coloured bills, and for that reason they should not be allowed to u^n 

 ponds of Rtai^nant water ; snch ia of '■-ea dark-coloured, and has au effect on tht^ 

 colour of the bill. When the ducklint:^ are six weeks or two months old they 

 may have whol« oats, ship biscuita, or any other food ; but if you mean to 

 exhibit you will do well to give occasional feeds of raw meat. It gives growth 

 and make.s weight. 



Books (F. Hart\ — Crent'a "Canary and other Son^; Birds," Y m can have 

 it free by p:>st from our oflicQ if you enclose Is. Id. ia postage stamps with 

 yonr address. 



Piping Bullfinch (Dora), — You may vary the food of your Bullfinch by 

 occasionally adding hemp seed to the canary and rape seed ; not too much 

 hemp, for instances are known of blindness and a change of plumage having 

 been brought about when too freely fed upon hemp seed. Now and then give 

 Bully some crushed plain biscuit, and watercress and small salad. The 

 green food will tend to cleanse its stomach. Millet and grass seeds and a 

 little piece of apple may likewise be given. Rape seed, prepared by being 

 soaked a whole niqht in water, then the water strained off, and the seed partly 

 dried by being rubbed in a cloth or towel, is a good diet for Bulltinches when 

 thoy appear dull; and it would suit "Dora's" bird when iu its melancholic 

 lit. As to the quantity of food a Bullfinch should eat iu one day, is a matter 

 we cannot attempt to regulate. Much depends upon the appetite. Some 

 birds waste more than they eat. Wastefulness is often caused through a 

 want of discretion in too freely supplyint,' the seed drawer or fountain with 

 food, much of which is found mixed with the dirt nr sand on the bottom of 

 the cige. Were we to suggest the idea of only a certain portion of food 

 being supplied some half-dozen times during each day, we are fearful we should 

 be entailing too much trouble upon "Dora," and after alt Master Bnlly 

 would not eat much less daily than his 1 \ v?.. We do not consider the bird to 

 be a glutton. Bullfinches iu their wild and natural life seek for their food 

 when they require it, and our advice is. Let the bird have its daily i-upply, with 

 access to it at any time during the day when the appetite reqtiires appeasing. 

 Do not pamper the bird with delicacies such as pastry or sugar (we have no 

 cause for supposing you do), and let it have a supply of grit-sand on the cage- 

 bottom. Probably the bird has been kept too warm, and its system brought 

 into a poor state through artificial heat. This may be the cause of its 

 rufhed feathers. Let Bully have access occasionally to a good-sized cage, 

 and if the bnd will take a cold bath now and then so mnch the better. 

 Cleanliness, exercise, pure water, and fresh air will do more for its health 

 than the physician. Bullfinches are very fond of most kinds of berries and 

 buds of trees. Examine the crevices and haunts of your Brllfinch's habitation, 

 and see that there are no tormentors lurking about until the bird retires to 

 roost — we will not say rest, for there is no rest when so plagued. Possibly 

 this may be another cause of your bird appearing dull. Our Bullfinch is full 

 of vigour, bright in the eyes, and close ia feather. It has never been in 

 artificial heat, and feeds daily upon hemp, rape, canai-y, millet, liax, groats, 

 and broken biscuit, the same as our three sprightly Goldfinches. One 

 cannot make themselves too familiar with a piping Bullfinch, for a chatty 

 tongue will much speedier gain the good graces of Bally. 



Feeding Stocks ( iV. K. M.). — The weather has been very trving for weak 

 hives, many of which will have perished during the last three weeks' cold. 

 We would advise you to watch carefully the operations of your bees in the 

 different hives as soon as the weather becomes warm again. If you find 

 pollen-gathering going on with tolerable vi^^'our we should say. Let them alone, 

 but continue to stimulate them with a little food given continuously. If the 

 weak hives you speak of are not likely to maintain a separate existence, then 

 you might join the survivors to one of the other stocks. Sometimes, how- 

 ever, the weak hives of one year become the strong hives nf next year. We 

 hardly tbiuk your weak hive lost life owing to y^ur feeding, but we cannot 

 speak positively, not knowing the full circumstances. 



Bklgian Hare Rai5bit Eating Her Young (G. A. R.). — We do not 

 think age has aoything to do with the unnatural trick. It is the result of 

 fever and internal derangement. The safeguard is always to keep a doe, 

 especially when near kindling, liberally supplied with green food, and if with 

 water so much the better. In rabbits, as in many other auima's, no mistake 

 is S.I fatal as high feeding for a time before parturition. We do not beUeve 

 this would have happened had she had access to water and been well supplied 

 with green food. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 

 Cauden Sqcare. London. 

 I Lftt. 51« 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0^ 3' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



REMARKS. 



3rd.— A dull grey day, but beautiful starlit night. 



4th. — Rather misty in early morning, but very bright for two or three hours 



in the midiie of the day. frosty and bright at night. 



5th. — White frost in the morning, followed by a most beautifully bright day 



throughout. ["^ay* 



6th. — Rainy and dark, a few gleams of sunshine, but as a whole a dull damp 



7th. — Fiue morning; very bright about noon; but rain commenced about 



8 P.M., and continued at intervals all day. 

 3tb. — Very fine rain and ver>' warm; fair from 1 p.m , when it wag very 



bright; wind very high all night. 

 9th.— Rainy and windy in the early morning; but very bright before 10 a.m., 

 and 80 continued ; wind going down soon after noon. 

 Th^ northerly winds «ave way on Saturday the fith. and the temperature 

 rose rapidly, even the soil 1 foot deep risiu,? neaily lu- during the week. The 

 effect upon vegetation has been very marked. — G. J. Svmons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— MiRCH 10. 

 The supply ha? somowiiat improve I duriuj the la^t few davs, and that is 

 the only alteratioa worth notice. The late.st cirgoot St. Michael's Pines 

 was scarcely so g)ji a? thjso previoa-ily receive I, aui the rates generally 

 were lower. The ordinarv Oringes fro n tben^e Uive baen vary uu^atiafiitory 

 this season. Some samples of Tangerines, however, are very g jod. 



