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JOURNAL OP HOBTIODLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ May 20, 1875. 



for the birds by first pressing it through a sieve and then mixing 

 the two ingredients together in a piece of parchment about a foot 

 square, which can be kept in company with the sieve in some 

 handy place for use each time they may be required. This way 

 of preparing the food is preferable to chopping it with a knife. 



The cages I have used for moulting my " Fancy " birds in 

 are of London pattern; in fact, they originally belonged to a 

 fancier named Boakes, and were obtained for me by a noted 

 breeder named Hook, of Walworth, Surrey, from whom I ob- 

 tained a wrinkle or two in the mysteries of " London Fancy *' 

 birdology, especially the moulting and washing processes. I 

 was a Lizard breeder to some extent at that time, and my 

 friend and myself entered into a reciprocity treaty to exchange 

 bird notes, and not only this, but I inducted a real bird en- 

 thusiast in Derby named Orme (father of the present exhibitor), 

 into the London Fancy school. The fanciers I have above re- 

 ferred to died long since. 



In shape the moulting-cages are mostly about 1 foot square, 

 excepting when they are extended in length with a mid-par- 

 tition for holding a couple of birds. Single cages, however, 

 are much handier. The wood of which they are constructed is 

 mostly of mahogany, the hard close kind is preferable to softer 

 wood, which is more porons. Much taste is often exercised 

 in the construction of the moulting-cages, some of which are 

 beautifully inlaid with fancy wood about the front parts. T 

 have a couple by me prettily inlaid and veneered. One-half of 

 the roof or top part of each cage is made to open or lift-up, 

 beneath which is a wired frame to fit the aperture used when 

 the lid is up for the purpose of examining the birds during the 

 various stages of the moult. 



The front of each moulting-cage should be closely wired, 

 there not being above half the space betwixt each wire as in a 

 show-cage. There is a necessity for the close wiring, for if 

 when drawing a glaf s slide which extends along the inner side 

 of the wire front, and again closing-in the slide, a bird should 

 by chance protrude its head between the wires, an accident 

 might soon occur. The close wiring prevents this. 



As the young "Fancy" bird becomes more habituated to the 

 moulting-cage, the glass slide is gradually closed. When the 

 bird has attained the age of sixteen or eiahteeu weeks, and has 

 been well attended to with the egg and cake, and the cage 

 during the time kept well closed, a bird bearing a beautiful rich 

 plumage — very diiJerent to that it bore when first introduced— 

 will be found. Every attention must be devoted, for neglect of 

 food will tend to keep back the bird, and the food must be fresh 

 daily, and care taken that the tins be occasionally scalded and kept 

 scrupulously clean. Great care muet be exercised when cleaning- 

 out the cages, for the displacement of a dark wing or tail feather 

 will tend to somewhat deteriorate a bird for show. The least the 

 birds or cages are meddled with the better during the moult. 



The introduction of the new pepper diet has induced some to 

 adopt it for the sake of imparting more colour. I have always 

 noticed iu pure-bred high-class specimens of the "London 

 Fancy" breed, a rich and beautiful silky virgin appearance of 

 bloom, especially noticeable in the buff or mealy kind, but 

 which to my thinking becomes somewhat marred when the 

 birds have been moulted upon the cayenne diet. If the colour 

 by the use of pepper is more intensified, still to my mind the 

 general beauty of the bird is not improved. I know the idea 

 with several fanciers of late has gained ground that if a bird 

 can be bronght to a certain pitch of colour, it is deemed all-sulE- 

 cient to rank it as an Al bird. This is a mistaken one-sided 

 notion. There are other matters of vast importance. Qaality 

 of feather, purity of blood, and elegance of shape, must not be 

 lost t-ight of, for if the breeders in general lose sight of selecting 

 proper specimens for breeding purposes, and judges lack in all 

 other considerations but high colour, then the fancy will be 

 taking a retrograde movement, and undoing that our forefathers 

 have been aiming at — viz., " Improving the breed of Canaries." 

 With cayenne-pepper-moulted birds colour much depends upon 

 the quantity of pepper a bird swallows. 



Just to show the restrictions placed upon breeders of the 

 " London Fancy " birds, I quote the following rule from an old 

 book of rules in my possession ; — " Rule 13. That no member 

 be permitted to feed his birds with anything but bread, egg, 

 and savoy biscuits, all descriptions of seeds, and green meat of 

 every kind; that no marigolds, saffron, or dye of any kind be 

 permitted to be used on any pretence whatever, on pain of ex- 

 pulsion." Their chief aim evidently was, as stated on the title 

 page of the book, " For promoting improvement and beauty in 

 the breed of fancy Canary birds." 



Experience of late has fully decided the matter in my mind, 

 that a pair of birds for breeding purposes should be selected 

 from stock not brought-np to a certain bright colour with pepper. 

 —Geo. J. Babnesby. 



SALEABLE HONEY. 

 It ia one thing to raise honey and another thing to sell it, and 

 with some peisons the iirat process is often easiest. Now having 



in view the three announced apiarian exhibitions of this year I 

 think a few words on this question will not be out of place. At 

 the Crystal Palace last year, I am sorry to say, the greater part o! 

 the magnificent supers exhibited were returned to their owners 

 unsold, for tlie simple reason that they were too large to carry 

 away, as well as toj costly, for most visitors would be honey 

 buyers. In fact the smaller the super the more likely was it to 

 be sold. The Americans, who are extensive honey-raisers, long 

 ago discovered this, and have hit upon a contrivance by which 

 their honey is brought to market in the most saleable form, and 

 immense quantities are produced. The agricultural and bee- 

 keeping journals teem with advertisements of wholesale honey- 

 buyers. So it would be here. Let the honeycomb be sent to 

 market in the most saleable form, and customers would be 

 readily found, for nice clean well-filled honeycomb is duly 

 appreciated by the wealthy classes, and 2s. or 2s. 6d. per lb. is 

 not begrudged for it. 



At the New York State Fair, we are told by the American 

 " Bee Journal," that " the main strife among competitors seemed 

 to be mostly on box honey, as to what style of box ia best, all 

 things taken into consideration. The variety and styles of 

 packages attracted much attention, and as there were competitors 

 from different parts of the State the display was not only 

 attractive but practically instructive. Mr. Teunant's sample 

 was in old style of boxes, and though of creditable appearance 

 not quite up to present requirements, the packages being too 

 large to bring highest market prices, so with Mr. Griswold's 

 sample, nice honey, but not in shape to call purchasers' atten- 

 tion. Mr. Bbttsiuger's was in narrow sectional boxes, I believe 

 the same as advertised and sold by himself and Mr. G. T. 

 Wheeler, largely iu use and known in New York State as Syra- 

 cuse atyle. As Mr. Bettsinger's were nicely cased, they showed 

 to the best advantage, and could be very convenient for retailing 

 purposes, and Mr. Hadsall's sample hung in frames similar in 

 size to Mr. Bettsinger's boxes, but not as tastily put up, yet well 

 arranged to show all the merits in that way of getting surplus. 

 Mr. C. R. Isham'e boxes were wood tops and bottoms of any 

 desired size and of any kind of timber, some polished off in 

 fancy style, some merely planed smooth with glass sides and 

 ends, held in place by angular bright tin corner pieces pronged 

 to paas through the wood and clinch, making as strong and nice a 

 box as could be desired by the most fastidious, and profitable to 

 the seller as they can be manufactured, about as cheap as almost 

 any style of glass box. Part of Mr. Isham's box was in small 

 single-comb plate boxes 6J by 24 inches, and weighing about 

 2-J lbs. gross, the ends showing the pure liquid honey in cells 

 built against the glass, while the sides gave a view of the white- 

 capped comb in all its beauty and purity." 



The first premium was awarded to the honey in the glass 

 boxes above mentioned, and exhibited by Mr. C. R. Isham. I 

 see Messrs. Neighbour & Son have already advertised a sec- 

 tional super to supply the required need, and perhaps they or 

 Jamea Lee may be induced to place before us some like Mr. 

 Isham's above described. Bee-keepers have abundance of in- 

 genuity, and I have no doubt we shall find exhibited at our 

 September show good marketable supers. 



Now a few words on run honey. Much of that shown laat year 

 was very dark, made to appear still darker by being stored in 

 green glass jars or bottles. White glass is not much more costly, 

 and the extra expense will be amply repaid by increased sale. 

 Remember, honey is to be eaten, and so should be put in an 

 enticing form. The British Bee-keepers' Association hope for 

 the benefit of bee-keepers to hold a honey fair, but I think it un- 

 reasonable to expect us to weigh up run honey by the pound, or 

 cut out combs Irom large supers.— John Hunteb, Eaton Bise, 

 Ealing. 



BEES KEMOVINO EGGS FKOai ONE CELL TO 

 ANOTHER. 



For more than thirty years we have been telling bee-keepers 

 that queens lay far more eggs than they set, or have time to set, 

 and that working bees assist them in this work of distribution 

 and setting. The statements made have been frequently dis- 

 puted and doubted. The late Mr. Woodbury wrote me privately 

 for evidence on the point, and last year even Mr. Lowe himself 

 ventured to assert that bees do not remove eggs from cell to 

 cell. When he made that aesertion he was invited to call here 

 and see for himself ample and satisfactory evidence of the fact 

 that bees do remove and reset eggs. In another periodical we 

 find a paragraph touching this question, which gives me pleasure 

 to transcribe for the instruction of the readers of this Journal. 



Mr. W. Bassano, Haden Cross, Old Hill, says, " Last year I 

 made a four-comb nucleus for queen-raitiog, and for some reason 

 the bees did not attempt to make a queen till the larvm were too 

 old. I then gave them a bit of comb with eggs, and again they 

 did not care to make a queen. Disgusted with their improper 

 conduct, I did not trouble with them for some weeks, when, 

 having a spare combful of larvie and eggs, I thought I would 

 give them another chance, so introduced it into the middle of 



