.Iiino 10, 1875. J 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



463 



Maopies— Cocfc or Hen— 1,3. E. Crofts. 2. Miss F. Sennor. 3, G. Kichard 

 son. /lO.W.Tedd; B. Fulton ; H. W.Webb, Lower Sjdenham ; W.Harvey ; H 

 Yarillev; J. Blinehard: E. Horner. 



Swallows —CkIc or Ih-n - Cup and 3. E. Horner. 2, W. Tedd. he. Miss F. 

 Seanor, <?. W. Tedd ; K FiiHon; A. A. Vander Meeraeh. 



Ahchangels.— rocfc or Hen—l, H. W. Webb. 2, A. A. Vander Meerech. S, 

 E. Ho'iier. /ic, W. Allen, Mexbornugh : E Horner. 



Dbaooons —Cock or Hen —1, 1'np and 3. R. Woods. 9, H. Jennins, Alberton, 

 Bradford, ftf, H. Woods; R. Fulton; Wells & Sherwin ; B. Jenuings. c, H. 

 Yardlev. 



AyTWF.Ttpa— Long-faced.— Cock or Hen— I and 3, J. Eobertshaw, Thornton, 

 Bradford 2. H. JenniDgs. kc. R. White, Manchester : W. Ellis, Idle, Leeds ; 

 J. Lister, Keighlev. c, E Horner, Harewood, Leeds. 



A^iv.-f,Rps.—Sh'ort-faced.—Cork or Hen.— I, W. F. Entwisle. 2. H. Yardley. 

 3, J. Lister, he, J. Dealiing, Sheffield ; J. Hairsine ; J. Earnsliaw. Rotherham ; 

 J. Gardiner, Preston : W.Ellis: E.Horner; H. Jennings, c. R. White 



OwL'^.—EnQligh —Cock or Hen.-l G Richardson, Oulder. 2, Miss F. Seanor. 

 S, H .lennings. /ic. R. Fulton ; H Yardley; R.White. 



Aw oTHKR V»RIETY. —Cocfc Of HcJt.— 1, Miss F. Seanor. 2. R. Fulton. 3, H. 

 Yardley. he. W- Harvey; A. & W. H. Silvester (2); J. E. Crofts, c, W. 

 Harvey ; H. Yardlev 



Sellivo Class.— Pair —1, A. 4 W. H. Silvester. 2, R. Fultiin. 3. -T. Lister. 

 Act, C. Wroot, Hull (Black and White Barbs); H. Yardley; R. White; E. 

 Horner (2). c,H. Yardley; H. Jennings. 



CAGE BIRDS. 



Carabv.— C*'//7ititi.— 1, E. A. Chapman. Crowle. 2. M. Ballans, Dewaliury. 

 Norwich.- 1. E. A. Chapman. 2 and 4, H. N. Fosbrooke, Leeds. 3, T, Green, 

 Gainsborough. 



MuLK, Crossed by Goldfinch or Llt^NET.— 1, M. Ballans. 2, G. Drinball, 

 Crowle. 



GoLDFitiCH, COMMONLY CALLED Redcap.— 1, M. Hom, Armlcy. 2, G. Y'ates, 

 Thome. 3. T. Procter, jun.. Crowle, Slack. 



LiN.vETS.— frrfj/.— 1, T. Kirk, Burnham. 2, J. J, Temperton, Burnham, 

 Bawtry. 3. T. Green. 



Any other Variety of English Bird.— 1, H. N. Foabrooke, Leeds. 2, E, 

 A, Chapman (Lark). 3, A. Bramhill. 



K.ABBITS. 



Lop-EABED. — Bttttfc or Doe. — 1 and he. J. Irving, Blackburn. 2, A, Hudson, 

 Hull. 3, T. Schofield, Cheetham, Manchester, c, T. Green. 



Himalayan —Burk or Doe —1. B. Greaves. 2 and he, J, M. Atkinson, Alford. 

 3, 0. G Millett, Fairfleld. Ltverponl. c, W. Russell. 



Silver-grey —Bucit or Z<o«.—Cop and 1. H Hudson, Hull. 2. T. Schofield. 

 3, A. Canty, B^rton-on-Huraber. e. E. Stubbs. Pinchbeck, Spalding. 



Any othkr Variety.— Buct or Zioe — I, K. Greaves (Dutch). 2, J. E. Pilgrim, 

 Hinckley (Belgian Hare). 3. T. Schofield (Siberian), he, W. Russell, Hull 

 (.Angora), c, H. Swetnara, Fulford, York (.Angora), 



CkT9.—Engli9h.—l, E Baxter, London. 2, T. Clayton, 3, Miss Skelton, 

 Burnham; J. Young, Hull, he, J. Furnis, jun., Crowle; E.Horner. 



JuDOES. — Poultry : Mr, J. Dixon, North Park, Clayton, Brad- 

 ford ; Mr. F, Sales, Crowle. Pigeons : Mr. W. Cannon, Bradford. 

 Cage Birds : Mr, Glassby. Babbits and Cats : Mr. W. G. Waters, 

 Elaham. 



DAEI FOR POULTRY. 



In answer to Mr. Brown's query respecting the above I will 

 state niy experience, having used it since the beginning of the 

 year. 



It is the greatest egg-producer I have ever used. I have given 

 it to Brahtnas and Hamburghs, and so far have only had one of 

 the Brahmas broody. On leaving it off for a few days, for a 

 change, the eggs fell off too, but on resuming it the eggs increased 

 on the second day. I have had 2.53 eggs from five ISlack Ham- 

 bnrghs from February Gth to May 31st. The only fault I have to 

 find with it is that it keeps the birds in bad condition: they 

 would never lay on flesh with it alone. Both adults and chickens 

 eat it readily. I trust some other fancier will give his experi- 

 ence with it.— Geo. Riley. 



DO YOU FEED YOUR BEES? 



I AM often asked this question. I reply. Yes, sometimes. Some 

 time since I wrote to you on the subject, but I do not remember 

 from that time until now I have met with one who did not ap- 

 prove of feeding. However, I am not convinced that it is a good 

 thing to be always stuffing bees, as some advise. If I continue 

 to feed my bees so that they have the hive full of syrup, are 

 they not restricted in the space for breeding ? 



I have several swarms this spring from hives that had no 

 feeding all the winter. One poor neglected stock, taken in haste 

 one day last year, was placed on an old iron stool covered with 

 a bit of old sack, and a piece of sheet lead to hold it on; it is 

 a very small straw hive. From this hive I have had three 

 swarms this month — two of them good and one very small. 

 They are all doing well, and the old stock seems as strong as 

 ever. 



I examined the first swarm last week and found honey ; in 

 fiict it seems that they had filled the comb with honey as fast as 

 they constructed the comb. Now, had I fed them what is to 

 hinder them from filling all the comb, having no space left for 

 young bees ? 



Wbat has made me think it not good to feed as a rule is, that 

 the bees are taught to look for the bottle instead of going abroad 

 lor honey. 



Mr. Pettigrew argues that sugar at 3d. per lb. makes it profit- 

 able to feed, as if one pound of sugar would be converted into 

 as much honey. This admission that sugar may be profitably 

 converted into honey is a fine tale for honey-buyers ; besides, it 

 cuts the ground from under those who go honestly to work to 

 produce honey for exhibition. A friend of mine told me to feed 



at all times when honey is scarce. On this principle it is no 

 longer honey, but honey and sugar. If it is not so, will someone 

 explain it? — J. C, Brentford. 



[There is in this letter not only an honest ring and healthy 

 tone, but a thick stratum of common sense. I am obliged to 

 him for it, inasmuch as it gives me an opportunity of stating 

 more fully what was meant by my remarks on feeding in the 

 letter under the heading of " A Swarm of Bees in May." 



In my remarks nothing was said about syrup being converted 

 into honey. Bees cannot do this; and the attempts to make 

 bees convert syrup into marketable honey have been loudly con- 

 demned by me in more places and occasions than one. Many 

 of the readers of this Journal remember my letter on " Spurious 

 Honey and Fraudulent Dealers " which appeared in its columns 

 six years ago. Let me repeat that syrup made of sugar and 

 water cannot be converted into honey, and anybody knowing 

 this cannot honestly sell the one for the other. From a private 

 letter from Ireland, as well as from the letter of " J. C," I find 

 that my remarks have been misunderstood. No one approves 

 of " always stuffing bees," or " restricting the space for breed- 

 ing," or of " teaching them to look for the bottle instead of 

 going abroad for honey." I have never done this or taught other 

 people to do it, and think it would have been better if " J. C." 

 would quote my words instead of unwittingly misrepresenting 

 my meaning. I am glad to learn that "J. C.'s" bees have done 

 so well without feeding, and hope that he will have a good 

 harvest of honey, and favour the readers of this Journal with a 

 report of the same. 



Now for a word of explanation. I said 4s. or 5s. worth of 

 sugar given to a swarm makes it into a stock hive worth 3Cs. 

 This, of course, was meant to be done in autumn, which baa 

 been explained again and again. We never make, nor can we 

 make, honey hives from sugar; but in honey seasons swarms 

 from hcney hives may be put into empty hives and made into 

 excellent stocks by feeding. Hundreds of stock hives were thus 

 made last year, and now, like "J. C.'s " unfed hives, are doing 

 well. This practice will become more general year by year. In 

 seasons unfavourable for honey-gathering, stocks can be fed and 

 kept in a state of health and prosperity at little expenpe by 

 reason of the low price of sugar. As to swarms in May and June, 

 I have no hesitation in saying that if the weather be unfavour- 

 able for honey-gathering at the time of swarming it is both wise 

 and profitable to feed them. 



Syrup wisely given to young swarms does not restrict breed- 

 ing space, but creates it. Swarms on being hived have a passion 

 for comb-building, and hence they convert almost all the sweets 

 they can receive and gather into combs for breeding in. The 

 anxiety of swarms to build combs and their industry at this 

 work are not to be wondered at when we remember every first 

 swarm has about two thousand eggs to set or waste every day. 

 A few pounds of sugar given to young swarms help them very 

 much. If "J. C." had given his third swarm, which he says 

 was small, a few pounds of syrup on being hived he would have 

 done something to bring it abreast of his second swarm which 

 was so much larger. Here let me say that feeding second and 

 third swarms on being hived is not so important as feeding first 

 swarms, for in the second and third swarms the queens are not 

 pregnant, and will not commence to lay for some days or till 

 some combs have been built. 



Slow and continuous feeding of stock hives daring unfavour- 

 able weather in March, April, and May keeps them healthy and 

 prosperous. Feeding swarms in May and June enables the bees 

 to give their queens breeding spaces ; and rapid autumn-feeding 

 enables light and poverty-stricken hives to store up food for the 

 winter months, and swarms to fill their hives with combs and 

 store up food enough for their support. — A. Pettigrew.] 



BEES TRANSFERRING EGGS. 



Mr. Pettigrew has mentioned a case of egg-carrying on the 

 part of bees, which, allowing for the absolute correctness of the 

 facts (and there seems no reason to call it in question) is an 

 important testimony to a long-doubted and long-denied state- 

 ment. Every tyro knows that queen bees " lay far more eggs 

 than they set." I have myself seen a queen lay eggs at random 

 on the outsides of a cell after she had filled every available 

 comb, laying two, or even three eggs in the same ceil. In tbia 

 case the bees around her simply devoured those eggs as fast as 

 she dropped them. There was no carrying them off, nor in 

 fact would it have been of any use to do so, as every comb was 

 full. There have been times, too, in my long experience when 

 it would have been very convenient had the bees transported 

 worker-bee eggs to other and more suitable combs; but I have 

 never to my recollection had even a suspicion of the fact. 



Mere assertion of course is valueless. To go on " telling bee- 

 keepers that working bees assist the queens in the distribution 

 and setting of eggs" goes for nothing apart from the well- 

 balanced and clearly-ascertained facta on ocular demonstration, 

 which are the basis of all science. Had Mr. Pettigrew given ''^ 

 facta such as those now stated, neither Mr. "Woodbury nor Mr. 



