504 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jane 24, 187S; 



On this question of bee-manap^eraent either for pleasure or 

 profit there is much to learn. — J. C., Brentford. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



NoN-siTTiKG Fowls {FidgH).—The vagaries yon epeak of do not belong 

 to the non-Bitting breedB. The first habit you mentioH may be attributed to 

 the fact yon mention. "Wo cannot imagine the cause of the other unless she 

 is in company of the more fortunate breeds, who are blest with '* all a 

 mother'g gentlest cares," and plays at maternity. Feather-picking is com- 

 mon to Houdans in confinement at this time of year. The hen will shcrtly 

 give up the habit, and will not take to it again till this time next year. If 

 allowed her liberty she will never take to it at all. The laying you mention 

 is excellent. Hens lay more eggs than it is supposed, but they do not always 

 reach the ri^ht owners. You may introduce a new breed, and guard them with 

 cerberean vigilance, but you will soon see them all over the country. This 

 does not of necessity arise from diehonesty, but from hens laying about. 

 • PouLTKY-TARD (T. ii.).— You do not give enough information. Does your 

 place show all the space you have at command, or is there any outlet beyond 

 the two roads that form your boundaries Bouth and east ? Assuming that 

 there is not, we think you may keep a cock and eight hens. It would be 

 necessary to their comfort to have the paving removed. Fowls will not do 

 on paving stones ; they get cramped and they cannot scratch. The manure 

 heap is a help. If half the stone flooring of the barn were removed it would 

 make a capital place fcr the fowls in wet weather, being earth covered with 

 sand or grit. If they have any other outlet the numbers kept may he 

 doubled or tripled. The essential is that they should have access to grass in 

 some way, and that they should not be compelled to live on stones. Nothing 

 J8 more useful for poultry than a barn, but it must have an earthen floor. 



Insects in Hen Hocse (J. li. IF.).— The ineecta found in such quantities 

 in your hens' nests and on the eggs, and hanging in clusters to the roof of 

 your hen house, are the well-known Acarus (Dermanygeus) gallinn^ a fowl 

 mite figured by De Geer MS., vol. vii., pi. 6, f. 13, and' by Herrick Shaffer, 

 No. 137, f. 14. The house wants thoroughly cleansing and washing with hot 

 lime water. Gas-tar water and boiling water should also be freely used. — 

 I. O. W. 



Fowl's Legs Scaly (T. C.).— It is only of late yeara we have known the 

 diflease. It first appeared at Liverpool on a Cochin-China hen, at a time 

 when the ground was covered with snow for some weeks. It was thought 

 when the snow went the disease would go with it. It did not, for it was poon 

 heard of in all directions. At first only old birds had it. Last year it ap- 

 peared among chickens. Till that date only birds in confinement suffered 

 from it, but now there are cases (few at present) among those at liberty. We 

 have had to kill birds this year because the disease was so frightful. It is 

 difficult to watch and treat it where many hundreds of fowls arc kept, but we 

 have made head against it in some instances by softening the legs and scales 

 frequently with sweet oil or citrine ointment. 



Rabbit's Eye Inflamed {G. H. iJ.).— Bathe the eye frequently with'cold 

 water. 



Green Prize Cards.— Mr. Firth says that a green prize card was put into 

 the basket with his prize buck and that the buck ate it, also that a Hima- 

 layan doe died from a similar cause. Let these facts warn committees from 

 using green cards. 



Taking Honey (F. J.).— Yonr idea of using an adapting- board above an 

 eke cannot be carried into practice with advantage, for an eke is generally 

 filled with broodcomb, and the honey goes to the hive above. Very little 

 honey could be obtained from ekea cut from their hives, even in the best 

 of seasons. Ekes enlarge hives and give the bees room to live and breed. 

 If von use an eke 10 inches deep with an adaptiug-board it becomes a nadir, 

 and may be used as such. The most of the honey will go to the upper hive, 

 making it too heavy for keeping ; but the nadir may receive all its bees and 

 be kept as a stock hive. Ekins is the simplest and best mode of enlarging a 

 hive for honey ; nadiring is adopted when both honey and a stock hive are 

 wanted ; and supering is resorted to for honeycomb. 



Bees not Swarming fC. M. 3/fljor).— We advise yon first to remove the 

 super from your hive and drive all the bees out of it into the hive itself. 

 Smoke applied at the top will drive the greater part of the bees down from 

 the super before it is removed, or the bees may be driven by drumming after 

 it is cut off, and then cast back on the front of the hive. If you want 

 another super filled instead of a swarm, place a larger one on the hive to 

 prevent swarming. If you prefer a swarm to another super, the removal of 

 the present super will contract the space, and thereby tend to hasten the 

 isBue of a swarm. "UTion bees hang long in clusters at the door of a hive 

 they become in a sen^e morbid and inactive, and hence we prevent this by 

 artificial swaiming. If your gardener will summon courage enough to blow 

 some smoke from old cotton rags into the hive, and then turn it on its crown 

 and place an empty hive on and over it, rolling or tying a tablecloth round 

 the junction of the two hives, and drum on the bottom one for four or five 

 minutes, not more, you will have two hives which should be placed right 

 and left of the present stand. If this had been done when the bees first 

 began to hang out the swarm hive would by this time have been nearly filled 

 with combs. The invention of artificial swarming is of great service to all 

 who rightly practise it. 



Bees Clustering but not SwARjnNG {A. C. ^.).— Take off the three glasses 

 ■which are now full on your hive, and if you do not wish to take a swai-m 

 from it put larger supers in their places. As the bees are hanging outside it 

 is very desirable to give them room enouj^'b iupide. Wooden or straw supers 

 are more readily entered by bees in a crowded hive than glass hives. If you 

 wish to take a swarm no more supers should be put on. As the hive is 

 probably well filled with honey, perhaps your better way will be to put a nadir 

 below it. and take the honey from the top one in autumn, and keep the nadir 

 for a stock hive. 



Claiming a Swarm {J. H. Hoicard).~J^Q man who has lost a swarm can 

 compel a neighbour to give up a swarm that has settled in his garden, unices 

 it can be proved that the swarm came fnim the claimant's apiary. In your 

 case there were two strayed swarms settled in the same garden, and you could 

 not point out either as yours. We knew an i-jstance of a man claiming a 

 strayed horse, not becauf e ho could identify it, but because he had lost one. 



Drone Traps (J. HiUc;; teon).— These are sold by the inventor, R. Aston, 

 Upper Bar, Newport, Salop, at 28. 6(i., or 2«. 8d. by post. 



Bottles for Honey (A. J?.).— Anyone who deals in preserve bottles and 

 jara could supply you. 



YoDNG Linnets Plucking Young Canaries (D. D. B.).—lt ia not 

 habitual with young Linnets to pluck or strip Canaries of their plumage the 

 same as yours have done. Somewhat like Goldfinches, they ore very handy 

 with their " knives and forks," and if they see a misplaced feather, or one at 

 all sticking out, they will have at it, a repetition of the plucking ensues, and 

 frequent instances are known of birds btiug almost entirely stripped of their 

 feathers. Canaries are at times equally culpable, both young and old birds. 

 The Linnets may again repeat the mischief if the lot occupy the same apart- 

 ment. The most effectual way to wean the depredators from plucking is to 

 part them. You state you have "put the offenders ioto separate cages." 

 Y'ou have acted wisely. There keep them, for it will check the propensity 

 more than any other plan. As to placing them all together in the same cage 

 for the more readily mating of them together when pairing time comes will 

 not forward the birds. When you wish to breed with a pair (a cock Linnet 

 and hen Canary), select a couple of healthy strong birds, and place them in 

 cages side by side for a few days, after which, in the month of April, turn 

 them into a breeding cage furnished with the necessary requirements for nest- 

 building, and at the same time supply them daily with a generous diet, such 

 as egg and bun crumbs and a mixture of seeds. This will tend to bring the 

 birds into condition. A little extra attention in the way of keep, even before 

 the two birds are placed together, will not be ill-bestowed. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Sqoare, Londom. 



Lat. Bl^ 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



REMARKS. 

 16th. — Frequent (and occasionally heavy) showers all the forenoon, but from 



1 r 31. fine and pleasant the remainder of the day. 

 I7th. — Morning fine and calm and till noon; frequent distant thunder in the 



early afternoon; slight thunderstorm with bail at 4 p.m., and bhorb 



sharp Bhowers all the afterpart of the day. 

 18th, — Rain iu the night and eoi-ly morning; distant thunder at 0.45 P.M., at 



2.0, 2.1i) and 4 p m., with slight fihower^. 

 19th.— Thick fog in early morning, not clearing off till 10 A.M., after which 



time it was very fine and pleasant. 

 20lh.— Wet till 10 a.m., afterwards fair, but not very bright, and looking very 



stormlike at 8 p ii. 

 21st.— A cold cloudy day. 

 22nd. — A very bright pleasant day throughout, but with a rather cold wind. 



Another cool week, the 9 a.m. temperature about 3"^' lower than in the one 

 preceding, but the mean of the maximum and minimum nearly the same. — 

 G. J. Symons, 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— June 23. 

 Very good markets now, outdoor produce being freely supplied, and Straw- 

 berries a lively trade, but prices rule low in consequence of the abundance 

 and the heavy supply of Cherries from the Continent, which, however, will 

 soon cease when the hulk of Kent produce is under consignment, as report 

 speaks of heavy crops. Thepricesol Potatoes have slightly declined, although, 

 tho Jersey supplies are nearly over. 



FRUIT. 



Apples j sieve 



Apricots box 



Cherries box 



Chestnuts bnshel 



Currants i sieve 



Black do. 



Figs dozen 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse.... lb. 



Lemons ^100 



Melons each 



B. d. B. d. 

 OtoO 



4 



4 











Artichokes dozen B 



Asparagus ¥^100 4 



French bundle 



Beans. Kidney 1:^100 2 



Broad bushel 6 



Beet, Red dozen 2 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels Sprouts i sieve 



Cabba-ie dozen 1 



Carrots bunch 



Capsicums ^-^ 100 



Cauliflower dozen 3 



Celery bundle 1 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 2 



Cucumbers each 



pickling dozen 



Endive dozen 3 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish .... bundle 







6 10 



12 



8 



TEGETABLES. 

 d. 8. d. 



0to6 



8 













 i 



1 6 

 



2 

 8 

 

 6 







8. d. s. d 



Malberries lb. OtoO 



Nec'arines dozen 10 24 



Orrfngea T^ 100 8 14 



Peaches dozen 15 8) 



Pears, kitchen.... dozen 



dessert dozen 4 



PineApples lb. 6 lO 



Plums 4 sieve 



Quinces dozen 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 6 2 



Walnuts bushel 8 12 



ditto ^100 10 19 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce dozen 



Mushrooms pottle 



IMustard Ji Cress, .punnet 2 



Unions bushel 4 



pickling quart 6 



Parsley.... doz.bunches 4 



Parsnips dozen 



Peas quart 1 



Potatoes bushel 4 



Kidney do. 4 



Radishes. , doz.bunches 1 



.Rhubarb bundle 4 



4 Salsafy handle 1 6 



1 i Scorzonera bundle 1 



Seakiile basket 



I Shallots lb. 8 



Spinach bushel 3 



I Tomatoes dozen 2 



Turnips bunch C 



4 , Vegetablft Marrows.. doz. 2 



B. d. B. A. 



4 too 



6 1 



