488 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[November 26, 1874. 



White Cochins (/]?uommus).— The first thins? you have to do is to select 

 yonr best birds. Size is an essential for Cjchia-ChiQas. Comb^, both in cock 

 and pallets, must be quite straight; the ficrrattons stiH, upright, and welt 

 defined. Both or all the birds in the pou should match exactly in colour. 

 Avoid mealy wiusrs in the cock, or auythintr like necklace ia the pullets. No 

 vulture hocks. The birds intended for exhibition should be put by them- 

 selves, not only because they want to be mnre cared for than the run of the 

 poultry, but in order that when they are coufiued in a small pen they may 

 a^ee. If you can do so, make them a small rua by them•^e!ve3. Feed* them 

 on ground oats slaked with milk morning and evening, with kitchen or table 

 scraps in the middle of the dav. If you have no run that afliirds grass, give 

 them every day two or three large sods cut with plenty of earth. You may 

 also throw into their run at times eighteen or twenty grains of Indian corn 

 or barley, odd t^craps of bread, or anythiiyj of the sort. They must not have 

 food by them. Some dry road grit under cover is a good thing for them to 

 dust in. As accidents will happen, it is not safe to trust to one pen only ; 

 you will, therefore, be wise to have two ready, and, if all go well, you can then 

 send the best. If at any time you think you will break up and re-make 

 the pens by chauRing birds from one to the other, the alteration should be 

 made a week before they leave for exhibition. There is no hope for success 

 where the cock beats his hen. It is only under exceptional circumstances 

 fowls want washing. You may, with a piece of flannel wetted with soap and 

 water, wash the feet and the unfeathered parts of the legs. 



Chicken Management (E. TT.).— Do away with the sawdust. They pick 

 it up, and it is bad for them. What is the fl'>or under the sawdust *' Your 

 food is very bad. You will never have healthy birds while you feed on potatoes. 

 If you have no farmyard where the chickens can feed, they should be fed by 

 hand three times per day. They should have barleymeal or ground oata 

 slaked with milk or water twice per day, morning and evening. They may at 

 midday have scraps of bread or meat, or whole corn, maize or barley, more of 

 the latter than the former. As we should be disposed to believe your fowls 

 are choked with sawdust, we advise you to give each of them a table-spoonful 

 of castor oil, and then to feed as we have advised. 



Parts of Fowls (A. P.).— In a recent number (No. 686) we have pub- 

 lished engravings with references shnwiug the names of all the parts. In a 

 previous number we also published an eugraving of a vulture hocii. 



Hens Plucking their Mate (L. J. £.).— Take him from the hens and 

 let them run alone. Turn him among them every morning for half an hour 

 before they are let out. Watch him and theoa. It is very likely there is only 

 one offender. If it be so, take her away, and then let him ran with the hens. 



Ornamental Waterfowl (T. H. T.).— You will not be able to buy any of 

 the common wild fowls till next February or March, when they come from 

 Holland, nor is it advisable to do so, as it is a trying time with fresh birds 

 when the water is frozen. The precautions you mention are not necessary 

 when the birds aiTive. If they are in good condition they may be turned at 

 once on to the water, care being taken they shall at once find food there. 

 Bread is the best for this purpose, because it swims. You have only one 

 thing to avoid, that is handling them. Take the basket neai- to the water, 

 cut it open, and let them run out. Wo should advise the netting 3 feet high. 

 They cannot climb a bank 2 feet high, but, a? we stated before, there must ba 

 landing places cut through such a bank, or the birds will drown. Black Ea^t 

 Indian Ducks need not be pinioned, Carolina Ducks mast. Ducks want no 

 voosting places beyond the shelter of the shrubs, They will choose the spots 

 that afford most protection. Unless the Carolinaa have boxes they will not 

 breed, because they will di-op their eggs about. 



Fattening Turkeys (G. AT.).— Turkeys that are intended for Christmas 

 should not yet be shut up, but you may help them along by feedmg them 

 well on nom-isbing food, such as giouad oats raised with milk, and a portion, 

 one-tenth part, of pea meal. They may he fed on the same when they are 

 shut np. They put nn great weight in the last month. 



Killing Cockerels liEroRE Pullets (-7.). — Yon ask why we always 

 advise to kill cockerels befure pullets. Because they attain size earlier; be- 

 cause they become hard earlier than the pullets; and finally, because not 

 being egg-producers, they can make no return for the food they have eaten. 



Lark Disordered {L. C). — We fear the symptoms indicate inflammation 

 of the bowels. Feed on bread and milk. Pat two or three drops of sweet nitre 

 into the water, and let the bird eat as much lettuce as it will. We fear your 

 bi:d has been too long alllicted to permit a strong hope of its recovery. 



Floorboards op Hives (J. L.). — Clean the floorboard of each hive by 

 scraping it with a knife, and brushing it afterwards with a dry brush, and see 

 that each hive stands lirmly on its pedestal, and is well defended against wet ; 

 and, for effecting this (especially during winter), we have never yet fuund any- 

 thing equal to the milk-pan, heavy and unaii,'htly as it unquestionably is. 



Entrances of Hives (JBdicflrrf/— The entrance to the hives must now be 

 narrowed, bo that only two or three bees can come out at the same time ; for, 

 at this season, mice are very likely to lod^e themselves in the hives, and they 

 are very hurtful and destructive to the bees; for, having onceloiged them- 

 selves in a hive, its entire destruction will be effected by them in a few days. 



Kats.&c. {A Con:<tant Rcader\.~\Ve do not remember what you refer to. 



House-keepers" Book (An Old Siibscrih>-r).—V7e never pubhshed one. 



TERBrER Distempered (P. M. W.i.— 'live four grains of blue pill, and a 

 dessert-spoonful of castor oil four hours afterwards. Keep the dog from being 

 chilled. Feed on bread and milk until well. You feed the dog too much on 

 the meat you name. 



Artichokes doz. 8 



Asparagas ■&• loo 



French. ...per bundle 3i) 



Beans, Kidney.... j sieve 



Broa I bushel 



Beet, Red doa 1 



Broccoli bundle 9 



Brussels Sprouts J sieve 2 



Cabbage doz. 1 6 



Carrots bunch 4 



Cap.si(5um3. ^ lOf) 



Catiliflower doz. 3 



Celery bundle 1 6 



Coleworts,. doz. buoches 2 fl 



Cucumbers each 6 



pickUng- doz, 



Endive doz. 2 



Fennel bunch n 3 



Garlic lb. 6 



Herbs bunch 8 



Horseradish bundle 3 



VEGETABLES, 

 d. B.d. 

 0to6 

 

 

 

 

 8 

 16 

 S 

 6 2 6 



6 







Leeks 



Lettaae.. .......,,.., doz. 



Maanrooms poette 



Mustard & Creaa..panaet 

 Onions bushel 



pickliufj quart 



Parsley pur doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Putatoea bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy bundle 



Soorzonera bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallota lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoea doz. 



Turnips..,,. bunch 



Vegetable Marrowa ..doz. 



METEOROLOGICAL OB3EEVATI0NS, 



Camdeh Square, London, 



Lat. 51' 32' 40 " N. ; Long. 0= 8' 0" W. ; Altitade, 111 feet. 



BEMABES. 

 11th. — Bright, cold, but very fine day. 

 12th.— Very bright pleasant day, but the wind very cold. 

 13th. — Rain in the morning, but fine afternoon and night. 

 14th. — White frost early ; fine but not bright in the after part of the day. 



15th.— Rainy damp morning; dull wet day throughout, but rather better at 

 night. 



16th. — Fine sunny morning, dull afternoon, and wet at night. 

 17th. — Dull damp morning, getting gradually batter; very bright afternoon, 

 and fine evening, but wet night. 



Much colder than last week, and frDst on most nights. Air frequently very 

 damp.— G. J. Symons. 



CO VENT GARDEN MA.RKET.— November 25. 

 A FAIR supply is kept up, and the attendance is quite equal to former years 

 at this season. A fresh arrival of Pines from St. Michael's has just been 

 offered by the brokers in good conditiou, prices ranging from los. to 2l8. each. 

 Hothouse Grapes have slightly advanced iu price. 



Apples j sieve 1 



Apricots doZt 



Cherries It^lb. 



Chestnute baahel 10 



Currants ^ sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Kiluerts lb. 1 



Oobs lb. 1 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse.... lb. 1 6 



Lemons **■ 100 8 



Melons each 1 



d. 8. d. 

 Otol 

 





 20 







6 Mulberries ^\h. 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges ^100 H 



Peaiches doz. 



Pears, kitchen doz. 2 



' dessert doz. 1 



PineApplea lb. 2 



6 Plums 4 sieve 



6 Quinoea doz. 



Kiispberries lb. 



Strawberries ^Ib. 



Walnuts bushel 10 



ditto VIOO 1 



d. B. d. 

 OtoO 

 

 12 

 



ISth.- 



EEMARKS. 

 -Rain in the night and morning ; dami> and all but raining all day ; 



much warmer. 

 19th.— Fine morning, but rather hazy; rain before 11 a.m.; very bright for an 



hour or two in the afternoon ; dull evening, but fine night. 

 20th. — White frost in the morning, splendidly bright at noon, and very fine 



all day and ni^ht. 

 2l3t. — Foggy till noon, then brighter till between 2 and 3 p.m, when it was 



very thick, but not as dark as it is sometimes. 

 22ud. — Foggy all day, particularly so in the early afternoon, but cleared oft 



about 8 P.M. 

 23rd. — White frost and rather hazy, bat pooq cleared off ; a splendid frosty 



day and moonlit night. 

 24th. — Still frosty; a dull hazy day without rain or sunshine. 



Rather sharp frost during the last two or three days, producing, in conjanc- 

 tion with the fog, two irregular phenomena. {D The minimum temperature 

 on the 21st was lower iu the air than on the grass, because the latter was 

 kept warm by proximity to the soil. (2) The temperature in the sun was lower 

 than that in the shade on the 21th, because, though the eun was wholly ob- 

 scured, there was occasionally clear sky in the zenith; therefore the euu 

 thermi>meter was cooled by radiation, while it was not raised by sunshine. — 



G. J. SVMONS. 



