40 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ Januu; 18, IB' 6. 



moved till the third day, when the bees wiU be found to have 

 quitted it. 



"After the lapse of about thirty days yonng Lignrians may 

 probably be discovered taking their flight." 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Cochins and Bramahs at Montrose. — Mr. E. Button writes defending 

 the awards at the Show. He and our reporter must agree to differ. Mr. 

 Hutton says that the prize card was placed by mistake on pen 79. It ought 

 to have been on 79a. 



DoEKiNG Pullet. — Mhs Milwnrd writes to say that her second-prize 

 pallet at the Bristol Show had not " dark scaly legs " as stated by our 

 reporter. 



Leghorn Cockehel and Pcllets Fighting (Old Su^scrificr).— Separate 

 the birds for a time. Watch them when put together again, and if the bird 

 still continue hia umiatural habits, let them be under suiveillanco, and the 

 cock allowed to remain only so long as may be necessary. 



Keeping Egos (J. E.). — "We are no inconsiderable breeders, but we are 

 careleHS as to the position in which the eggs are kept. Our experience is that 

 the chickens are stronger in proportion to the freshness of the eggs, and we 

 therefore never keep them. The hatching properties of an egg last well 

 during three weeks or a month, as is proved by the produce of Game eggs in 

 their natural state. They lie in the nest in any form. If, however, we were 

 obliged to keep egas we should keep tho Rmall end downwards. Improved 

 condition will, perhaps, raise the comb of the Spanish cock. Give ground 

 food, mixing some pea and beanmeal with it. 



Ego Frosted (Pfter Pulh-tj.—The effect of sharp frost on an egg is to 

 cause the mingling of the white and yolk. It is not very uncommon to find 

 a streak of blood in an egg just laid, but we have never met with such a 

 formation as you mention. If it was still warm the probability is that some 

 eccentric hen had been sitting on it for some time, say five or six days, bhe 

 probably left when the finder approached. An egg in the state you describe 

 woulil appear to have bad the germ of life developed, and this allowed to 

 perish would cauKe it to become rotten. 



Hamburohs for Exhibiting {OoUl Eamhurgh).— Yon must show the 

 first-naraed cock. Nothing disqualifies a Hamburgh cock more effectually 

 than a faulty comb. If tbe legs are only lighter thdn they should be they 

 may pass; but if they aie white, or nearly so, they will not. Your pullet 

 should be well pencilled all over the body and to tb end of the tail feathers. 

 Her oeck should be as clear as possible. Her deaf jar perfectly white, and 

 the size of a foarpenny-piece. Legs blue and tapering. The nearer you get 

 to this the greater your iirobability of success. 



The Removal of Canaries from a Greenhouse (A Subscriber).— The 

 cause of your hen Canaries moulting is owing to their having been removed 

 from the greenhouse into a room with a fire. The second moulting will 

 weaken tbe birds much. You must not put them up to breed before April, 

 and even by that time they may not be in a fit condition to at once go to 

 nest successfully. To make the best of a bad job let the birds remain where 

 they are, for if you a^aiu remove tbem you will increase a looseness of 

 feather, which is brought about through the varying changes of temperature. 

 Tbe cock birds will most likely cast some of their feathers betwixt now and 

 breeding time if they have been treated the same way as the hens. Let the 

 birds bathe pretty freely. 



An Ailing Canary {Blue Bell). — There is but little chance of your sickly 

 Canary recovering. Tbe condition of its feathers is sufficiently conclusive, 

 and it will be more humane to kill it than allow it to linger. There are two 

 points against it ever getting belter — namely, a sickly constitution and 

 old age, therefore we should advise yuu to replace it with a cheerful young 

 bird. 



The Sudden Death of Waxbills lldem).— It is a somewhat singular 

 circumstance that your pair of Waxbills Ishould die in one afternoon, espe- 

 cially when they appeared in such good health the morning previous. Not 

 having the opportunity of making a ;jos(-niO)"feHi examination it is difficult 

 to arrive at the true cauee of death. Like other animals, birds are subject 

 to fits, and one of the Waxbills may jnst probably have come by its death in 

 that way, and it may have had such an effect upon its loving partner as to 

 throw it into a sudden paroxysm of grief as to epeedily cause its death also. 

 Waxbills are exceedingly caressing, and it is not an uncommon occurrence 

 when one dieK for the other to pine away through grief. We know of many 

 exceptions even to this, but we cannot otherwise account for their deaths, 

 unless they may have partaken tf yeed of a poisonous kind. Was the seed 

 given to the birds on that particular diiy out of a fresh supply ? or does tbe 

 seed smell as though impregnated .with the filth of mice? This matter is 

 worth investigating. Many deaths occur to cage birds through the seed 

 becoming poisonous with mice. The birds appear to have been well attended 

 to according to your letter. The best seed for Waxbills is millet. 



Books (J. P.,Jun.). — "Huntei'.s Manual of Bee- Keeping" (Ss. 6d.) is pnb- 

 hshed by Hardwicke, 192, Piccadilly. It is a very useful and practical book. 



Paragon Houses. — "W. B."wiites to know if the fowls are constantly 

 kept in these runs at Penshurst, as described in Chapter 6 of "Lea Basses 

 Conrs " The biids are mostly there kept in them all tlirough the year, and 

 do well: but the secret is to keep moving the houses and runs about, never 

 allowing them to remain two days on the same spot. Consequently, for many 

 houses a good-sized piece of grass is needed The houses, where such a field 

 is at hand, are particularly useful in allowing five or six breeding pons being 

 put up at no expense comparatively, and yet where the cocks cannot get at 

 one another to fight. The number of the birds kept in the pens depends 



(1) upon the sizno( the runs, which can be made at pleasure, of any extent; and 



(2) on the size of the birds kept in them ; and (3) on the number of times 

 they can be moved to freah ground in a week. Any further qu-^^stions "W^ B.'' 

 may wish to ask, i( he will write to the " Manager," Smart's Hill, Penflhln■.^t, 

 Kent, every information will gladly be suppfied, provided a stamp is enclosed 

 for reply. — W. 



Closing Hive's Entrance (Tyro). — The doors of hives should not be 

 closed with perforated zinc in mild winter weather. It is necessary for beea 

 to come out occasionally, and they naturally fly about when the mercury of 

 the thermomet'jr rises above 50^. If snow is not on the ground bees tshould 

 be allowed to leave their hives when they like. 



HiVEB (F. J., Corfc).— We forwarded your letter to " B. v\: W." The foUow- 

 ng is his reply: — "A decided verdict cannot be given as to which hives are 



best. Every hive is best which best suits the man who invents or uses it. 

 Mr. Pettigrew'fi straw hive is best for Mr. Pettigrew; for myself, with my 

 objects in view as a bee-keeper, and my bad honey-producing country, it 

 would be the very worst. A^^ain, the bar-framed hives now largely in use, 

 which suit so well the peculiar wants of Messrs. Hunter, Abbott, & Co., as 

 scientific bee-keepers, would most likely disappoint "F. J." It requires some 

 experience in hive management to work them with full advantage. The 

 hives which I have found on the whole to be the best for my purpose, and which 

 I have used these many years, are oblong in shape, 18 by i*J, and 9 inches high. 

 I adopted this shape to suit tbe exigencies of my bee-houses, but I do not say 

 they are the best for other people. I also use Woodbury bar-and-frame hives, 

 but more for practice and amusement than for profit. Abbott's hive, with 

 reversible floor-board, is excellent among bar-aod-frame hives. Your corre- 

 spondent's wooden hive, 16 inches by 16, and 9 inches deep, will do very well. 

 Ventilators I have long since discardtd, preferring the natural ventilation 

 with which bees supply themselves, only I take care to give tbem an entrance 

 way ample in size for their aid in this matter. As to the small supers which 

 I advocated, four boxes of half-inch deal, each from 6 to 8 inches square and 

 6 inches high, would probably answer the purpose." 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Camden Sqdare, London. 

 Lat. 61° 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0" 8' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



REMARKS. 

 5th.— White frost early, rather dull at 9 a.m.; snow in afternoon and even- 

 ing, but only in very small quantities, 

 fith.— Cold but bright till 10 a.ji., then snow till past noon. 

 7th. — Dull and cold. Snow commenced at 11 a.m., and continued more or 

 less heavily all day j a short shower of large sleet between 4 and 5 p.m. 

 8th.— Snow began to fall at 9 a.m., and continued till noon; not any snow 



after that time, but the after part of the day was dull. 

 9th.— Fair and frosty, hut not bright at any time during the day, but bright 

 at night. 

 10th.— Again fair and frosty, hat still dull till night ; atara very bright at 



midnight, 

 nth.— Snow in early morning ; beautifully fine at 9 a.m., but snowing by 11, 

 and continuing for some time fair in the after part of the day. 

 Much colder, the decrease of temperature averaging nearly 14 '. The soil ' 

 however, being covered with a thin layer of snow, the temperature at 1 foot 

 has only fallen about 6 .— G. J. Si'MONs. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— January 12. 



The market is still inactive, and prices remiin the same. The stock o f 



late Pears is getting short, while, witn the exeaption of Eister Beurre, the 



supply of French Pears is nearly over. Late Grapes, such as Lady Downe's 



and Alicante, have been coming good, but begin to show signs of non-keeping . 



a. d. B. d. 

 Apples -i sieve 1 0to2 



Apricots, dozen 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bushel 12 20 



Currants 4 sieve 



Black do. 



Figs dozen 



Fiibert3 lb. 5 9 



Cobs lb. 5 y 



Gooaeberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse.... lb. 2 6 



Lemons ^100 6 12 



Melons each 1 2 G 





 









 



s. d. s. d 

 OtoO 





 



Malberries lb. 



rinea dozen 



Oranges V 100 6 12 



Peaches dozen 



Pears, kitchen dozen 



deseort dozen 2 4 



PineApplea lb. 2 6 



Plums., i sieve 



Quincea bushel 2 6 



Raapberiies lb. 



Strawberiies lb. 



Walnuts., bushel 4 10 



ditto ^100 16 2 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes dozen 



Asparagas :^ 100 10 



French bundle 18 



Beans, Kidney... . i sieve o 



Beet, Red dozen 1 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels Sprouts i sieve 2 



Calibage dozen 1 



Carrots bunch 



Cap-'icuras ■tf lOO 1 



Cauliflower dozen 2 



Celery bundle 1 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 2 



Cucumbera each 1 



pickling dozen 1 



Endive dozen 1 



Fi-nnel bunch 



Garlio lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradiah bundle 



Leeks bunch 



d. B. d. 

 OtoO 

 12 



Lettuce dozen 



French Cabbage .... 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress punnet 



Onions bushel 



pickhng quart 



Parsley.... doz.bnnohea 



Parsnips dozen 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do... 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy bund'e 



Scorzonera bundle 



Seakale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes dozen 



TumipB bun h 



Vegetable Marrows 



B. d. s. 

 6tol 



4-0 

 2 

 4 

 



