February 21, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTIODLTDRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



161 



opportunity for the exchange of useful information among the 

 members ; papers will be read and discussions held on the 

 natural history and proper management of the hivu bee ; the 

 advice of skilled bee-keepers will be readily given to inquirers, 

 and objects of interest and useful appliances will be shown. 

 The subscription is only 2s. 6d. annually. 



CAGE BIKDS AND THE FOOD THEY EAT. 



No. 1. 



l''oR the past two years in particular food for Canaries and 

 other birds has been a matter of great importance to fanciers, 

 especially canary seed, which has been so extravagantly high in 

 price as to drive many bird-keepers to their wit's end in finding 

 a substitute for it. One fact is beyond doubt — namely, that of 

 bringing into more general use millet seed, which (for a great 

 number of years prior to the recent famine prices of canary 

 seed) was used for Canaries especially in much leas proportion 

 than before, and at the commencement of, the eighteenth century. 



I am pleased to find that special attention is just now being 

 devoted to the food of birds, and no doubt some benefit may 

 accrue from the novel example set forth by the Crystal Palace 

 Company, who at their annual Bird Show, which commences 

 to-day, have offered premiums in the shape of a gold medal as 

 a first-prize, and a money prize for the second, for the best 

 specimens of seed and food appropriate for cage birds. 



From an old treatise on Canaries written in French by 

 M. Hervieux, and translated into English, I will give a few 

 extracts of the doings and mode of treatment adopted by fanciers 

 in or about the yesr 1718. The work in question was printed 

 for Bernard Lintot at the " Cross Keys," between the Temple 

 Gates ; and Benjamin Barker and Charles King, in Westminster 

 Hall, in the above-named year. The extracts now quoted will 

 set forth in the writer's own style the various seeds then used, 

 describing the names of such as they were then spelt, the quali- 

 ties and benefits derived, and the prices realised. M. Hervieux 

 says : — 



" I think it will not be improper here to set down the names 

 and qualities of all the seeds curious persons use in feeding of 

 their Canary birds ; and for observing of some methods herein 

 I will begin with those seeds which are most necessary for them, 

 and will afterwards proceed to those they may live without. 



"The names of seeds proper for Canary birds: rape seed, 

 millet, hemp seed, canary seed, pink seed, lettice seed, silverweed 

 or tansy seed, plantan seed. 



" Rape seed is a very small round seed, coming from a plant 

 of the same name. I name it first because it is the most 

 necessary seed for feeding our Canary birds, and they may live 

 with this alone, though they have none of the others, as has 

 been said before. There are several sorts of it ; one of them is 

 bigger and blacker than the true rape seed, and commonly kills 

 all the Canary birds it is given to, by reason of its bitterness 

 and other ill qualities. The best is that which is smaller than 

 this bad sort I have last spoken of. It is not quite black, but 

 inclines a little to purple, is very sweet, and has none of the 

 bitterness of the other sorts. It is called French rape seed [at 

 the present day understood by the name of German rape], and 

 that is the best that can he given to birds. It has a nourishing 

 and cooling quality at the same time, so that a bird which lives 

 altogether upon this seed is not apt to grow so fat as those that 

 eat much of the others above-mentioned. "When it is too old, 

 as of three or four years, it generally has no more scent than 

 dust, nor scarce any taste, and therefore does not so well nourish 

 the birds that eat of it. On the other hand, when it is too new, 

 though never so good it surfeits them. It must be at least six 

 months old before you give it to your Canary birds ; and to 

 prevent being cheated you must lay-iu a year's provision before 

 March, so that if it happens to be new it will be at least eight 

 or nine months old, so that it cannot be prejudicial to your 

 birds. To be provided with seed for a year without being 

 obliged to buy again within the time, you need only take nine 

 or ten litrons [a litron is somewhat more than an English pint] 

 for every Canary bird you design to keep, and you will find that 

 enough for the year. 



" Millet. — A sort of small white grain, round, and at least 

 twice as big as the rape seed. The whitest is the best. There 

 is a yellow sort, which is only good for poultry. The best millet 

 is that of the province of Anjou, ou the river Loire, in France. 

 It is sweeter and pleasanter than the rape seed. Its qualities 

 are to nourish, to warm, and to fatten considerably, and there- 

 fore curious persons must take heed not to give their Canary 

 birds too much of it ; nay, sometimes they must be made to fast. 

 Tnis millet serves for several other uses, which is not to our 

 purpose to take notice of. 



" Hemp seed is the seed of the plant of the same name. It is 

 twice as big as the millet, and grey. The best is the middling 

 size and bright. Its quality is to nourish, fatten, and heat 

 much more than the millet, and therefore very little of it is to 

 be given to Canary birds, unless in the sharp winter season, at 

 which time it is good for them. The best Eort has aomewhat 



the taste of a small nut, and therefore the Canary birds are very 

 fond of it. 



" The Canary aci:d is a yellowish grain, not so thick as the 

 millet, but longer, pointed at both ends. Its quality is to fatten 

 and warm Canary birds. It has almost the same taste as the 

 millet. Many curious persons never give their Canary birds any 

 of it, pretending that it burns their bowels ; but it can do them 

 no harm provided they are not continually used to it. I have 

 only a little pinch given them sometimes." 



Thus it will be seen from the four above-mentioned seeds 

 M. Hervieux attaches the least importance to the use of Canary 

 seed. — G. J. Babnesby. 



A NEW BEE. 



Sounds of another new bee come from afar. The Alpine or 

 Ligurian bee has been in this country for many years. Some 

 years after its introduction among us the little Egyptian was 

 received. Some twelve months after it came, the late Mr. Wood- 

 bury informed me by private letter that another bee, very much 

 larger than any other species known, was expected either from 

 Australia or Africa, I forget which, but it never came. The new 

 bee this time is an islander of Asia, called the Cyprian bee, and 

 is said to be as much superior to the Ligurian as the Ligurian 

 is to the common bee of our own country. 



A gentleman has kindly offered to do his best to multiply 

 stocks and send them to America if £100 be raised to cover 

 expenses ; and the question has been asked. Why not have the 

 new bee here as well as in America ? The question may well be 

 asked, Why should Englishmen be behind American apiarians ? 

 It may, for aught I know, be a very superior sort in many senses 

 to our old sort and Ligurians, but we are not yet informed in 

 what sense or way it is superior. A comparison has been drawn 

 of its superiority over Ligurians as they are superior to our old 

 friends. How much is that ? Mr. George Fox and myself have 

 watched the Ligurians ever since they were introduced without 

 finding one feature of their superiority, or even the shadow of 

 one. Last year the heaviest hives in Scotland that we heard 

 of were filled by swarms of common bees. In England the best 

 super that we know of was filled by common black bees and 

 exhibited by Mr. Fox at the Crystal Palace Show. 



I have been anxious for a public competition between the 

 Ligurian and common bees, and tried to tempt the admirers of 

 Ligurians to enter the arena, but without success. I can see 

 nothing but gain to the public in a trial of this kind. If the old 

 bees beat the Ligurians the bubble of their superiority will burst, 

 and many clever apiarians will begin to spend their time in a 

 more satisfactory manner than in liguiianising ; and if the 

 Ligurians run first the stupidity of myself and other stiff-necked 

 men will be rebuked and corrected, if not altogether removed, 

 and that very much to our advantage. I shall be gratified if 

 arrangement be made for a public competition this year, such 

 as Mr. Hales contemplates in his own garden by his own bees. 



Doubtless the new bee, the Cyprian, will have a warm recep- 

 tion both here and in America, and owing to a wide-spread love 

 of novelty in both countries there will be " a great run " for it. 

 The love of novelty is implanted in the mind of man, and I 

 most heartily vote for its gratification. To the gentleman, who- 

 ever he may be, on whom fell Mr. Woodbury's mantle, I would 

 like to say, Please let us have the Cyprian.— A. Petiiqbew. 



HARVESTING HONEY.— No. 4. 



Sectional Supers. — In the current number of the American 

 "Bee Journal" Mr. C. R. Isham has published instructions how 

 to make his pretty little supers which I figured in my article of 

 December 9th last. Slightly abridged, these instructions are to 

 the following effect : — 



The tops and bottoms may be of any kind of wood — soft pre- 

 ferred, but hard wood admits of polishing and making as orna- 

 mental as may be wished, especially useful when the variety is 

 wanted for exhibition. Dress to proper thickness— say three- 

 sixteenths of an inch — varying with size of box required, and cut 

 entrance slots in bottom pieces ; the metal corner is a seven-six- 

 teenth-of-an-inch strap of tin bent at right angles and pronged 

 at each end, making the length from shoulder to shoulder the 

 same as length of glass for height of box; with prongs long 

 enough to pass through wood ; bend over, and make a square 

 clinch as shown in top of super in cut. In each corner of wood, 

 at proper distance from edge, make a narrow mortice for prong 

 of tin corner to pass through, and inside from mortice, average 

 thickness of glass distance, make an awl-hole in which to drive 

 a three-eighths-of-an-inch brad to hold the glass from falling 

 inwards. 



Having cut the glass to the proper size the super is ready to 

 put together. Through each mortice in the bottom wood pass 

 the prong of tin corner, bending projection down flat on the out- 

 side surface, then stand on the bench or table with sides fronting 

 you, and it is in position to receive the glass. First put in the 

 sides, resting them in the respective comers of tins ; then with 



