298 



JOUENAL OF HOBTIG0LTURE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



[ April 13, 1876. 



Horner. Englibh Owls.— 1, R. WoodB. 2, W. BinilB. 8. J. Thresh, vhc, E. 

 Keckwith. Nuns.— 1, Miss F. Seaoor. 2. W. Harvey. Swallows.— 1, 8, and vhc, 

 E. Horner. 2, Miss F. Seanor. Tui(BiTS.~E.\tra. 1, and 2. E. Homer. 3 and 

 vhc, R. Woods. Magpies.— 1, Miss F. Seanor. 2. K. Beckwith. a, E. Mawson. 

 ANTW£KPS.—.S'/ior//acfrf.—Cocfc.— Extra and 1, H. D. Goimh. '.', Mrs. Entwisle. 

 8. Miss F. Seanor. t'^ic, Mrs. Entwisle. Bradford; H. Yardlcy, Birmineham, 

 Lowi-faccd.~~Cock.—l, 2, and c, W. Ellia. S and vlic, 0. Hopwood. he, E. 

 Moansev, W. Ellis, C. Gamon. Medium— C<jck —1. U. W. Crosse. W. Ellis. 

 2, B. Jenn-nps. vhc, H. D. Gougb, Miss F. Seanor, W. Ellis, he, W. Ward, C. 

 Jackson. T. H. Stretch. E. ilounsey. lien— 1,W. Ellis, C. F. Coptman. 2, 

 Mrs. Entwisle. 3, F. Eastwood, Miss F. Seanor. vhc, C. Hopwood. Mrs. 

 Entwitle, W. Ellis, he, H. Jennings. C. Gamon. W. Ellis, Miss F. Seanor, H. 

 Yardley, J. Gardner. Likeliest bird for Flying Pcrposes.- 1, Miaa F. 

 Seanor. 2. E. Mawson. 3. H. Jennings, vlie. F Eastwood, W. Ellis, he, H. 

 Jennings, W. Ellis, C. Gamon. Tpmblhrs.— Lonfl-/dc^rf, Baldn OT Bcarda.-l, 

 W. Ellis. 2. A. McKenzie. 3, J. Cargill. vhc, W. Lund, he, J. Brown. H. 

 Yardley, Miss F. Seanor. c, W. B. Mapplebeck. Loug faced, any other kind. 

 — 1. J. "Brown. 2, Miss F. Seanor. 3. E. Homer, vtic, E. Beckwith. lie, J. 

 Cargill. A. M H. Silvester, c. H. Yardlev, Miss F. Seanor. ANr other 

 Vahietv.— I, W. L.Clark (Spangled Ice). 2, E. Beckwith, Sunderland. Extra 8. 

 E. Beckwith. rlir. H. W. Webb (Fiillbaek). A. M. H. Silvester (21, Miss F. 

 Seanor. /)c. H. W. Webb (Archangel). MissF. Seaoor.E. Horner. H. Yardley (■^), 

 Col. Child (21. c, E. Beckwith, H. Y'ardley. Anv Vabietv.— Wol to exceed £0s 

 — 1 an'l 2, Miss F. Seanor. S.E.Horner, r/ic. E. Beckwith. he. Hickman and 

 Jacks, T. Holt, R.Woods. c.E. Beckwith, E. Horner. Pair.— Not to exceeds s.— 

 ], H. Yardley. 2 and 3, E. Horner, vhc, H. Yardley. he, E. Beckwith, Miss F. 

 Seanor (2) c, E. Beckwith. 



The Jadges were — Mr. Rule the Carriers, Pouters, Short- 

 faced Tamblers, Barbs, and Trumpeters ; Mr. AUsop the others 

 except the Antwerps, which were judged by Mr, Hawley. 



ARTIFICIAL BEE BREAD. 



A FEW^days since I received a private letter containing the 

 following advice, " You should try the artificial pollen — Syming- 

 ton's Pea Flour — strongly recommended by Mr. A. I am doing 

 so, and my bees are taking it in quite largely, as dusty as 

 millers. It is sold by druggists and grocers." The advice thus 

 given deserves a passing notice ; for, though well meant and 

 offered in a friendly spirit, is about the worst and most foolish 

 that one bee-keeper could give to another. Why should any 

 British bee-keeper give his bees artificial pollen ? Why should 

 the combs of a bee hive be clogged and cloyed with rubbishy 

 pea flour ? In Great Britain and Ireland bees carry into their 

 hives far too much natural pollen from flowers. They are often, 

 if not always, hindered in their work of hatching brood and 

 storing honey by an over-accumulation of it. I emphatically 

 assert that it is in almost every hive very cumbersome to the 

 bees during the summer months, and in the time of harvest or 

 honey-taking it is quite a nuisance to the bee-farmer. Why 

 then recommend the use of artificial pollen ? It is not for me 

 to attempt to answer this question ; but a more unnecessary 

 article was never offered for sale before. Why do the bees 

 carry into their hives that which will impede their action and 

 progress V In answer to this question I have to say that bees 

 are both miserly and provident by nature and habit, very often 

 storing up more honey and bee bread than they need. The 

 snpcrabandance of honey can be removed for their advantage 

 and that of their owner ; but a superabundance of pollen cannot 

 be removed, but remains an obstructive incumbrance in the 

 hives. 



In combs built from sugar syrup at the end of summer when 

 pollen-gathering is nearly over, bees are never hindered by 

 want of pollen. They thrive and prosper uncommonly in such 

 combs (and hives), because they do not contain too much of it. 

 The chief reason why we prefer stocks with young combs is the 

 fact that old combs invariably become cloyed with pollen in 

 their central or breeding portions. Our system of manage- 

 ment enables us to have nothing but young sweet combs in 

 our stocks. But whichever mode of management be adopted 

 and practised, no artificial bee bread should be used. The use 

 of it will in a measure stultify the efforts of bees and their 

 owners. 



If our inventive friends would only tell us how to prevent 

 bees from gathering too much pollen we would be greatly in- 

 debted, and, moreover, consider them the greatest livingjbene- 

 fictors of apiarian science. — A. Pettiqeew. 



TWO QUEENS IN ONE HIVE. 



The evidence that your correspondent " H." offers that he 

 has two queens in one hive is very weak indeed. A cross-bred 

 or mongrel Ligurian queen will produce bees varying from 

 perfectly brown to nearly as brilliantly coloured as pure Ligu- 

 rians, which is no doubt the case of the queen in his hive. The 

 term " H." uses, " hybrid," is not correct, the Ligurian and the 

 English bees being simply varieties of the same species, the 

 cross being no more hybrid than chickens of a Dorking cock 

 and Spanish hen. — John Hunteb, Eaton liise, Ealing. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



is to give them their liberty. Painstaking and diet may prevent them from 

 adopting the habit, but after thsy have begun nothinfj but thorough liberty 

 will cause them to abandon it. We believe we can advise you beneficially as 

 to diet, and we attribute many of the new diseaees to which fowla are now 

 subject, to epiccd and Btimulating food. Give your fowls in the morning 

 ground oats or barleymeal elaked with water. Let them have the houee 

 scrapa at middaj-. If you cannot give them their liberty Bupply them with 

 large sods of growing grass cut with plenty of freah earth. Give them green 

 food, lettuce especially. They are fond of turnip greens; but cabbage ia 

 the worst of all green food. Let the evening meal be a repetition of the 

 morning. Sometimes all this annoyance is caused by one hen. Watch for 

 her, and take her out. It is useless to apply anything to the hare spots to 

 protect them, as it ia only the feathers they seek. The growth of feather 

 may, however, be favoured by the application of snlphur ointment. The 

 plague of this is, that althongh the habit begins with one hen, the othera 

 submit cheerfully, and stand to be denuded of their plumage without an 

 effort to escape from the vi&itati:>n. Spanish are the most prone to it. 



HoNET Box [W. A. B.). — Do we understand you to mean that you have two 

 boxes full of comb empty of bees, and on the top of all " a not very strong 

 stock of bees?" If so we would advice you at onca to reverse operations, and 

 put the bees at bottom. You should take away bath the other boxss till they 

 are wanted for swarming or for honey, replacing them after the bees have 

 multipUcd Bufliciently to require additional room. 



1IETE0R0L0GICA.L OBSERVATIONS. 



Caudcn Sqoabe, London. 



Lat.61°82'40"N.; LoQg.0'8'0" W.; Altitude, Ul feet. 



BEMABES. 



5th. — A dull, heavy day, Bcirce any sun, but no rain. 



6th. — But little sun, though still without rain. 



7th. — Bright morning; a very beautiful day, but not quite so warm. 



8th. — A splendid day and moonhght night, quite a spring day; wind rising 



at night. 

 9th. — High wind in early morning, but very fine by 9 a.m. ; fairly bright till 

 2 P.M. ; a short shower about 4 and again about 7; wind rather high 

 all day, hut very strong in the night. 

 10th. — A blustering morning, stormy, wet, and disagreeable both day and 



night. 

 11th. — Windy and much colder, slight fall of snow at noon, bright at times 

 but sometimes very dark, wind went down soon after noon. 

 Early part of week quite warm, squally on 9th and 10th, afterwards much 

 colder.— G. J. Symons. 



OOVENX GARDEN MARKET.— Aprtl 12. 



This being Passion-week the supply of forced fruita and vegetables ia in 

 excess of the demand, and will be till after the holidays. St. Michael Pine 

 Apples continue to arrive in good condition, but are not realising high 

 prices. 



FBUIT. 



Fowls Partially Featherless (L. J.). — We are sorry to Bay your com- 

 plaint is become a very common one. It is as a rule met with only in birds 

 that are in confinement. It arises partly from idltness and mischief, partly 

 from a disarranged, if not a diseased, atate of body. The positive core 



B. d. B. d. 



Apples i aieve 1 OtoS 6 



Apricots dozen 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bushel 12 



CurrantM 4 sieve 



Black do. 



Figs dozen 



FUberta lb. 6 



Cobs lb. 6 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse.... lb. 10 25 



Lemons ^^ 100 6 12 



Melons each 











10 









 

 

 





 



B. d. s. d. 



Malberries lb. OtoO 



Nectarines dozen 



Oranges 1-+ 100 6 12 



Peaches dozen 



Pears, kitchen.... dozen 



desecrt dozen S 



PineApples lb. 1 



Plums.,, 4 sieve 



Quinces bushel 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries oz. 6 



Walnuts bushel 4 10 



ditto ^100 16 2 







12 



4 















1 6 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokea dozen 4 



Asparagus ^100 6 



French bundle 20 



Beans, Kidney.... %^100 



Beet, Red dozen 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels bprouts 4 sieve 



Cabbage dozen 



Carrots bunch 



Capsicums ** 100 



Cauhliower dozen 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 



Cucumbers each 



Endive dozen 



Ftnnel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Uorseradibh bundle 



Lettuce dozen 



French Cabbage .,,. 



0to6 

 10 



Leeks hunch 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard ic Cress punnet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley.... doz. bunches 



ParsnipH dozen 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



New lb. 



Radishes .. doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsaly bundle 



Scorzonera bundle 



Seakale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes dozen 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable MarrowB 



. d. e. d 

 4 too 

 2 

 2 

 6 



