Uay 26, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTURB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



419 



B. Robinson (Ice), F. P.BuUoy (Priest). Sellisg Class.— rnirs.-l anij 3, W. 

 NottaRe (Curriore). 2. J. Biirnea. 



C.\UE BIRDS.— CAN4EIE8— Clear Aroriric/i.— 1. W. Smith. 2, L. R. Carie- 

 ton. 8, H. riioJii-ns. Any other rnrietii.-l imd ■3, Vf. »milb. 2, H. Diokeua. 

 Mn.BS.-I and-2. a. E. Russell. 3, S. Cook. Bkitish BiRDs.-l. W. Smith. 2, 

 G. E. Ilu39ell. 3. C. E. Foxon. PARnoTS, ur any Vaiuetv cf Foreign Bird. 

 —1, J. A. Burrs (King Parrot). 2, Mrs. J. K. Salmon (Uroy Panot). 3, Mrs. J. 

 Alcott (Bii(l[,'eri«ar). « „ , 



RABBITS.-Lop-EAB.— Bi«& or Doe —1, C. E. Thompson. 2, R. Ma.lKwick. 

 8, J.A. Barrs. Angora. -BucJ: or Z)oe.—l and Extra, R. Mndgrwiok. 2, Foster 

 and Robinson. 3, H. E. Gilbert. Dutcb.— Buck or Doe.—l and 3, I'oster and 

 Kobinson. 2, W.B. Robinson, t'/ic, Foster & Chambers. J. Owen. Hiualavan. 

 —Buck or D,u:—1 and Extra, W. Hev. 2 and 3, H. E. Gilbert, vlic, R. W. 

 Cottam, W. Hey. Silveb-Grev.— Buck or Doc.-l, H. E. Gilbert. 2. B. Rubin- 

 eon, i, T. Golightly. vUc, E. Snell, H. E. Gilbert. Any other Variety.— 

 Buck or Doe.—\, H. Barham (BeJsian Hare). 2, Foster & Robinson (Uelcian 

 Hare) S, Q. Viner (BelBian Harel. Seleino Ceabb.— BucA; or Doe.—l and 3, 

 Foster & Robinson (Dutch). 2, Foster it Chambers. 



CATS.— Short HAIRED.— .Vijlc or Female.— I and Cup. T. N. Gilbert. 2, E. 

 Baxter. S, E. Burton. Belonaimi to Workina Men— Male or Female.— 1, A. 

 MussoD. a. R. P. CuUia. 3. T. Cure. Long-haiubd.- iUaie or Female.— 1 and 

 Collar, T.Weifrhtman. 2, T.Hill. 3, Miss Jevons. 



Jddge. — Mr. E. HuUon, Colambarian House, Padsey, Leeds. 



THE PRICES OF CANARY BIRDS AND CANARY 

 EGGS IN OLDEN TIMES. 



From the translated edition of Mr. Hervieux's " Treatise on 

 Canary Birds " I quote the following remarks, which may be 

 interesting to many fanciers who have realised very high sums 

 for their birds. It is evident that our Parisian neighbours in 

 olden times must have estimated their pets at afar greater value 

 than our English fanciers do at the present period, although to 

 my own knowledge many Canaries and Mules have been sold for 

 £5 each, some as high as £10, and in two or three exceptional 

 instances even as high a price as A'20 has been given. But 

 respecting " Mules," Mr. Hervieux appears not to have used the 

 term, preferring the word " mongrel," by which he designates 

 all cross-bred birds. The translated edition is dated 1718, and it 

 speaks of the " common prices Canary birds are now sold for at 

 Paris." Another interesting peculiarity attached to the work 

 is the names by which the birds were then styled, and which 

 I may remark npon in some future chapter. 



" There are very many persons of all ages and conditions in 

 this city who do not yet keep Canary birds, and yet would be 

 willing to have one or two to divert them after their usual affairs 

 are over with their sweet notes ; but most of those persons still 

 remembering the price that Canary birds bore ten years ago, 

 without inquiring what they are now worth, believe it is still the 

 same. Thus the ignorance of some and the oovetousnese of others 

 are the cause that many go no farther than to wish for Canary 

 iDirds without attempting to buy them. My design is to unde- 

 ceive those people by writing this chapter for their sakes, 

 wherein I wiU set down the common prices Canary birds now 

 bear. To observe some order I will begin with the prices of the 

 most common Canary birds, and conclude with those that are 

 by curious persons reckoned the most beautiful and dearest. 



" A common grey Canary bird, 3 livres 10 sols. 



" A rough-footed or white-tailed Canary bird, 5 livres. 



" An ash Canary bird, rough-footed or white-tailed, £5 10s. 



"A common yellow Canary bird, £i. 



" A yellow Canary bird, rough-footed or with a white tail, £6. 



"A common mottled Canary bird, £1. 



" A mottled Canary bird of the copple-crown breed, £5 10s. 



"A common buff colour Canary bird, £4. 



"A buff colour Canary bird with a cast of gold colour, .£5 10s. 



"A common copple crown Canary bird, £6. 



"A Canary bird with an ash-colour copple-crown, £7. 



" A Canary bird with a black copple-crown, £10. 



" A Canary bird with a regular black copple-crown, ,£20. 



"A common lemon-colour Canary bird, £15. 



"A lemon-colour Canary bird with a black regular copple- 

 crown, £25. 



" All white Canary birds with red eyes are of so little value, 

 at this time especially, when there is plenty of others, that I 

 have not thought fit to speak of them according to their several 

 degrees of beauty, the finest of them not exceeding the value 

 of £4. 



" The price of Canary birds here set down may vary upon two 

 several occasions. The first is when those same birds are 

 bought some days after they are hatched, as many do, to breed 

 them up by hand ; then at least the third part of the price is to 

 be abated in every sort of what is here set down. For instance, 

 a Canary bird that costs 15 livres when he can feed himself, ia 

 worth but 10 livres if taken when he is but ten or twelve days 

 old. The price in like manner advances one-third beyond what 

 has been set down when a Canary bird is bought after he is 

 passed all the danger of his first moulting as in March. So a 

 Canary bird of 15 livres price in October will cost 20 livres in 

 March the next year, and the like of all others." 



The selling of young birds just hatched, and also eggs prior to 

 being sat upon, appears to have been much encouraged in Paris 

 at one time, and more so before Mr. Hervieux wrote his treatise. 

 In some oases I have known this to be done in England, and it 

 has somewhat baffled the endeavours of those members who 



encouraged close shows to prevent the purchasing of young 

 birds' eggs, and carry into full effect the laws of their society, 

 which have stated " that no egg or eggs, or bird or burds, shall be 

 taken in or sent out, or sold and exchanged," under certain 

 penalties. So far all-England shows are worthy of more en- 

 couragement as possessing the better means of protection to 

 honest exhibitors. Mr. Hervieux further says : — 



" We frequently see curious persons who are well to pass in 

 the world, and make nothing of giving 300 or 400 livres for a 

 couple of Canary birds tbey fancy. I will not be particular as 

 to the price of mongrel Canary birds. Some of them are not 

 worth so mnch as the natural Canary birds ; but there are also 

 others whom Nature has formed so beautiful and regular as if 

 they had been drawn with a pencil. The price of these is con- 

 siderable, and such being very rare, he who has them often 

 meets with curious persons who give him whatsoever he aska 

 for them ; as for instance, three little mongrel Canary birds 

 [Mules] were some time since sold here to a curious stranger 

 for 500 livres. 



" Nor will I spend time upon the value of Canary birds' eggs, 

 because the selling of them begins to grow out of date. . . . 

 Those who first began to breed Canary birds in this city made 

 what they would of them, for they sold the very eggs at consider- 

 able rates. Some of them have been bought for 10 crowns a-pieco. 

 and very often they were addled or the little ones dead in the 

 shell." 



The practice of selling eggs or young hatched birds appears 

 to have been discountenanced by Mr. Hervieux, for the reasons 

 that purchasers might become possessed of useless and unfertile 

 eggs, or young hatched birds not of the same blood as the pair 

 they might be partly reared by ; and not only this, but the possi- 

 bility of buying eggs from a breeder who, through ignorance, 

 may have coupled two hens together. After the detailing of 

 certain impositions carried on by some, the writer states : " I 

 have thought myself obliged to take notice hereof for two 

 reasons ; First, to discourage several curious persons who are 

 not well versed in this affair from buying eggs after this manner 

 at random, their money being for the most part thrown away, 

 because there are everywhere people ready to impose upon 

 their credulity, and to treat them as has been observed above; 

 and they being thus forewarned will be the more npon their 

 guard, being first convinced of the probity of those from whom 

 they would buy their eggs, and consequently will not grow 

 weary of the innocent diversion of Canary birds when they see 

 all they undertake succeed. Secondly, because curious persons 

 being thus warned not to buy Canary birds' eggs of all persons 

 without distinction, they will avoid being the innocent cause of 

 the fault committed by those who burden their own consciences 

 by wronging others." — Geo. J. B.uinesby. 



SYSTEMS OF MANAGEMENT. 



Bees are excellent servants under fair play and fair weather. 

 They cannot well serve us without fair weather, but with it they 

 will do all they can do, and that is a great deal, to fill their 

 houses with honey under any system of management. The 

 bee-keepers of this country are not often favoured, like those 

 of other countries, with cloudless skies and a continuance of 

 warm melting weather. 



At the present time a gentleman from the backwoods of On- 

 tario, seventy-five miles from Toronto, is staying with us. He 

 is a bee-keeper in a small way, and is seeking information with 

 a view to become a more extensive bee-farmer. According to 

 his accounts bees gather honey very fast with him, and which 

 realises about 8d. per pound, and honeycomb in 5-lb. boxes 

 about Wd. per lb. The winters there are long and severe, but 

 the summers are warm and genial, causing the flowers to yield 

 honey in great abundance. Bee-keeping there and in some 

 parts of the European continent is more certain than it is in 

 our colder and changeable climate, and capable of greater 

 development. British bee-farmers have the advantage of 

 higher prices and milder winters. In Canada there is an un- 

 limited extent of what my friend terms " maiden bush " (un- 

 broken forests) containing many kinds of fruit trees and others 

 which yield honey. In our heathery districts we have a 

 •' maiden bush " rich in honey, though of humbler stature than 

 the forests of Canada. Beekeeping almost everywhere is 

 capable of improvement and development, and, generally speak- 

 ing, affords most pleasure to those who understand it the best, 

 for pleasure often goes hand in hand with perfection. First- 

 rate painters, gardeners, or farmers are enthusiasts, and have 

 withiu them a well-spring of satisfaction. All bee-keepers 

 should have a system of management of some kind, and be 

 masters of it ; and whatever, is worth doing should be done 

 well. 



In a letter or two I mean to notice several systems of manag- 

 ing bees with a view to give the readers of the Journal of Mor- 

 ticuliure a comprehensive view of practical apiarianism, and 

 every system is capable of improvement and modification. 



The ancient mode of bee-keeping in this country has been oi 



