24 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ January 1, 1874 



the end of the season, when a large body of healthy beea were 

 introduced, the unsealed honey covered over with a white 

 fungus, and that it turned out in the spring a mass of corrup- 

 tion from foul brood thereby induced. 



While agreeing with Mr. Pettigrew as to the distinctness of 

 sealed from unsealed honey, I cannot subscribe to the twice 

 swallowing and disgorging process with the accompanying 

 chemical change thereby brought about. I incline to think, 

 rather, with your other correspondent " B. & W." that of this 

 we want adequate proof; neither do I believe our orderly little 

 favourites act on the haphazard system of tossing the honey 

 *' into the first empty cells they can find." On the contrary, 

 such of us as possess unicomb observatory hives are familiar 

 with noting the great time and paius every fresh arrival takes 

 in selecting the cells iu which to store away pollen as well as 

 honey, with the evident intention of keeping all properly classi- 

 fied and distinct, and we cannot fail to observe the gradually- 

 filling honey cells in the upper portion of the hive, till at last 

 only the smallest orifice remains in very many ; and may it not 

 be that our favourites at this particular stage possess the power, 

 before hermetically sealiug-up, to suck-out and extract the 

 aqueous and aerial properties, causing it ever afterwards to 

 consolidate and keep ? — A Renpkewshire Bee-keepbr, 



HONEY SUPERS AT EXHIBITIONS. 



I AM very glad to see your able correspondent *' B. & W." has 

 taken up the above subject. I certainly did not expect to see 

 exhibited at our flower shows supers filled by artificial means; 

 but as I said in my previous letter, it was unfortunate that it 

 should have been such a bad year for bees for the great Show 

 at Manchester, but at any future show the honey should be 

 honey proper — i.e., gathered by the bees from flowers only. I 

 have been a prizetaker with bell-glasses as well as with hives, 

 but never gave my bees an ounce of honey or sugar in my life, 

 except to feed them up for the winter. I entered in the class 

 for supers, glass and wood, or straw, but had no success in either, 

 though I had my bees on the heather. 



I quite agree with *' B. & W." that rules should be laid down, 

 but in No. 1 leave out that portion about feeding bees eight 

 months previous to the show. I like to give my bees a little 

 food in March. I would not allow feeding after March. No. 2 

 I do not agree with. Let the exhibitor strengthen his stock so 

 that the honey may be legitimately stored by the bees. 



I was at the Barton-on-Trent Flower Show in August last, 

 and the supers were very poor ; many were not half full — very 

 different from what they were two years ago, which was the 

 first show, and I think the best I ever saw except that at Man- 

 chester this year. They all said it was a poor season in the 

 Burton district, which I think can be echoed by all bee-keepers. 



If some rule could be laid down so as to guide the committees 

 of flower shows, I think they would avail themselves of them. 

 I can name a few shows that I attend in the northern and mid- 

 laud counties, and perhaps " B. & W." or other correspondents 

 cau assist in the matter, bo as to give all a fair chance ; but by 

 all means leave a class for the working man both in straw hives 

 and straw supers. — South Lancashike Bee-keepeh. 



have a few buff feathers. They are not desirable, but tbey are by no meana 

 a disqualification. We do not believe the Golden Hamburghs had anything 

 to do with them. The fault is a graver one in pullet a and heus. The question 

 of breasts is almost a matter of fancy. The flrat and best birds ever imported 

 had speckled breasts. No judge would be justified in withholding a first 

 prize from a bird on account of a speckled breast, if he were superior to hifl 

 competitors in other points. 



HoDDANs' Charactbristics (ECoudart). — The proper colour of Houdana is 

 black and white speckled, not only in the plumage, but in the colour of tha 

 legs. Some prefer darker, some lighter plumage. The essential points of the 

 breed are five claws, good top-knots and beards, and a square Dorking- ahaped 

 body. 



Fowl Hocse (d. S. F.). — The rooatlnj? place of a given number of fowls is 

 not 80 important as the extent of their run. Six birds will roost comfortably 

 in a fipace 6 feet equaro. You can make up the necesBary number of cubic 

 feet by taking it out of the clouds. Make your houses 12 feet hiyh. They 

 need only be plank all round, and shoald not exceed 358. each. 



Maize for Fowls (F. P. Q.\ — You would not presume to contradiot us, but 

 you differ from us in toto. Granted, Punchy some time since, gave us tho 

 drawing of two militiamen — " raw material." " Jim," said one, " you be'ant 

 instep." "Be'ant I? then change your'n." We keep a thousand hens ami 

 pullets and feed them well. We keep account, and are sure that for early 

 laying maize is not the food. We give a little every day, but our food is. 

 ground oats, barleymeal, whole barley of tho Best quality, and scraps. Wa 

 believe iu no foods. We are never without eggs, but wa do not come up to 

 your numbers. May your eggs never be less. 



Canterbury Pohltrv Show. — There is an omission of the third prite ia 

 the Black Red Game Bantam class. It was awarded to Mr. T. W. Anns, 

 42, High Street, Clapham. 



Royal Dublin Society's Winter Show. — Mr. fiealo did not win Ms own 

 cup. It was won by Mr. Zurhorat with the beat Blue-pied Pouter hen, and 

 duly presented to him. 



Nams or Bird [NaturalUt). — The name of the bird you mention on paga 

 502 is the Mountain Finch, Brambling, or Bramble Finch, as it ia commonly 

 called by bird-catchera in the neighbourhood of London ; the FringiUa mon- 

 tifringilla of ornithologists. — D. Brown. 



SALT FOR BEES. 



If " A. T. W., Kidwelly " adds a little common salt to his food 

 for bees, particularly iu the spring of the year, the food will be 

 greatly improved. Insects, like animals, crave for salt at times. 

 I am, sir, an old bee-keeper and have often watched them, in 

 the early spring, sucking the straw of a freshly turued-out dung- 

 heap from the stable — for what ? — it is the salt in the manure. 



Allow me to add to this note the very simple mode of taking 

 a hive for honey, practised by me for years. On a very fine 

 sunny day when the bees are fully occupied away from home, 

 stop up the entrance and gently remove the hive some Httle 

 distance from its stand, then turn it upside down, take away the 

 bottom board, and what bees are at work in the hive will imme- 

 diately rise in the air and fly back to their old quarters, and from 

 there they will again search for their property, displaying a most 

 wonderfoi instinct. — An Old Man. 



METEOROLQICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Cauden SQaAHE, London. 



Lat. 51° 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8' 0" W. ; Altitude 111 feet. 



1873. 



Ta. 23 

 W8. 24 

 TH. 25 

 Fri. 26 

 sat. 27 

 San. 28 

 Mo. 29 

 Ta. 30 



9 A.U. 



2 Sal 



IncbeB. 

 3U176 

 30.197 

 30.317 

 30.033 

 29 779 

 30.206 

 3 i.ti87 

 29.397 



Means < 30.087 



Hygrome- 

 ter. 



Dry. 



deg. 

 40-0 

 43.9 

 39 2 

 448 

 88.8 

 28.8 

 29.0 

 33 6 



37.9 



Wet. 



deg. 

 38 7 

 45.7 

 39.0 

 41.9 

 38.7 

 28 7 

 29.0 

 31.8 



36.7 



5 = 



goi: 



s.w. 



N.W. 

 W. 



s. 



N.W. 



w. 



N.E. 

 S.E. 



deg. 



42 8 

 43.8 

 43.3 

 43.4 

 43.3 

 413 

 39.7 

 S8.3 



In the Day. 



Shade Tern 

 perature. 



Radiation 

 Temperature 



Max. 



deg 



47.2 

 51.2 

 46.2 

 45 8 

 46.3 

 35,0 

 38.4 

 48.6 



42.0 44.9 



Min. 



deg. 

 33.6 

 39.3 

 36 2 

 S3.6 

 38 3 

 281 



33.6 



In 



sun. 



deg. 

 643 

 53.0 

 45 8 

 46.2 

 72.2 

 35.(1 

 67.3 

 59.0 



On 



grass 



deg. 

 31 1 

 38.9 

 319 

 38 8 

 S8.6 

 24.2 

 27 6 

 27 8 



54.7 



82.4 



0.16* 

 O.IOJ 



0.355 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Separating VAKiETrES (H.). — It is high time your fowls were separate. 

 If they are laying at the time of the sejjaration you should wait (to pre- 

 vent didappoiutment) a fortnight. If they are not laying when put apart for 

 breeding purposes, and begin a week afterwards, yuu may set the egga. Where 

 it is intended to set (;arly eggs, the birds should be divided the first week in 

 December. There is little or nothing gained by keeping them together. 



Bantam Egg-bound ( W. H. S.).— If the case be as you represent it, and 

 there is an egg that cannot be laid, the cure is easy, but not so much so as if 

 y.iu could have acted at once. Draw out a wing feather, soak it iu castor til, 

 amd introduce it in tho egg-passage. You must do it gently, andyou must not 

 touch the egg. If the egg be broken in the passage the case is fatal. Lubri- 

 cate the passage till the egg begins to move, and tho cure is rapid. It is 

 probably the first egg. Let Nature do all that is necessary after the oil, and 

 do not help her. 



Dark Brahma's Plumage (F. S. G.).— Many of the beafc Brahma cocks 



REMARKS. 

 Fine forenoon, then rather cloudy ; rain in the evening, and wind at 

 ni.u'ht. 



■Fair and pleasant, but not bright though warm. 

 -Foggy and misty in morning; fair about noon; fine evening, 

 -Dull all day, with rain in the evening. 

 -Heavy rain in morning ; very bright sunny afternoon. 

 -More or less fog all day, no sun, and very foggy at night. 

 -Foggy iu the morning, especially about 8 a.m. ; finer afternoon, with 

 some sun ; line evening, with luna*- halo. 

 30th. — Fine morning ; rather raw day, and sharp shower at night. 



A week of very ordinary December weather, no remarkable extremes either 

 of heat, cold, pressure, or rain ; the temperature frequently just about freezing 

 point, and repeated fogs. — G. J. Symons. 



23rd.- 



24th.- 

 25th.- 

 26ch.- 

 27th.- 



2»th.- 

 29th.- 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— December 31. 

 We have no alterations to report. 



FRUIT. 



