January 29, 1874. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOBTIOULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



113 



watched the tarpaulins being placed over the baggage, and the 

 canvas awnings rigged to windward, and other signs of prepa- 

 ration for a dusting ; while my Scotch friend pointed out the 

 beauties of the Loch and the little village of Cairnryau, with its 

 white cottages, its church, and its lighthouse, dotted like baby- 

 bouses on the east shore under the shelter of the high land. 

 Before emerging from the Loch into the open sea most of the 

 passengers came on deck. One naturally takes stock on such an 

 occasion, and I was rather impressed with an Ulster coat, seal- 

 skin cap, long greyish beard and short meerschaum, which said 

 how it had enjoyed the fried fish below. Fried fish! hot ! and 

 the " Princess Louise " evidently beginning to be drunk and 

 rolling about in a most improper way. But the Ulster coat 

 seemed to enjoy the fun, and was evidently in for three hours' 

 enjoyment — and in daylight. Beside me was a horserug, and 

 under it was Mr. Baxter; and by-and-by, when the " Princess " 

 was behaving in a way altogether beyond the bounds of common 

 decency, I saw the Ulster coat and the horserug going through 

 a most expressive pantomime, backing, and filling, and tacking, 

 with the intention of speaking each other ; and ultimately — 

 (whether Mr. Baxter brought the Ulster coat or the Ulster coat 

 brought Baxter I wo'n't hazard an opinion, but my impression 

 is each was glad to hold on to the other) — the Ulster coat was 

 introduced to me as Mr. Jones. We shook bauds, but I didn't 

 rise ; I thought if I did something else might rise, and, as my 

 Scotch friend {who had vanished) said, " it comes on you in a 

 moment." Another half-hour, and we were fairly in for it. 

 Loch Ryan was far astern, and Lough Larne on the Irish coast 

 was far ahead. Away to the north, Ailsa Craig loomed in the 

 distance like a huge sugarloaf, and the only craft I could see 

 were a screw collier and a schooner apparently bound for the 

 Clyde ; and the heavy seaa, after giving us a pitch and a roll, 

 and jumping over the paddle-boxes, and over the engine-room, 

 and down my neck, chased one another in a wild galop after the 

 screw and the little schooner ; and after taking a peep on board 

 rushed on to spend their strength on Ailsa Craig. I had 

 experienced a deal of chaff before leaving home, and the horrors 

 of the middle passage had been so pleasantly depicted by 

 sympathising friends that at one time I was considering the 

 advisability of going into training on a swing and taking regular 

 exercise in a mild way in a rocking-chair. The fate of the 

 wretched inan who, in describing his sensations when sick, said, 

 "At first I was afraid I was going to die, but at last I was afraid 

 I wasn't," was held up as a warning to me, but none of these 

 horrors overtook me ; and by the time we got under the shelter 

 of the Irish land, and what remained of Mr. Leuo, who had been 

 stowed away below, had been brought up out of the saloon, and 

 Larne opened the arms of its friendly little Lough to welcome 

 ■us to Ireland, I was ready to averthat the " three hours' passage, 

 and in daylight," was a most enjoyable part of our journey. An 

 hour's ride by rail, skirting Belfast Lough all the way, and we 

 were in the metropolis of the North of Ireland, and, chartering 

 a " kyar," were soon deposited at the " Imperial." — W. A. 

 Blaxston. 



(To be continued.) 



OvEKFEEDiNG FowLS. — lu my experience of keeping fowls I 

 have been more troubled with overfeeding than with any other 

 poultry ailment. I have just lighted upon the following fable 

 of iEsop: — "A woman possessed a hen that gave her an egg 

 every day. She often thought with herself how she might obtain 

 two eggs daily instead of one, and at last to gain her purpose 

 determined to give the hen a double allowance of barley. From 

 that day the hen became fat and sleek, and never once laid 

 another egg." This fable may notbe generally known. — C. H. S. 



FEEDING BEES, AND HONEY EXHIBITIONS. 



"A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper" expresses surprise at the 

 mode of feeding advocated by myself, which is in the main 

 similar to that recommended by Mr. Pettigrew. The fact is that 

 I for my part find the bottle not always to be relied upon. 

 Given every favourable circumstance, the hives populous, and 

 the bees hungry, the bottle placed just over the greatest mass of 

 them, the weather warm enough, and the food of the exact con- 

 sistency, neither too thin nor too thick, then I grant the bottle 

 is the best feeder of my acquaintance, and I have tried a great 

 variety in my long experience. But what if any, or perhaps all, 

 of these circumstances be wanting? In point of fact, this 

 feeder, good as it is in itself, often fails in saving a hive, and 

 particularly in cases where the bee-keeper is mostly absent 

 from home by day and cannot watch his hives. The pages of 

 The Journajl op Horticulture bear witness to the frequent 

 disappointments which have followed from its sole use in times 

 of trial. Expcrto crcde. As to the " fuss of feeding so hur- 

 riedly," all I can say is that oftentimes the sooner it is over the 

 better. It may be prolonged with advantage at times when it 

 is desirable to keep up (as in autumn), or to quicken {as in spring) 

 the breeding of young bees; but in most cases, and always late 

 in the year when it is desired simply to bring a hive up to a 



proper weight of food, it is obvious that the sooner it is over the 

 better. To prolong feeding unnecessarily is to stimulate the 

 hive unnecessarily, and that at a time when every bee's life is 

 precious, and the risks of loss are great. Surely, then, the 

 quicker it is over the better. I must add that I do not recom- 

 mend " pouring 2 lbs. of sugar at a time on a hive of bees." 



And now to another subject. I must confess that I read with 

 amazement the open defence in your columns of the 22nd inst. 

 of the " unrestricted " exhibition of supers, such as were ahowa 

 at Manchester last year. All I can say is, that I for one should 

 decline to suljscribe to or to visit any such exhibition in future. 

 After all, where is the difference in the cases put forward by 

 your correspondent Mr. Bagshaw, and branded justly by him, 

 and cases hke that to which I have alluded 1 " To sell sugar 

 syrup tor honey, or foreign honey as the pure nectar of English 

 flowers, is right down dishonest, and deserves visiting with as 

 severe punishment as any other fraud." Well and good. But 

 where is the difference in my offence if I exhibit, as the bona, 

 fide produce of a stock of English bees in any given summer, a 

 super which is filled with honey artificially gathered (not from 

 flowers by the bees themselves), and artificially stored in cells 

 which are not of the bees* own constructing ? Here is " a dis- 

 tinction without a difference !" If the object of exhibitions be 

 merely to gratify a gaping curiosity — to produce " something 

 strikingly grand for visitors to look at," as Mr. Pettigrew puts 

 it, then we are going in for " Barnum " to an extent that is 

 destructive of all reality and truth, and I answer unhesitatingly 

 that " shows (of this kind) have a demoralising tendency." ji 

 it be legitimate to " resort to every method that art can suggest 

 to accompUsh the desired result," why stick at any cheatery or 

 dishonesty ? I may be very old-fashioned, and my notions very 

 out of date, but I confess that I rarely attend any exhibitions of 

 flowers and fruits, or poultry, because of the shameless tricks 

 which are "perfectly understood" to be practised in order to 

 produce " something strikingly grand " in the way of effect. 

 The same applies to the enormously fat cattle and pigs which 

 have been exhibited at Smithfleld and other shows of a like 

 kind. The result is disease, and not wholesome meat. When 

 shows were first instituted, the object certainly was not to 

 astonish the vulgar, but to improve our methods of production, 

 to stimulate industry and enterprise in that direction, and to 

 push reality to its utmost limits in every department of horti- 

 culture and agriculture. It has had a marvellous success, but I 

 challenge contradiction to assert that that success has been 

 owing to art apart from truth. — B. & W. 



OUK LETTER BOX. 



Bromley Poultry Show. — The first prize in "Bantams, any other 

 variety," was awarded to Mr. Charles Reed for Blacks. (H. Ritchie). — You 

 should return the birds wrongly sent to you, and demand from the Secretary 

 your own birds or the ^20 at which they were catalogued. If you have 

 neither sent to you, consult youi* attorney. {£*. C). — You certainly ought to 

 have had your birds before the 16th; but who wag in fault, the Secretary or 

 the railway oflicials ? The third prize for Light Brahma hens we are in- 

 formed was awarded to Hr. J. Mitchelij and that Mr. E. J. Beeves received 

 an extra prize. 



Bantams with other Fowls (X. Y. Z.). — If your " common fowls " are 

 such as Dorkings and Brahmas, they might be in the Bamo run without fear 

 of the Bantam chickens being cross-bred. 



Hens NOT Answerins Expectations {Thomas). — We think yon have no 

 remedy. Hens when removed to another yard are liable to iiregularity ; and 

 the conclusive bar to any claim against the vendor is that you saw the hea 

 and bought her, having only a doubt about her age. You have no proof to 

 show she is older than was represented. 



Egg-producers {Welhy). — We did not mention the Hamburghs, Those we 

 did name lay nearly as many eggs, and those they lay are much larger. We 

 repeat we should keep either Spanish or Creve-Cffiurs. We would give them 

 the run in the orchard ; and if you are disposed to try Hamburghs, turn some 

 Golden-spangled into the street. Your orchard range will accommodate a 

 larger number than you name. You must secure winter eggs by keeping 

 spriiig pullets. 



Rroody Brahmas {N. T.I.— " What," said my aunt, "shall I do vrith this 

 boy '} " " Give him some breakfast," said Mr. Dick. It was what the boy wanted, 

 and it was the right thing to do. What are you to do with broody Brahmas ? 

 Let them sit. It is what they want, and it is the best thing for you to do. 

 Give them thirteen eggs each. They will hatch most of them, and they will 

 be the most easily-reared chickens of the year, and the most saleable birds. 

 We wish we had them. We are praying for broody hens, and seeking them 

 far and near. You have bought fourteen pullets since December 4(h. They 

 have laid 104 eggs — lowest value 17^. 4«L In three weeks yon will have from 

 eighteen to twenty chickens. In the meantime you have four pullets still 

 laying, and the two about to change their occupation will lay again in March. 

 We congratulate you on your success. No amount of management could 

 enable you to do better. 



Fo^xs IN Very Small Space (L. A. B.).— You may keep a cock and three 

 hens, either Brahma, Cochin, Spanish, or Crtve-Co^ur, subject to providing 

 them with grass on growing soda ; green food, as lettuce, iVc, and small heaps 

 of road grit. If the yard is paved, you must cover it some inches thick with 

 gravel or grit. 



Arrangement of Cocks and Hens {J. P.).— As many hens and broods as 

 you have may be put together. It does not make the slightest difference 

 You may also run all your birds together. We advise you. however, to remove 

 two of the cocks in March and another at the end of April. 



Black Bantams {Bantnw). — We do not believe you can use a WTiite cock 

 without injury to youi- breed unless you have hens or pullets that have been 



