158 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ FebrnfUT 12, 1874. 



Cups FOR Game Fovtle (Cheshire).— As there is a cup for the best Game 

 cockerel your cockerel must be shown in that class, and not in the class where 

 there is a cup for the beet Game cock. The words " any age" make no dif- 

 ference. 



TraiE OF Febtiusino (A. C. C.).—Yoa may set the eggs certainly at the 

 end of a week. We should espect them to be fertile at the end of four days. 



Hens Egg-droppeks (An Amattur).— There is nothing the matter with 

 your house or treatment except giving the buckwheat. Discontinue it, it ia 

 too fatteDing. Give two feeds of meal and one of whole com. Give barley 

 instead of wheat. If, as we gather, your perch ia within IS inches of the 

 ground you have not the least need of a hen-ladder. The birds will hop up 

 and down. The ouly way to cure the pullet of her bad habits is to remove 

 the perches for a time. The fowls will not suffer from it. 



Hatch from a Sitting of Eggs (Vicanus).~At any season of the year 

 it is a fair average, and one with which we should be content, to hatch half a 

 Bitting of eggs. This year from our hrflt sitting of nine wo have five chickens ; 

 our two nest were eleven each, and we have eight and nine from them. We 

 hold to the opinion that in the early season a cock should have few {say five) 

 hens with him. At present we are running ten hens to a cock. The buyer in 

 your case has no claim whatever to another sitting. He has already hatched 

 five, and has no right to expect as many now as he would in April. 



Buenos-Atrean DtTCKS (Julius).— They would be quite as successfal if 

 you bred them good. There is far more difference in Buenos-Ayrean than in 

 Carolina or Mandarin. The former breed well, and belong to the class of use- 

 ful birds— the latter are purely "fancy birds." Thoro are few shows where 

 Buenos-Ayrean can shuw in the variety class— they mostly have a class of 

 their own. 



Fowls for Table (Su&scri&c?).— We do not like crosses as a rule, but if 

 there is one that is bearable it is that between the Brahma pullet and Dork- 

 ing cock. It makes a good table fowl. We hardly uuderatand that eternal 

 craving for a nou-sitter of a sitting breed, or for increasing the number of 

 eggs Nature has allotted to a hen. No rule of Nature can be evaded or 

 interfered with with impunity. You may mis sitters and non-sitters, you 

 may make the Brahma lay rather more eggs, but she will be a restless and 

 bad sitter. If you want table fowls you should have Dorkings, or Dorking 

 and Brahma mixed, and they should have yoxir best ran. You will not, how- 

 ever, breed prize birds from parents closely confined, however good they may 

 be. You must so arrange your walks or pens and runs as to allow both sets 

 the use of the three.'acres. Our division would be to give the Dorkings two- 

 thirds of the day, and the Brahmas one-third. It is seldom a stable is a good 

 place, unless the flooring be covered some inches deep with sand, gravel, or 

 earth. Stone, wood, brick, or clinkers are all bad for fowls to roost on, or to 

 be shut up on. 



Management of Pigeons (Young BegiTiner).~We cannot think of any 

 safe plan for you to let your pair of Pigeons walk in your gai-den and yet not 

 fly. If you cat their wings (a bad plan always) they would, in their loft, get 

 lalla and break a leg or bruise their breastbones. You might perhaps tie the 

 long feathers of une wing, but we do not recommend it. If you made a little 

 place of cheap galvanised iron wire for them out of doors, and carried them 

 to it now and then, that might do, but if the hen were about laying you might 

 lose an egg. As you really are a young beginner we advise you to send to our 

 office for a copy of Brent's " Pigeon Book," free for nineteen stamps, and study 

 its pages earnestly. 



Canaries' Eras Affected (E. L. P.).— I have never met with such a case 

 before. Do you think it can arise from cold, or does the affection appear 

 chronic ? As you have two birds suffering from the sam^ complaint I should 

 be inclined to think it ia some form of infectious ophthalmia; and yet it does 

 not seem to affect the geueral health of the biids. You can do no harm by 

 bathing the eye with warm water. Hold the bird firmly but lightly, and 

 bathe the eye with a sponge, or pour the water on from a spuon. You need 

 not be afraid nf drowning the patient, and must not be surprised at the forlorn 

 appearance it will present when well n.iaked, for it will be uoit to impossible 

 to couliue the bathing to the spot affected. The bird will soon dry itaelf if 

 placed near the fire, and will look all the better for the operation.— W. A. 

 Blakston. 



Canary Dyin(5 Suddenly— Goldfinch for Breeding (J. G. Webber).— 

 The bird must have died from epilepsy or apoplexy, or — something else. In 

 the absence of other evidence to lay before the jury I would suggest a verdict 

 of " Died from natural causes." A fresh-caught Goldfinch ought to be ready 

 for pairing about the end of May, or a little earlier.— W. A. Blakston. 



Feeding for High Colour in Canaries (Ally Sloper and others).-! have 

 been inundated with inquiries respecting this matter, aud it is interesting to 

 trace the under-current of feeling which pervades many of the communica- 

 tions. Many seem to doubt the potency of the simple recipe, and others, 

 thiiiking something else fies hid, want to discover the little secret in a most 

 disinterested sort of fashion. However, to all whom it may concern, to one 

 hard-boiled egg add an equal bulk of bread crumbs or crushed biscuit, and to 

 this add the Cayenne pepper. How much ? A teaspoonful 1 You may begin 

 with lews, but the quantity they will eat must be seen to be believed. This I 

 say advisedly, for those who will not boliovo Mr. Bemrose's ips<' dixit will 

 beheve nothing till thsy see it — and many not even then. This mixture must 

 be given daily, in addition to the ordinary seed, and must be begun while the 

 blood is in circulation in the young feather — Le., immediately before and 

 during the moult.— W. A. Blakston. 



Points of a Crested Canary (Highjield and Beginner). — I will endeavour 

 to illustrate the points of a Crested Canary by a sketch in a future issue.^ 

 W. A. Blakston. 



Bee Management {hive and Learn — Qodstone). — Yon are in a locality 

 which is excellent for bees, and there by a little attention and perseverance 

 you will soon manage them with advantage both to yourself and thecottagers 

 around you. You have not acted wisely in keeping the bees in their hive 

 during the late mild weather. The sooner you open the door the better it 

 will bo for the bees. When snow is on the gr.iuud bees should be kept within 

 their hives. You will do well to feed your bees in March three times a-week. 

 About half a pound of sugar mixed with half a pint of pure water will make 

 three feeds for them. In April the quantity may be either increased or the 

 food may be given more frequently. If your hive is a strong and healthy one 

 it will require supering at the beginning of May. By turning up your hive 

 you may cut guide comb enough out of it, without much injury, for your 

 supers or swarm Mvos during this year. Doubtless guide comb and supers 

 may be reatfily obtained from dealers, but wo cannot recommend one in pre- 

 ference to another. Consult our advertising columns from time to time. 



Bees in Supers (Scybor). — Your case is not singular as respects the beea 

 taking possession of the supers. We are in the same predicament with three 



of our hives, and are somewhat pnzzled how to treat thcra. The stock hives 

 below were no doubt utterly destitute of food when late autumn came, and 

 the sensible creatures preferred to ascend to the attics, where they had stored 

 their early summer supplies, rather than give themselves the uimecessary 

 labour of carrying it below. If your supers are tolerably large, you might 

 remove the stock hives now and reserve them for the time when the bees 

 wanted room. They would then immediately take to them, and thither the 

 queens would speedily descend and the supers become bond fide supers again. 

 This is what we are inclined to do, if we do not let well alone aud leave the 

 bees to their own devices. The only gain to the bees that we can see in 

 adopting the former course would be the saving to them of labour in passing 

 in and out from the open air. Of cnurse the beauty of the honeycomb in the 

 supers will be spoilt, but better this than risking the loss of young brood 

 already in course of rearing, and the sacrifice of many valuable lives in any 

 process of translation at this beason of the year. 



A'^ED Stock Hives {Wtm).— We think it better after eight or ten years 

 to transfer bees to a new hive and destroy the old and blackened comb. No 

 doubt there are instances where bees have thriven in much older hives, but 

 in how many instances has there been failure ? The proper time for doing 

 this is after the issue of the first swarm, before the young queen's eggs have 

 been largely hatched, say about a fortnight after the issue of theswarm. Put 

 this in the old hive's place, which will tend to increase the young population 

 in the latter and prevent its swoimiug a second time. 



Hives (J. A. Q.). — Several makers advertise in our columns, and supply 

 bees also. Write to them, and ascertain which can best meet your wishes. 



Sugar (W. J. C). — Any wholesale grocer would supply you. 



aiETEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Square, London. 



Lat.5r32M0"N. ; Long. O'^ 8' 0" W. ; Altitude 111 feefc. 



REMARKS. 

 4th.— Rather frosty, but a fine pleasant day. 

 5th. — Foggy and dark in the morning, and so continued all day. 

 6th. — Fog in the morning; much brighter about noon, but still foggy, at 



times very dense. 

 7th. — Fog with white frost in morning; very fine day; the frost gone by 



noon and much warmer. 

 8tb. — Fine early, and occasionally so all day ; small snowballs or " graopel" 



falling between 3 and 4 p.m. 

 9th. — A very fine, bright, cold winter's day. 



10th. — SUght snow between 5.30 and 7 A.ii., from which time it was a fine 

 fi'osty day. 

 The mean temperature at 9 a.m. 10^ below that of the previous week; dense 

 fog at times, but some nice bright winter weather.— G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— February 11. 

 We have but little alteration to report here, the markets generally being 

 very quiet. The supply, however, is quite sufficient for all requirements, the 

 prices being rather below the average of former years. A large quantity of 

 Potatoes is offered at the depots and wateside premisOBj the bulk being iu 

 very fair condition. 



FEUIT, 



e. d. a. d. 



Molberries ^Ib. OtoO 



Nectarines doz. 



8. d. s. d. 

 1 Otol 6 

 

 U 

 



Apples i sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries ^ lb. 



Chestnuts bushel 10 



Currants i sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Ffiberts lb. 1 16 



Cobs lb. 10 16 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 2 7 



Lemons *^ 103 4 12 



Melons each 10 3 







Oranges ^100 4 12 



Peaches doz. 



Pears, kitchen doz. 10 2 



dessert doz. 2 



3 







5 



6 



Pine Apples lb. 



Plums 4 sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries ^ lb. 



Walnuts bushel 10 16 



ditto ^100 2 2 6 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes doz. 8 



Asparauus ^100 4 



French 25 



Beans, Kidney.... ^ lOJ 2 



Beet, Red doz 1 



Broccofi bundle 



Cabbage doz. 1 



Capsicums ^100 1 



Carrots bunch 



Caufifiower doz. 3 



Celery bundle 1 



Coleworts. . doz. bunches 2 



CucumberB each 1 



pickling doz. 



Endive doz. 2 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish bundle S 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce doz. 1 



. d. B. d. 



0to6 

 8 

 

 

 3 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress. .puunet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley per doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes buehel 



Kidney do. 



Round., do. 



Radishes., doa. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsaf y bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Scorzonera bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows 



d. B.d: 



Oto2 

 



