February 19, 137i. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



177 



SPARnftWB fCoral-necked).— Prize, W. Walter. 



PpABRows (Diamond).— Si/t/jic— Prize, W. Waltor. r, Mrs. Judd. 



Doves (SmallJ.-Prize, Rev. A. Jolinson, Horselydown. cr, H. Small, Syden- 

 bam: — Drake. , , ^, , , 



Doves (Barbary or Ring).— Prize and tf, J. Lealohford, Lower Norwood, lie, 

 U. SmalJ. 



Love Birds.— Prize. W. Walter. 



Parakeets (Australian Grass).— Prize, Misa M. Hawkins, vnc, W. Walter. 



CocKATEALB.— Prize, Mrs. Miller. Upper Norwood, he, T. Newmarcli. jun. 



Pabrotb or Parakeets (Any other variety of Small I.— Prize, Rev. A. Johnson 

 (Turqaosine). he, Mrs. Mostyn. Sydenham (Parrots from St. Edward's Island), 

 c. Miss \V. Pope, Sydenham (Senetial Parrots). 



Pabakeets (Australian or Broad-tailed).— Prize, Mrs. C. E. Sambrook; J. 

 Rawley (Crimson-wing Parrot), he, T. Newmarch, jun. (Cookateal). c,T. New- 

 march. Ben (Mealy Rosella). 



Parakeets (Ring-necked or Indian).— Prize and c, T. Newmarch, jun. vhc, A. 

 Bell, he. Miss Catt, BrLxton. 



Parrots (King).— Prize, Master J. S. Harrison, Spaldmg. 



Parrots (Green, or any other variety of large, except Grey).— Prize, Mlsa W. 

 Pope (Green Eagle-eyed Spectacled Parrot). 



Parrots (Grey).— 1, Miss S. Benbow, Wallington. 2, Mrs. Judd. he, R. 

 Theobald, Brompton Road, c, D. Child, Upper Norwood. 



Cockatoo (Any other variety).— Prize, T. Newmarch, jun. (Slender Bill), c, 

 .\. Vicars (Forest Hill). „ 



Cockatoo (Leadbeater or Rose-breasted).-!, W. Walter. 2, A. Vicars, c, T. 

 Clapham, Muswell Hill. 



Cockatoo (Lemen or Orange-crested).— 1, M. George. 2, J. Meredith, c, H. 

 Cross, South Norwood. 



Any other Variety.— Prize, Mrs. E. Gallo (Rock Thrush). Equal Prize, 

 Mrs. Rilley. Notting Hill (Mocking Bird); J. Cross (Chihan Starliugs); Miss 

 M.Hawkins (White Java Sparrows), rhe, R. Woohvard, jun. East Brixton 

 (South Americnn Matipie): Miss M. Hawkins (Lesser Pekiii Nightingale and 

 Greater PekinNiehtinfiale): T. Newmarch, jun. (Blood-winged Parrot); Rev. A. 

 Johnson (Australian Barwing Doves), he, Mrs. W. Mostyn (Australian Banded 

 Finches); E. Sweefing (Madagascar Finch): Mrs. F. Ford (Indian Avadavats); 

 Mrs. Judd (Indigo Blue Birds); T Newmarch, jun. (Spice Birds); W. Walter 

 iSaffron Finch) ; T. Newmarch. sen. (Bronze Manikins and Avadavats) ; Rev. A. 

 Johnson, e, Mrs, E. Gallo (Blue Solitary Thrush); T. Newmarch, .jun. (Chesnut 

 Finches and White Banded Manakins); J, Newmarch, sen. (Black-headed 

 Manakins and Silver Bills). 



Jv-DQEs.— Canaries : G. Earnesby, Esq., A. Willmore, Esq., 

 T. Moore, Esq. British and Foreign Birds : H. Weir, Esq., 

 J. J. Weir, Esq., assisted by F. W. Wilson, Esq. 



BEE-FEEDING EXPERIENCES— REMEDY FOR 

 BEE STINGS. 



In October last I bought my first bive of bees— an old-world 

 cottager's hive. Having no experience, and relying entirely on 

 " book-learning," I came to the conclusion that it was " light," 

 and required feeding. I tried troughs outside the hive, but as 

 this method required constant attention to renew the supplies, 

 and attracted robbers of all kinds (where do the hosts of blow- 

 flies come from ?), I was compelled to abandon this plan. I 

 then cut a hole in the top of the hive, and applied one of Neigh- 

 bour's circular troughs with a iloating stage ; but the cold 

 weather was upon me, and the bees only mounted into it in 

 smaU numbers ; some of these even were chilled, and never re- 

 turned to the hive. This plan also failed. I then saw that one 

 of your correspondents advised the feeding of light hives in a 

 greenhouse. Evidently it was the very thing for me. The hive, 

 therefore, was duly removed on a memorable Saturday night to 

 my little greenhouse, the food duly placed, and I went to bed as 

 happy as the proverbial sand boy. Well, I admit Sunday is not 

 an early day with me. I was not suffering from bees on the 

 brain, and I slept. My first care was my bees. Oh, horror ! The 

 weather, instead of being November, was May ; the sun shone 

 brightly, the bees hummed merrily out of the hive, and bumped 

 and thumped against the wet glass. Then they were chilled, 

 and fell by hundreds between my flower pots, and thence on to 

 the colder floor. I gathered up my darhngs, warming them in 

 my hands, or in boxes before the fire, before replacing them in 

 the hive. They behaved very well to me, for I was innocent of 

 bee-dress and gloves, and during that seven-hours work, having 

 handled hundreds of bees, I received but two stings — one through 

 having slightly pinched my friend, and one from a vixenish 

 party on the forehead. I had had enough of that, and the bees 

 were that same night relegated to the garden, and invited, in 

 the words of Montalembert, " to take a bath in the free air of 

 England." 



But still the bees must be fed, and one of your correspondents 

 suggested the plan of all others that suited my case. He said 

 a fight hive might be kept in the kitchen, and fed, if the 

 entrance to the hive were closed. A piece of perforated zinc 

 was accordingly obtained, the entrance carefully barred, and yet 

 fresh air secured. 



The hive of much-suffering bees was again removed to the 

 greenhouse — temperature 45'. There they remained a week, 

 carefully watched night and day, feeding but little, and showing 

 signs of anger that they were prisoners. At last one uuhappy 

 day, I left home early without looking at them, and returned 

 late at night. To my question, " How are the bees ? " I received 

 the reply, " Oh ! I forgot to look at them, father." " Then I 

 will. Come on." I raised the woollen covering from the feeding 

 trough, and found it full of one soUd mass of drowned and 

 drowning bees. Their weight had forced the float downwards, 

 and they were struggling in the food which I in my fondness 

 had placed for their sustenance. It was evident that something 

 must be done to liberate them, and to-morrow again was Sunday. 

 I took them to the potting board, removed the zinc and the 



feeding trough, and out they streamed in hundreds on that 

 memorable December night. There they were left till the 

 morning. I then raised the hive from the floor board, and found 

 it fairly covered with dead bees and a large quantity of honey. 

 On turning the hive up I found about fifty cowed and dispirited 

 bees and seven large combs. About one-half of these were 

 unsealed, and some of the cells contained brood. So ended 

 my first attempt at bee-keeping. We treated our dead bees 

 with all respect, and having held an inquest, we returned the 

 verdict of " killed by kindness." 



Since then I have studied ^Esop, and commend to the perusal 

 of amateur bee-keepers the wise old story of the man and his 

 ass, which means that I shall let my next lot of bees take care 

 of themselves, while I correct my experience by the sugges- 

 tions of your contributors. If the recital of my faUures help to 

 warn others from sunken rocks I shall greatly rejoice. I have 

 made one discovery — that a preparation of Ledum palustre 

 (Labrador Tea) homceopathically prepared is a sovereign remedy 

 for bee stings. — Beaten but not Dismayed. 



FOUL BROOD IN HIVES. 



It is believed that the late Mr. Woodbury (" Devonshire Bee- 

 keeper ") exerted himself more than any other British apiarian 

 to find out the mysteries of this terrible disease. By his own 

 researches and investigations he examined the subject as far as 

 he could. He not only discussed the question in these pages, 

 but translated for their readers long and elaborate papers from 

 German writers on the disease. From the time when he and 

 I became acquainted with each other a very close and friendly 

 correspondence was kept up between us till he died. In looking 

 over a pile of his private letters to me lately, two things struck 

 me forcibly— viz., his loyalty to truth and The Journal of 

 Horticulture. In all his private and public correspondence 

 I never found that he ever overcoloured or undervalued the 

 opinions of those who differed from him, or ever indulged in 

 personalities. His constant aim was to find truth, and enlighten 

 the readers of this Journal. Frequently he begged me to con- 

 tribute articles to its pages, and once or twice he sent me the 

 proof-sheets of his translations from the German. The views 

 held forth in those papers did not appear to satisfy his inquiring 

 mind, and he asked me for mine on the subject of foul brood. I 

 told him my opinions on this question were not entitled to much 

 respect, for I had not given much time to its investigation ; and 

 that all my life I have thought that much of foul brood found in 

 hives has been caused by either improper food or irnperfect 

 feeding. The expression of this opinion seemed to give him 

 great pleasure and fresh food for thought ; for in a day or two 

 afterwards he wrote me a complimentary letter. 



When the reader is informed that, in my opinion, much that 

 has been said and written on the cause of foul brood is simply 

 hypothetic — mere guessing, he will not expect to receive from 

 me much information or dogmatic teaching on the subject. All 

 I shall attempt is to describe the appearance of foul brood, and 

 the course it generally runs. 



Foul brood in bee hives is an incurable malady. From some 

 cause, and in some seasons more than others, larvs or half- 

 hatched bees perish in their cells. These cells are at first sepa- 

 rate from each other, and are covered with lids concave in form ; 

 the Uds of healthy normal brood are convex or rounded. The 

 cells of dead brood multiply fast, and by reason of their num- 

 bers come in contact with one another. This disease does not 

 appear to spread by contact or touch, but by the multiplication 

 of cells all over the brood combs. The matter in the cells is of 

 a dirty red colour, as thick as honey, and almost as offensive to 

 the smell as rotten eggs. The matter of foul brood is so putrid 

 and offensive to bees that all prosperity departs from hives in 

 which it is found ; indeed the bees of infected hives frequently 

 abandon them, and go off as swarms; sometimes they creep 

 underneath their boards and build their combs there. Of course 

 experienced bee-keepers do not keep diseased hives till they 

 become uninhabitable. The stench of this disease can be easUy 

 smelt outside the hive, and symptoms of its existence may be 

 seen in the conduct of the bees.— A. Pettigrbw, Sale, Cheshire. 

 (To bo continued.) 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Books iSuhseriber, C. J-o!(i).-Brenf8 Canary Book. You can have it free 

 by post from our office if you enclose 19 postage stamps with jour address. 



Newcastle-dpon-Tyne Show {J. P. Ciirivr).—'So doubt you could recover 

 from the Committee the money for which your birds were sold; bat there arc 

 too many circumstances needful to be known to justify us m advismg jou. 

 Consult a solicitor. , , „ , , , ^y. l 



Hjtchen Show.— Mr. Haines says his Light Brahma cockerel was one that 

 took second prize at Manchester and BristoL ^ ,. ,. , ^.■ 



Fakenham Show.— The following omission occurred m the prize list of this 

 Show— viz. Game, any other variety, Hon.— (ic, H. P. Pamel-Price (Pile). 



Shell-less and Imperfect Egos (J. K. L.).— It is always considered 

 the hen forms the egg internally, but the shell requires assistance from with- 

 out Chalk and lime are materials in request. If such are not to bo had in 

 the runs of your poultry, supply them. The easiest and most effectual 



