lo; 



JOURr^Ali OK HORTIOULTURB AND COTTAGE GARDKNER. 



( February 2j. 16U 



well nntlerstood ; indeed, foul brood is oftener found in hives 

 that have been full and apparently long on the point of swarm- 

 ing than in hives not bo well filled. Hives managed on 

 the non-8warming system are more frequently afflicted with 

 this incurable malady than those managed on the swarming 

 system. 



Let me repeat that dogmatic teaching on the cause of foul 

 brood should not be attempted or expected. We are still igno- 

 rant as to the immediate cause of the Potato disease, and the 

 cause of foul brood is equally beyond the ken of mortals. 



A week or two ago one of our practical teachers in the poultry 

 department of this paper told us that he kept sixteen hens, 

 eight pullets, and eight a year older, and never kept any over 

 two years old. This is the advice I would tender to bee-keepers. 

 Let the half of your stocks of bees be from swarms, and seldom 

 keep any beyond two years old. Thus you will not suffer much 

 in your apiary from foul brood. — A. Pettigrew, Sal$j Cheshire. 



A New Weekly Paper is announced for the special use and 

 benefit of fanciers, or those who breed for exhibition any kind of 

 pet birds or animals, such as dogs, poultry, Pigeons, birds, 

 Rabbits, Cats, S:c. It is to be called " The Fanciers' Gazette," 

 and will be under the editorship of Mr. Lewis Wright, so widely 

 known by his various writings on poultry. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Various (I. 2V.).— We never feed oar fowls on meat, beyond giving them 

 the table scraps. We believe, wherever thej' have a good grass run they get 

 enough of animal life for all useful or necessary purposes. We believe much 

 mischief is done by overfeeding and by seeking out various foods. Exces-iive 

 fat is not favourable to laying. If you mean to give meat, give it cooked. 

 Eaw meat induces cannibalistic habits. You mav pinion the Dorking cock as 

 you would any other bird— by cutting off the flight of the wing, but it will 

 probably answer the purpose if you cut the feathers. 



Brahma Cock:erel Dying Suddenly {Novice). — You have no remedy 

 against the seller. The bird would not have been highly commended by the 

 judges had he not seemed in perfect health. We have never known fowls die 

 of heart disease. They die of rupture of vessels on the brain. Cocks are 

 more subject to it than hens, and it is more frequent at this time of year than 

 at any other. We should set the eggs, and expect them to hatch, hut we can- 

 not think why you did not get another cock before. 



Egg-eating Hens (Siihscribn-).— The be^^t advice we can give yon is to 

 sell or kill the hen. She will not give up the habit while she is with'you, and 

 it is more than doubtful if she will at all. You should remove her at once, as 

 the others will acquire the habit. 



Parentage of Eggs (C. G. Anxiom).~U no other cock have access to 

 the hens, we beheve the cock fertilises all the laying. If another cock is ad- 

 mitted, it is then an undecided point how soon he may be supposed to have 

 influence. You may wash your birds with soap and water, wiping the feathers 

 downwards, and cleansing only the dirty— i.e., the outer part of the feathers. 

 ^\'hen they are clean put the bird or birds in a small open basket with plenty 

 of Btraw, and stand them in front of the fire till they are dry. 



Brahmas not Laying {Agricola). — If you consider the weather we have 

 had— the constant changes and great variations uf temperature— you will 

 hardly Wonder that, being hens and not pullets, your Brahmas have not laid. 

 Have a little patience and all will be well. We do not admire your feeding. 

 Do away with the rice, potatoes, Indian meal, and raw meat ; also with the 

 wheat and oats. Give ground oats or barleymeal morning and evening ; some 

 whole maize at midday ; vary by giving the scraps. Give nothing more. 

 We attribute half the complaints and disappointments of the present day to 

 artificial and eicesaive feeding. 



Extensive Poultry-keeping {Tauri Caput).— Yon put it out of our 

 power to advise you, because you do not describe your locality and premises. 

 How large is the stackyard ? What is the acreage you command ? What 

 food can the birds get beside that which is given bv hand ? Is thrashing 

 always going on ? \^^ly do you make no mention of fowls ? Do you intend to 

 sell none '.' There is no doubt poultry will pay if it is attended to, like any 

 other business. The cause of much disappointment is that people wish to 

 treat it as a hobby, as a mere fancy, and yet expect to find it prwtitable. In 

 every pursuit we know, saccess is the reward of much and serious painstaking. 

 As you cannot expect to get 130 eggs from every hen, you must make up the 

 sum by selling young fowls for the table. This will enable you to sell the 

 surplus stock of cock chickens. You must also keep a good supply of pullets 

 for wintoi- layers; their eggs will often make 2d. each. We do not believe you 

 can moke your poultrj' a certain income to be calculated like a sum in 

 addition. With painstaking you can nevertheless make it pay, and if you will 

 give us more detail of your appliances we will give you more advice. 



Bromley Poultry Show.— We have received from "The Treasurer 

 OF THE Bromley Show" a letter in reply to "Reporter," but the defence 

 amounts to no more than is contained in these two sentences — the errors 

 were *' for want of time and assistance," and that the mistake about free 

 carriage was the Secretary's. We at once say that these are no excuses, for 

 if auy one undertakes to manage a poultry show, he thereby undertakes that 

 it shall bo well managed. We never heard of a show worse conducted than 

 that at Bromley — theft and mis-statements marked it; and as we are writing 

 we have recsived the following:— " Having won a prize at the late Bromley 

 Poultry Show, I was somewhat surprised at receiving the amount less one 

 Bhilling, which was charged for the prize card 1 As a frequent winner at 

 many of our greatest shows, I ask if this is not " something new ?" I will 

 gladly sell the elaborate card to any of our correspondents, as I would far 

 rather possess the shilling, and I believe other exhibitors will a':rree with me. 

 —A Winner at the Bromley Show." Such proceedings must prevent 

 exhibitors sending birds to any future show at Bromley. 



Objecting to Judges.— You have struck the right key to open the door 

 for the reformation of a lot of abuse, and though I am not an exhibitor, I am 

 aware of a eircumstance whore a judge has been treated in the manner 



described by "Respicere ad Finem," aud which cannot bu too strongly 

 denounced. — C. B. 



Dorking Cock's Comb Fallen {Richmond).— The falling comb is a dis- 

 advantage to a Dorking cock, but improved condition will sometimes cause it 

 to become upright, except just at the back where it turns. If competition 

 were close the defect would turn the scale against him. 



Feeding Bees {A Monmouthshire Laihj Bee-keeper). — In this month's 

 Bee-keeper's Caleiidoi- (p. 135) most of your questions have been anticipated. 

 About half a pound of sugar mixed with an equal weight of water, given to 

 each of your hives, will stimulate your bees to breed and keep up the hum of 

 prosperity. Clean the floorboards at once. Widen the entrances at the end 

 of March. You may remove your hives a few feet at any time with safety, 

 and change the covers too, as you intend to do. The loss of so many stocks 

 of bees in your neighbourhood and elsewhere is wholly owing to the ignorance 

 and inattention of their owners. A few pounds of sugar and a little atten- 

 tion would have saved them. 



Bleaching Grasses {E. 3. E.). — Dissolve 2 ozs. of chloride of lime 

 (bleaching powder), in three pints of water, put the grass into the solutioD, 

 aud let it remain in it for an hour; then taike it out and rinse it in two or 

 three changes of clean cold water. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Square, London. 



Lat. 5V 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8' 0" W. ; Altitude 111 feet. 



REMARKS. 

 ISth. — White frost; a beautiful winter's day ; bright, dry, and cold. 

 l9th. — Another white frost, and again followed by a very tine day. 

 20th. — Verj- foggy morning ; occasional buista of sun about noon ; thick in 



afternoon, though a fine evening. 

 21st. — White frost again; fine till 2 p.m., then less bright, and rain in the 



evening. 

 22nd. — Dull though fau- all day ; slight shower in the evening. 

 23rd. — Dull, damp, and dark ail day, sometimes rain ; only one or two gleams 



of sun. 

 24th. — Dull morning, rather better in afternoon, and fine night. 



Temperature variable, and about 3 below last week except underground and 

 in sun. Barometer higli and very little rain. — G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.- February 25. 

 The present moderate and open weather enables us to obtain a good supply 

 of continental goods, which comprise Lettuces, Endive, Kadibhes, Artichokes, 

 and Asparagus ; the latter, however, maintains a high price. Of fruit there 

 is nothing worth attention beyond the ordinary descriptions, excepting some 

 Easter Beurri.' Pears. Hothouse Grapes and Piues are quite sufficient for 

 the trade. A large arrival of the latter from St. Michael's took place on 

 Saturday. Good sound samples of Potatoes are in good request, the bulk of 

 inferior very heavy. 



FRUIT. 



Apples i sieve 1 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries ^ lb. 



Chestnuts bushel 10 



Currants i bieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 1 



Cobs lb. 1 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse.. .. lb. 2 



Lemons **■ 100 4 



Melons each 



d. 9. 

 0to2 

 



6 

 

 





 

 

 

 6 

 6 

 

 



12 

 



8. d. 8. d. 



Mulberries ¥>■ lb. OtoO 



Nectarines doz. 



Oranges %»'100 4 12 



Peaches doz. 



Pears, kitchen doz. 2 3 



dessert doz. 3 10 



PineApples lb. 4 8 



Plums 1 sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries ¥>' lb. 



Walnuts bushel 10 16 



ditto ^100 2 2 6 



VEGETABLES, 



Artiohokes doz. 



Asparagus ¥*'10O 



French 



Beans, Kidney.... ^ 103 



Beet, Red doz 



Broccoli bundle 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums I?- 100 



Carrots bunch 



CauUfiower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts. . doz. bunches 

 Cucumbers each 



pickling doz. 



Entlive doz. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish bundle 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce doz. 



0to6 

 



Mushrooms pottle 1 



Mustard & Cress. .puunet 



Onions bushel 4 



pickling quart 



Parsley per doz, bunches 4 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas (inart 



Potatoes bushel 8 



Kidney do. 



Round do. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 1 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy bundle 1 



Savoys doz. 1 



Scorzonera bundle 1 



Sea-kale basket 1 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 2 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows 



0to2 

 



