340 



JOUENAL OP HOBTICTJLTUEB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



t April 23, 1874. 



In swarming artificially beginners have a diificulty in knowing 

 how many bees to take as a swarm, and how many to leave. 

 Nature must be imitated in this. By lifting a hive off the board 

 as soon as it has swarmed naturally, we find sufficient bees left 

 to cover the combs thinly and to hatch the brood. In artificial 

 swarming our aim is, leave enough to lightly cover the combs. 

 When we have taken too many we put a few back, and when too 

 many are left we drive-up a few more and cast them to the 

 swarm. Many people visit us in summer to witness artificial 

 swarming, all of whom are astonished at the ease, simplicity, 

 and success with which it is done. It is just about as easily and 

 speedily done as shaking a natural swarm from a branch of a 

 tree into a hive. Driving bees out of a hive is done by drum- 

 ming about twenty minutes, causing all the bees to go up. 

 Four or five minutes' drumming is enough for a swarm. — 

 A. Pettigbew. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Books {T. H.). — The work you mention could be obtained for you by any 

 bookseller. 



Bakton Poultry Show ( W. Waters). — We know nothina: of the Show ; aa 

 no money is forthcoming sue the Secretary in the County Court. 



Floor of Pottltry House— Food— Hatching Bantams (Rob Iioy).~Yon 

 do not want a better floor than the bare ground. If it is loose put down some 

 chalk, add some clay if you will, and have it rammed down hard. You may 

 keep the two lots of chickens in the space yon name if you provide them aU 

 they require. The smaller the space the more you must provide artificially. 

 Above all, they want grass and fresh earth. Worms are Rood food when con- 

 fined to the few they hnd in a turf cut for f.,'ra3S and with 2 inches deep of 

 mould, but tpven in quar^ities they are not good food. It is always supposed 

 the later Bantams are hatched the smaller they will be, but we are not sure 

 the di m inutive size is not dearly purchased by weaker constitutions than- if 

 they were hatched earlier. 



Poultry- KEEPING (E. D.). — We know no better place to bay food for 

 poultry than Mark Lane. If you have room to store it, and can buy two or 

 three quarters of com, yon will find it a great economy when compared with 

 small band-to-mouth purchases. If you can buy a load of five quarters you 

 will buy it still cheaper. The larger the run the leas should be the cost of 

 keep, but we cannot give you any scheme or any dietary that will keep birds 

 in health on l\d. per week. We have tried and tested everything; and where 

 there is a good run, of grass at this time of year we expect to keep them in 

 startling condition on '2rf. per week, sometimes for a Uttle less. They will 

 cost more in winter. We are against any but natural food, and although we 

 keep many hundreds of fowls all the year round we use no other. Our menu. 

 is to give barleymeal or ground oats slaked in the morning ; whole com, maize 

 at mid-day, and barleymeal again in the evening. Kitchen and table scraps 

 are valuable helps, but when they are given the other food should bo withheld. 

 We have no doubt your birds are overfed. We advise you to diminish the 

 quantity, and to give only as the fowls are eaaer for it. As soon as food lies 

 about there is waste. The waste makes the difference between profit and loss. 

 Give your young chickens some cooked meat chopped fine, bread and milk, a 

 small quantity of chopped egg, and bread or biscuit soaked in strong beer. 

 Keep the hens under the rips, and put them where the chickens will have all 

 the benefit of the glorious sunshine. 



Hens' Rumps Fsatherless (R. R. P.).— It is a common occurrence at this 

 time of year. Remove the cocks. 



Cock Sneezing fM, A. F.). — Tour Spanish oock is suffering from cold. 

 We expect, before this is seen by you, the change in the weather will have 

 cured him ; if not, give him a dose of castor oil (a table-spoonf al) twice at one 

 day's interval, and feed on bread and ale. 



Intruding Hamburgh (Game Cock). — If the Sultan cock has been with 

 the hen always, we think you may safely set the eggs, especially if it is five 

 weeks since the Hamburgh was there. 



Pigeon Feeding {A. H. TT'.).— Your food is all good, but the feeding birds 

 should neither have maize nor barley. Both are bad for the young, and we 

 beUeve are the caose of mortality. 



CRt:rE-C(EUR's Double-yolked Ego (J. B. V.).— We are always ohliged by 

 Buch communications. We have had very large eggs from Crtve-Cceurs, but 

 not equal to your pullet's, 4^ ozs. We have known Spanish eggs weigh 4 obs. 

 each single-yolked. For many years it was supposed that a double-yolfced 

 egg was a monstrosity, and useless except for an omelette; but we have in 

 oar possession two chickens attached to two yolks and perfectly formed. 



Eggs Broken Internally {Ctifw).— We are going against the prevailing 

 notion as regards poultry when we say all the extra appliances as regards 

 feeding are mistakes. They cause only trouble and disappointment. Many 

 of the new disraees we have to encounter maybe attributed to them. We 

 keep some hundreds of hens and pullets, we have no such experience as yours. 

 It has long been known that an egg broken internally Is the cause of death. 

 The membrane forming the passage is of a most delicate nature ; the broken 

 shell lacerates it, and causes incurable inflammation. Buckwheat is largely 

 nsed abroad, but principally for fattening purposes. All your pallets have 

 died from being too fat. They cannut lay their cgga ; they strain, and the 

 rupture which takes place in consequence causes the suffusion of yolk. If 

 they did not die they would become hen-cocks. As you say they have a good 

 Txm and plenty of lime and such-like, they have nearly all that is necessary 

 to produce good eggs. All you have to do is to give them food. Follow 

 Nature as nearly as you can. Give them eirly in the morning barleymeal or 

 ground oats slaked with water; at mid-day either scraps or maize, not both; 

 evening, barleymeal or ground oats the same as in the morning. Eschew all 

 else. You will lose no more fowls by breaking eggs internally. 



Worms in the Windpipes of Chickbss (S. C. O.). — The worms are 

 known to entomologists as the Fasciola trachealis. It causes the disease 

 called gapes. As you observe, if the worm is extracted the chicken recovers. 

 To prevent its occurrence, nutritious food, green food, and a piece of camphor 

 in the water the chickens drink are successful. 



Babbits for Table Purposes (T. -If. N.). — The true Andalnsian Rabbit 

 is unknown in this country. ThePatagonian is the better for table purposes of 

 the two yoa name, but if you can procure the Flemish Giant it is decideily 

 better than any, being the largest breed we have. It is almost unknown as 



yet, but would weU repay importation. Belgian Hares can be obtained for 

 about lOs. each. Patagonians are dearer- about 30». to -lOs. per pair. AU the 

 breeds above mentioned, and also Rabbit- breeding for table purposes, will 

 shortly be treated on in these columns. 



Feeding Young Canaries for Colour (Duhlin). — Do not give the 

 cayenne food to the young ones while in the nest, but when they are about 

 seven or ei'^ht weeks old, and before the young feathers begin to grow. Con- 

 tinue it while they are in the moult — i.e., while the blood is in circulation in 

 the feather.— W. A. B. 



Weak Bees in Small Hive (W. E. ilf.).— The 13-inch hive which has 

 been given to you is evidently so weak that we think the small number of 

 bees in it hardly worth the trouble of unifing to the stronger and larger 

 hive. We think your better way will be to keep them separate, and if the 

 small hive become strong in June or July, to drive ail the bees out of it then 

 and take the honey. The bees, if kindly treated, would make combs enough 

 in a modem hive to form a stock for another year. Bat if you decide on a 

 union now, drive or shake the few bees into an empty hive, or cut the combs 

 piecemeal from the bees, then feed the hive, to receive them, with some minted 

 syrup (sugar and water flavoured with essence of peppermint), and cast them 

 into this hive. 



Bald Spots on Horse's Lit iBeta).~-A.3 there is no eruption or irritation 

 we cannot assign a reason or cure any more than why bald places occur on 

 ail animals. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Oamden Square, London. 



Lat.61° 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0^ 8' 0" W. ; Altitude 111 feet 



BEMAEKS. 



ISth.— Fair bnt dull in tlie morning ; the after part of the day very Ins. 



16th.— Bather duU morning ; fine day, at times very bright, and the wind leas 

 strong and cold than lately. ,. . , a 



17th.— Somewhat stormy morning ; fine in tlie middle of the day, bnt olouay 

 and cold afterwards. 



IStli.— Showery morning ; afternoon and evening fine, except a slight snower 

 at 5.a0 P.M. , , ..,, „ 



19th.— Very fine morning; rather less bright after 4 PJI., though still hne, 

 but not so warm. 



20th.— Morning rather hazy ; a very fine day, and mnch warmer. 



2l8t.— A most beautiful day, but rather too warm for the season ; the tempe- 

 rature in the shade rising to 78-2", a very unusual thmg lor ApnL 

 The warmth of the last few days has raised the mean temperature about 



6' above that of last week, except at 1 foot under ground, which, of course, 13 



less sensitive to changes whether of heat or cold, but the warmth of the .iutn 



and 21st is telling rapidly even there. On the Slst the temperature of garden 



mould 1 inch deep reached 8.3^.— G. J. Simons. 



COVENT OAEDEN M.\.EKET.— ApKtL 22. 

 A GOOD supply, with some additional demand, has been the rule dnring the 

 last few days. A few Peaches have made theil appearance, for which as yet 

 a price can hardly be quoted. 



FBniT. 



B. d. s. d. 



B. d. s. d. 



Apples 4 sieve 2 OtoS 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries 1»lb. 



Chestnuts bushel 10 20 



Currants J sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts lb. 1 16 



Cobs lb. 10 16 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 4 15 



Lemons *^ 100 4 12 



Melons each 



Mulberries *■ lb- " O'"" 



Nectarines doz. 



Oraogcs %» 100 4 16 



Peaches doz. 



Pears, kitchen doz. 2 



dessert doz. 3 



Pine Apples lb. 6 



Plums i sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Kaspberries lb. 



Strawberries ^ oz. 



Walnuts bushel 10 



ditto **100 a 



VEGETABLES. 



s. d. 8. d 



Artichokes do«. s OtoO 



Asparagus I^'IOO 4 10 



French 12 



Beans, Kidney.... V 101 2 



Beet, Red dos I 



Broccoli bundle 



Cabbage doz. 1 



Capsicums •p' 100 



Cirrots bunch 



Cauliflower doz. 3 



Celery bundle 1 



Coleworts. . doz. bunches 2 



Cucumbers each 1 



plclcling doz. 



Endive doz. 2 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish bundle S 



Leeka bunch 



Lettuce doz. 1 



B. d. B f» 



Moshrooms pottle 1 OtoS 



Mustard .S Cress. .punnet a 



Onions bushel 4 



pickling quart 



Parslev per doz. bunches 4 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 10 



Potatoes bushel 8 



Kidney do. 



Bound . do. 



Radishes., di.z. 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 bnnch 



Vegetable Marrows 



