438 



JOTJKNAL OF HORTICULTURK AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ May 28, 1874. 



what the qaeen can or may be supposed to do in other countries 

 and other climes, but what we find from our experience she 

 really does in our own apiaries ; and if we note this carefully we 

 shall be less inclined to have recourse to American statistics m 

 connection with the queen's ovipositing capabilities. 



I have not attended to Mr. Pettigrew's peculiar views as to the 

 sexual or rather non-sexual character of the eggs as emitted 

 from the ovarium of the qaeen, and that a royal princess can be 

 reared from a drone egg, or eggs in drone cells. From the fact 

 that he has not reiterated these in the recent article on the queen 

 bee, it is to be hoped that he has abandoned them as untenable. 



I hop.' I have dealt fairly by those I have here referred to. I 

 have endeavoured to avoid all imitation of the special pleading 

 and " eloquence coupled with assumptions and presumptions " 

 of the barrister to which Mr. Pettigrew refers. I have laid be- 

 f.ire him only plain and unadorned statements and facts, and if 

 these will have the effect of inducing Mr. Pettigrew to institute 

 fresh experiments after the fashion I have indicated, I have only 

 now to express the hope that he will kindly favour us with the 

 results. 



After writing the above I have just noticed Mr. Shearer's 

 article, in which he gives a case of a queen being matured on 

 the fourj^enth day after the time the egg was supposed to be 

 deposited. I have only time here to ask Mr. Shearer if the evo- 

 lution of the queen on the sixth day after being sealed, as there 

 stated, is in accordance with his other experiences in queen- 

 rearing ? — J. Lowe. 



Two Early Swarms {T. P. T.).— Your first swarm on the 2SfU of April, 

 and a second from the ganoe hive on the 10th of Slay, are very eirly. We 

 read of one obtained near London in April, and heard of another at Didsbury, 

 near MancheBter, about the same time this year. All have been unusually 

 enrly. If you are kind to your first awarm and feed it a little till the hive be 

 filled with combs, you will probably get two virgin swarms from it. Thus 

 you may obtain an increase of Ligurian stocks in your apiary. 



Stock Blown- Oven (Not a Dro7ic).— Let your hive remain as it is till 

 ready for swarming, then take a swarm from it artificially, and three weeks- 

 afterwards drive all the bees out of the old hive into an empty one. Thus 

 yoQ will secure two swarms without destroying any brood. If you were to 

 drive all the bees out now into a new hive the brood would be all lost, and 

 the ewarm would probably do better than the first one, which we are ad- 

 vising you to take by-and-by. The second lot of bees would have a young 

 queen. As your hive did not swai'm last year, the queen in it is at least 

 two years old, and may be older. Artificial swarming was explained in our 

 pages some weeks ago. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Square, London. 



Lit. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W. ; Altitade 111 fee", 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Erratum.— On page 413 the title under the cut should have been "A cross 

 between a Dominique cock and a Guinea hen," and not that accidentally and 

 erroneously put by the printers. 



Books (E. M. 7).).— Brent's *' Canary and British Finches." It may he had 

 free by post from our office if you enclose nineteen post stamps with your 

 address. 



Brahma Hen on Bantam Eggs (T. IT.).— If ynu have no other broody 

 hen it is a case of " needs must," but we do not think you will he successful. 

 We should advise you to buy or borrow a Bantam or very small hen under 

 which to put the eggs. Brahmas are good and careful mothers, but Game 

 chickens are hatched so" small, and the Brahma is so heavy, that there must 

 be constant accidents. It is more than likely if you make inquiry you will 

 find some neighbour in difficulty the other way; "he may want to set large 

 eggs, and may have only a small hen. Cbange for the time. 



Gold and Silver Pheasant Chicks (JV. H.).—Fot the first three or 

 four days after the poiUts are hatched they should be kept in a small en- 

 closure in front of the rip. It should he on short grass in a dry spot, and is 

 easily mado. It should he the width of the rip in which the hen is confined, 

 from 3 or 4 feet in length ; two planks of that length and 12 inches high, with 

 one of the same height and the wiith of the rip are all that is required. 

 They are generally fastened with pegs thus : — - ■■ ° ■ ■ Where 



Phedsant-breediug is an annual pursuit, some of '^ ° these 



frames are kept ready made. The top must be covered with netting (wire is 

 the best) to protect the yoimg from enemies, and their food from depredators. 

 Their food should be chopped egg, curd, bread and milk, and dough. They 

 require feeding very often during the first three days, and frequently after- 

 wards. When this time is passed the little enclosure may be done away, but 

 the hen must be carefully kept under the rip. The question of water is a 

 vexed one. Many do without it altogether. We prefer a middle way. We do 

 not approve of their having water always by them, but we would certainly 

 give it morning, mid-day, and evening. Fresh water every time, and spring 

 water. 



Taking Chickens prom their Mother (H. F. C.).— Time of year has 

 much to do in answering your question. In the autumn or winter the 

 chickens would die if the hen left them at sis weeks old. At this time of year 

 they will not. If they have been accustomed to roost in the rip with the hen, 

 they will still go there after she has left them. In such a case it will be a 

 wise precaution to put up everv night a board in front of the rip, and to 

 fasten it there. It is a protection from anything huitful. They will only 

 require it for about three weeks. At whatever time a hen may lay, she is no 

 mother to her chickens .afterwards. She knocks them about. In hot weather 

 the chickens do not want her cover at nigbt ; during sharp east winds they do. 

 It will advance her laying if she has her liberty. 



Spanish Hens Dying (IT. P. B.).—T>o not feed so liberally. The hens are 

 too fat, and the egg-passage probably contracted. We will have another 

 opinion, and publish it next week ; but at all events lower the diet. 



Roosting Place fob Chickens.— Let '' Puzzhd" place a deal box about 

 1 foot wide, without a lid, upon its side, and lay a httle hay in it. The chicks 

 will be glad of the shelter this affords from the worry of the hens.— Inex- 

 perienced. 



Tar on Fantails (F. S. H.).—We were once in exactly the same trouble 

 ourselves; our snow-white pets became tar-smeared. We tried butter or 

 grease, and the web of the feather was injured; we tried Bcraping, and no 

 Buccess; then we pulled out all the feathers we could, and clipped the tarry 

 ends off others, and made our bird look tolerably decent ; but it was not in 

 nice trim until the next moult put all right. The American who invented the 

 punishment of tarring and feathering knew well what he was about, for tar 

 and feathers stick together moat pertinaeiously. 



Pouter {J. L ). — It is an exaggeration, but portrait painters say that no 

 likeness is good unless it appears better than the original. We shall not 

 notice the book until completed. 



Ground Oats {C. Ji.).— We do not know Messrs. Marsh's address. They 

 should advertise. 



J Salt Cat (C. ii).— We extract the following from Brent's "Pigeon Book." 

 Salt cat lA composed of about equal quantities of a clean unctuous loam, 

 Buch as brickmakers use ; a caarse gritty sand, or fine gravel, in which the 

 grains are about the size of pins' heads ; and old mortar ; to thi^ is added a 

 mall quantity of large-grained salt. Some parsons, to make it more attrac- 



REMARKS, 



20th. — Cold, dull at times, but fine. 



21st. — Fine throughout ; cold in early morning. 



22nd. — Warm, fine, bright morning; thunderstorm began at 4 p.m. with 

 heavy rain ; close damp evening. 



23rd. — Rain in early morning ; slight showers at inteiTals during the day. 



24th. — Warm, sunny, bright day; beautiful evening. 



25th. — Bright in early morning, soon become cloudy; thunderstorm com- 

 menced at 11.30, and was heavy from noon to 1.30 p.m. ; heavy rain ; 

 fine evening. 



26th. — Fine, pleasant, and bright throughout. 



Barometer lower, temperature higher, and air less dry than in previous 



weeks. — G. J. Svmons. 



COVENT garden market.— Mat 27, 

 A FAIR snmmer trade is going on notwithstanding the interruption caused 

 by the holidays; hut owing to the increased supply of the beat produce from 

 under glass a large reduction has had to he submitted to to keep up the 

 demand for such articles as Pines, Peaches, Nectarines, and black Grapes. 

 Old Potatoes have again advanced, while there is a large supply of new one& 

 through the usual channels. 



FRUIT. 



B. d. B. d. 

 2 OtoS 

 4 



Apples J sieve 



Apricots doz. 



Cherries ^box 2 6 6 



Chestnuts bushel 



Corranta { sieve 



Black do. 



Fiks doz, 



FUberts lb. 1 



Cobs lb. 1 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse.... lb. 4 



Lemons **^ 100 8 



Melons each 4 



15 

 1 

 1 

 

 li 

 12 

 8 



B. d. 8. d. 



Mulberries f^ lb. n otoO 



Nectarines doz. 13 24 



Oranges V 100 4 16 



Peaches doz. 12 30 



Pears, kitchen doz. 2 6 



dessert; doz. 



PineApplea lb. 6 12 



Plums. (sieve 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries ^ oz. 6 10 



Walnuts bushel 10 16 



ditto f^-lOO 3 2 



Artichokes doz. 



Asparatins ^* 100 



French S 10 



Beans, Kidney.... **• 101 2 



Bioai bushel 



Beet. Red doz i 8 



Broccoli bundle 9 1 



Cabbage doz. 10 1 



Capsicums 1»- 100 



C-irrots bunch 6 



Cauliflower doz. 4 10 



Celery bundle 16 2 



Colewort;a. . doz. bunches 2 6 4 



Cucumbpre each 6 1 



picklintf doz. 



Endive doz. 3 



Fennel bonoh 8 



Garlic lb. 6 



Herbs bunch 3 



Horseradish bundle 3 4 



Leeks bunch 8 



VEGETABLES. 



d. 8. 



U(0 6 

 6 



Lettace doz. 



Mushrooms potue 



Mustard & CresB. .punnet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley per doz, buncbea 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



New ■^ llf. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy.. bundle 



Scorzonera bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoea doz. 



Turnips...,. bUDch 



Vegetable MarrowB 



1 

 3 



d. B d. 



Oto2 



2 " 







7 



