502 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



[ Jane 18, 1874. 



air to meet the drone ; but it required some one to be at hand, 

 else she would often attempt to enter the hive at the entrance. 

 I also had them arranged for passing into a fertilising box to 

 meet the drone ; but this proved an entire failure, as all other 

 plans I have ever tried. 



This nursery cage is one of the best for sending queens by 

 mail when they will be a week on their journey. Several have 

 written to me asking whether I will continue to send comb and 

 eggs by mail. I will here say that it proved a failure, except in 

 one or two instances. The main difficulty is that the bees re- 

 move or destroy the eggs. The comb probably receives a 

 peculiar scent from the mail bags. 



The nursery cage will also be found quite useful as simply a 

 " queen-cell protector." Cut out and transfer to the cages, 

 place a cage between two brood combs, leave twenty- four hours. 

 If hatched, release the queen at once ; if not, remove the cage 

 from over the cell, and replace the cell in the hive. — F. G. 

 McGeaw. — {American Agricultural and Bee Journal.) 



A British Bee-keepers' Association has been formed for 

 the encouragement and advancement of bee-culture. Its first 

 Exhibition will be held at the Crystal Palace on September 

 8th, 9th, and 10th, when prizes will be offered. 



OUK LETTER BOX. 



BooES (T. F. SX — Eaton's book on Pigeong is out of print. We will see 

 about the extract jou mention. 



PoLANDS SHOTTLD BE C0MBLE8S (TT. G.).— No Poland fowl Bhould have a 

 comb or gills if it is to meet the requirements of a first-prize bird. 



Fattening Fowls (C. M. P.). — To fatten fowls you ehonld put them in a 

 small coop, where they have only room to stand up and move Kufticieatly to 

 prevent cramp. They should be in a dark place, and be covered with a sack 

 or a piece of carpet. They must not take exercise. It is a great enemy to 

 fat. Their food should be fresh-mised and given three times per day. When 

 the food IK put before them, light enough ybnuld be admitted for them to pee 

 to feed ; as soon as they have done so, the light should be excluded, and the 

 bu-ds then sit down and thiive. They should be fed at daybreak, or at any 

 rate before six in the morning. 



Turkeys' Legs Diseased (F. G. S. R.). — If the disorder were one attack- 

 ing Turkeys in general, the hens would bo sufferers as well as the cocks. Did 

 your birds roost high ? If so, the weight of a cock Turkey flying down would 

 cause disease of the feet and jirring of the legs, which might lead to the 

 complaint you mention. The weight of a cock Turkey— say 20 lbs., is a 

 serious thing for a bad leg to carry, and hence the bird sits down. The di-y 

 fevered feeling causes itching, and the patient wants to allay it by pecking. 

 Did their spurs cut them ? In such case.g the only treatment is to purge 

 freely, and feed on cooling food. 



Fowls Travelltng to a Show (G. Jlf.).— Whatever the weather may be, 

 ■we advise you to start your poultry for a long journey, whether to a show or 

 otherwise, with only soft food in their crops. 



Chicken Management (L. D.).— We have been successful in rearing 

 chickens. We keep the hens under their rips till the broods are eight weeks 

 old. Nothing is more unprofitable than to keep birds that will never im- 

 prove. They are of more value now than they will be in three months' time, 

 hecauBe young table poultry is scarce. This rule applies more particularly to 

 cocks. They can make no return ; pullets will lay. 



Beware of Overstocking (Novice). — We think you have hatched as 

 many chickens as your space will accommodate. Nothing ia more unprofit- 

 able than to be overstocked. 



Breeding Linnet Mules (Inquirer). — You must first see how the hen 

 feeds this nest, because if she feeds only indifferently, or not at all, you will, 

 in all probabiUty, sacrifice the young ones by removing the cock. But you 

 must remove him at once, and examine the nest at intervals to see if the 

 yoong ones are being attended to by thohen. If she i^ in health she will 

 feed. Put the linnet in the next division of the cage, which I apprehend is 

 separated only by a wire partitiun, or hang him in front ' f the cage against 

 the wires, and when the hen ia beginning to get fresh ;igain turn him in. 

 You can remove the young ones from the hen when they leave the nest, and 

 give them to the cock, who will " ken liis aiu bairns " and continue to feed 

 them. — W. A. Blakston. 



Cayenne Feeding (Narherth). — Mix the cayenne with the egg and broad 

 crumbs or biscuit, and begin to feed when the young ones are about seven or 

 eight weeks old, or when old birds are showing signs of moulting, and con- 

 tinue through the moult. YoQ say, "Do they eat it of their own accord?" 

 Try theml You can begin with a small quantity, but it is not necessary to 

 coax them. Mix as much as a teaspoonf'il with an egg. Supply just as often 

 as you would supply soft food, fresh every morning. — W. A. BlakstoN. 



Canaries Moulting Unseasonably (S/ofcc-on-Trcnf).— I know of no pre- 

 ventive or cure for raouhiog out of season. It is strange that all the birds 

 in this instance shquld have gone into moult. — W. A. Blakston. 



Bee5 Forsaking a Hive [F. R. L.). — Hunger and foul brood often cause 

 bees t J abandon their hives. Sheer want makes them leave their poverty- 

 stricken abodes, and as " hunger swarms" cast themselves on the wide world. 

 But h:inger swarms are of rare occurrence from hives with healthy brotid in 

 them uuhatched. Foul brood is probably at the bottom of your misfortune. 

 When it exists to some extent in a hive, the bees are so discouraged and dis- 

 gusted that they Itave their hive as a swarm, audtry to findahome elsewhere. 

 Swarms thus dnven from their homes generally settle on branches of trees 

 like natural swarms for a day or two. 



Stocking NEioenouR's Hives (C. T. Salisbury). — You might at any time 

 tenant No, 2, by simply dri^'ing the bees, queen and all, out of No. l,top 

 or tottom, and placing tljt;ia in No. 2. No. 1 would then rear a queen 

 ai'tificially, or you might replace the lost queen by an Italian queen as you 

 suggest. Bnt it is impospible to say when you are likely to find royal 



cells in No. I, Probably not at all this year. You can only tell by close ob- 

 servation. 



SuPERiNG (T, T., A Subscrihcr). — You may put a super on your swarm a 

 fortaight or three weeks after hiving, according as they fill the hive. It is of 

 little use putting on supers after the first week in July, except in remarkable 

 seasons, or when you have access to heather. 



Swarm Returning to Parent Stock [E. F. ir.).— Bees will return to 

 their hives after swarming, and it is difficult to account for it. Not a year 

 passes without its occurrence. Perhaps in hiving, the queen rose and got 

 beyond scent of the bees, or she may have returned home leading the way 

 herself. This is not unlikely, as you say the hives were close to one another. 

 Your swarm was certainly not taken too quickly. We always hive as soon as 

 they have fairly settled. If you wish them to swarm, why do you not swarm 

 them artificially according to instructions recently given in this Journal? 

 Otherwise we would give a large super and look for honey. 



Mead (Suffolk). — To make mead :— Pour five gallons of boiling water upon 

 20 lbs. of huney ; boil, and remove the scum as it rises ; when it ceases to rise 

 add 1 oz. of hops, and boil for ten minutes afterwards; put the liquor into 

 a tub to cool. When reduced to 75'^ of Fahr. add a slice of bread toa^^ted and 

 smeared over with a little yeast, let it stand in a warm room, and be stirred 

 occasionally ; and when it carries a head tun it, filling the cask up from time 

 to time. When the fermentation has nearly finished bung it down, leaving a 

 peg-hole, which may soon be closed; bottle in about a year. 



METEOROIiOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Square, London, 

 Lat.sr 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0=" 8' 0" W. ; Altitude 111 feet. 



REMARKS. 



10th. — Very dull part of day ; finer evening. 

 11th. — Overcast at times; very dusty day. 

 l'2th —Cool, bright, and fine throughout. 

 13th. — Fine, but rather cold. 

 14th. — Cold, but pleasaLt day. 



15th. — Cool and fine ; a little rain in the evening and night. 

 IGth. — Wet in the morning, but fine during part of the day, although rather 

 cool ; cloudy in the afternoon; rain in the evening and night. 

 Temperature rather lower than last week. Barometer still liigh, a little 

 higher than last week.— G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— June 17. 



The cold unsettled weather bas to some extent interfered with the supplies, 

 and is causing much injury to the Strawberry crop. Importations contioue 

 heavy, comprising Cherries. Strawberries, Apricots, Carrots, Turnips, Globe 

 Artichokes, Tomatoes, and Peas. Hothouse Grapes ore very plentiful, and 

 much lower in price. 



Apples i sieve 



Apncota doz. 



Cherries 1^ box 



Chestnuts bushel 



Curriiuts 1 bieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 



Filberts Id. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse.... lb. 



Lemons «* 100 



Melons each 



B. d. B. d. 

 2 Oto3 

 4 



FBUIT, 



MulberrieB ^ lb, 



2 4 0, Neotarinea doz. 



2 6 6 I Oranges Tfr 100 4 



Peaches doz. 13 



4 I Pears, kitchen doz. 2 



dessert doz. 



8 16 I PineApples lb. 5 



10 16 Plums 1 sieve 



10 16 Quinces doz. 



6 9 Raspberries lb. 



16 6 Strawberries ^ lb. 1 6 



8 12 , Walnuts bnshel 10 



4 8 Ol ditto ^100 2 



3. d. B. d. 



D OtoO 



18 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes doz. 3 



Asparagus f^ lUO 3 



French 3 



Beans, Kidney.,.. ^10'' 2 



liroad bushel 6 



Beet, Ked doz 1 



Broccoli bundle 



Cabbage doz. 1 



Capsicums 1* UK) 



CirrctB bunch 



Caulifiower doz. 4 



Celery bundle 1 



Coleworta. . doz. bunches 2 



Caouinbers each 



piculmg doz. 



Endive doz. 2 



Fennel bunch 



(Jarlio lb. 



Herbs. bunch 



Horeeraditth banille 3 



Leeks bunch 



Lettnce doz. 



Musnrooma potiie 



Mustard & Cress. .pannet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley per doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushe] 



Kidney do. 



New 1^ lb. 



Radishes., doz. biincbes 



Rhubarb Imudle 



Salsafy bundle 



Scorzonera bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows ..doz. 



J. d. s. d. 

 1 0to2 u 



ft 











U 



R 



6 



4 







