20 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 1, 1875. 



ceeded in preveutinfj the birds from carrying off their prey. If 

 the sparrows take drones only we shall be grateful for their 

 service; but if the working bees are thus destroyed, we shall 

 endeavonr to riddle the birds with sparrow shot, — A. P. 



AN EXTEMPORE BEE-TRAP. 

 We have this morning driven the bees out of a bell-glass 

 super very successfully by the following method:— After setting 

 the super on three inverted flower-pots, we placed over it a 

 seakale-pot raised on two bricks. We then put on the cover of 

 the pot and laid a piece of old sacking on the windward side. 

 This was done just at 1 r.M. In about twenty minutes the bees 

 began to clear off. A little before 2 p.m. as it came on to rain 

 hard and scarcely any bees seemed to be coming from under 

 the pot, we took off the cover and found not more than a dozen 

 or twenty bees left in the glass. These were soon brushed 

 out with a small feather, and in a little more than an hour 

 from the time of its separation from the hive our booty was 

 adorning the luncheon table. No doubt the risk of robbers was 

 diminished by the day being dull, and consequently few beea 

 being about. — A. C. N. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Cheap Poultry (H. P. B.).— We know of no vendors of cheap poultry; 

 every farmer sells mongrels at the market price. You must advertise, stating 

 what you require. 



Guinea Fo^vls (Puzsl^d).— Yon are on one point quite correct, aithongh it 

 ■was disputed fur years, and is now by some fanciers. There is no doubt that 

 Guinea Fowls pair. We are comp'^lled to believe that the birds you have 

 are both hens. All the little attentions you name may, under some circum- 

 stances, bft practised by a hen assuming the plumai^e (as in other birds) and 

 habit 8 of the cock ; especially is this the case in Spanish hens aud hen Pheasants. 

 The ey^s liid by a hen " sulo " would remain perfectly clear, because no germ 

 of life'exists. It cannot, therefore, be developed, and no corruption can follow. 

 Such eggs would remain clear for any length of time, although under a hen. 



Hamburgh Chickrns— Pigeon's Face Wounded (B. itf.).— You may feed 

 the young Hpan^Ied Hamburghs as ynu would any others ; bailed e<^g chopped 

 fine, curd, bread crumbs, bread and milk, cooked meat chopped tine, and some 

 beer to drink. Yuu must dry the eruption on the face of your Pigeon with a 

 sponge, and then burn off the excrescences as they appear with caustic. By 

 drying we mean you must clear off all pus or moisture there may be under 

 the crust or skin of the excrescence. 



Silver-Grey Rabbits.— Mr. Firth writes, In reply to Mr. Savage, I never 

 advised the breeding of the '* loo liKht-shaded Silver-Grtys," which are "as 

 objectionable as the dark shades." I maintain the opinion that no Silver- 

 Greya with dark heads, feet, and tails should be an *'eihibiiion standard ; " 

 but those which possess the true sharp silvery shade, beautifully and evenly 

 interspersed with the blue-tioted shade, and this exhibition shade I have 

 always advocated. Mr. Savage says that Mr. Hudson's back— prize buck 

 " was none of the too light shade," aud which was " as objectionable as the 

 too dork shade." I presume the word "none" is a misprint for " now." [Yes.] 

 Books {Fldget).~Wnte to the author. 



Jacobin Laying Soft Eggs iW. Carlton).— Yonr bird is evidently improv- 

 ing, as the last egg had a ehell, though a thin one. Separate her from the 

 cock for ten days, and give her a small dose of castor oil, and feed her low. 

 Sofc eggs come from overfeeding, causing inflammation of the egg organs. 



Honey for Exhibition (J. Marshall). — If your swarm of June 5th has 

 been put into a moderately- sized hive, it should be able to fill a super to hold 

 8 or 10 lbs. by the 2.'>th of August. Aa soon as the hive is filled with combs, 

 cat a hole 3 inches in diameter in the centre or crown of the hive, and place 

 the super on aud over the hole. The combs will not be damaged much 

 by cuttiog Ruch a hole. The super may be of glass, or wood, or straw; but 

 glass supers require thick dark warm covers. If they do not have these the 

 bees would do bettor in wood or straw. You ask if feeding will help your 

 beea, and if it be possible to have two supers from your hive by feeding it well. 

 We say yestobo'h questional, but feeding with flUt,'ar-Hyrup will not make 

 honeycomb. Yoti may sptodi'y cause the swarm to fill its hive with combs by 

 giving it plenty of such syrup ; but if feeding be continued after the super is 

 placed on the hive, it should be done with pure honey. Some time ago pains 

 were taken to teach the readers of this Journal how to fill supers artificiaUy 

 and speedily. The process may be here repeated in a sentence easily under- 

 stood: By placing or fixing plenty of white emp'y combs in the supers, and 

 as soon as the bees begin to work iu them give them good honey, or honey in 

 old black combs, as fast as they carry it up. In this way supers of any kind 

 may be filled. 



Supering a Hive {Q. C). — The swarm which you found and hived may 

 possibly fill a small super if the season be fine till the end. If a swarm fill 

 its hive in four weeks, which is about the usual time in good seasons, it may 

 be supered afterwards. Your swarm will make a good stock for keeping 

 another year. 



Management of a Nadir {E. R.). — The top door of a nadired hive 

 should be closed with a view to cause the bees the more readily to fill the 

 nadir with combs. The nadir if well filled with worker-combs (not too much 

 drone comb) will make a good stock for another year. Let all the bees ha 

 driven from the top hive into it when the honey is taken. 



Transferring Bees (O. S.). — Your best time for transferring your bees 

 from the old hive will be three weeks from ihe date of the issue of the first 

 Hwarm. Probably before then you will have had a second swarm from the old 

 hive. Should this occur before you see these lines you will doubtless have 

 hived it in the "Neighbour" as you propose. If it should issue later, put 

 the swarm in the old stock's place, and pruceed to treat the old hive a day or 

 two later as you propose doing, after giving time for the boea therein to 

 return to iheir old place. You will not find many bees in it. but you can 

 drive these together into a small hive or box, and set tbem immediately over 

 the new swarm. Any brood which may be left in the old hive can be cut out 

 carefally and given to any other hive to hatch out. 



Old Stocku not Working [£!.). — We should feel inclined to drive a swarm 

 immediately out of the one, and put it in the old stock's place in a new hive ; 



then letting the old hive stand aside fur a couple of days, till most of the 

 bees had joined the swarm, we would shift away the other old hive, and put 

 the deserted stock in place of it. A new queen would have to be raised, which 

 would probably turn out a successful breeder, and so new blood would be 

 introduced into your apiary ; but you rau<it feed up largely if necessary. 



Canary Management (Wavertree). — You may remove the young Canaries 

 from the old hen at the a^^e of three weeks, po as t j enable her to go on sitting 

 her next nest of eggs without interruption from the young birds. They can 

 be weaued off in the following manner. Cage off the young birds in a small 

 wire cage, and hang the same close to the front part of the compartment in 

 which the old birds are. Bliyhtly open a couple of the wires of each cage, so 

 that the cock parent can gain access with his head to feed the young. Supply 

 the old birds with food, and likewise the young, which can be tempted to 

 feed by putting additional small portions of egg and green food about the 

 ends of the perches and other parts of the small wire cage, so as to attract 

 them. In two or three days thc-y will learn to feed themselves, when they 

 can be safely removed. It is not of common occurrence for heu Canaries to 

 lay teu eggs in fifteen or sixteen days. The hen havmg laid so many eggs 

 within a given time was brought about through the force of circumstances. 

 Very likely she would not have done so had she not been interlered with in 

 some way. Some hen Canaries will not permit of liberties being taken with 

 them, ^aturally enough, where they have the opportunity, they of ten exercise 

 a right of choice as to the position where to build and lay their eggs. We do 

 not look upon the matter aa an exceptional one. Most Canary bens, after 

 constructing a nest and laying therein their eggs, would in a few days after- 

 wards build and lay again, if such nest and egga were interfered with. Five 

 eggs each time is certainly a full complement. Sometimes they will lay six, 

 and as many as seven eggs in a nest. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Cauden Sqcahe, London. 



Lat. 51o 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0= 8' 0" W.; Altitude, lllfeet. 



REMARKS. 

 23rd. — Fan- though cloudy morning ; a plea^aot day, but not vei*y bright. 

 2-lth.— A very bright day, but rather stoimlike in the evening. 

 ^5th. — Fair but dull in the morning; bright iu the latttr part of the day. 

 2t)th. — A fine day throughout, a few drops of rain in the early pai't. 

 27ch. — Bright pleasant day, but rain after 9 p.m. 

 26th. — Rain iu the night aud early mnrniog, aud more or less all day; a little 



gleam of sun just before setting, but heavy rain after. 

 29th. — Damp dark morning, clearing off about IU a m, after which time it was 



very fine till about 7 p.m., when it again beciime dull aud dark. 

 About 2' warmer than last week; but by no means as warm as we frequently 

 have at this season, the highest temperature in shade being only 76.3". — G. J. 

 Symons. 



COYENT GARDEN MARKET.— June 30. 

 Supplies generally oi-e very abundant, and soft fruit from Kent and other 

 counties south and west are uow consigned to a considerable extent. The 

 Potato trade has become rather heavy, and reported arrivals large. Hothouse 

 Pines and Grapes quite suflicient for the demand; the latter, however, does 

 not comprise any extra samples. 



s. d. 8. d. 



Apples i Bieve to 



Apricots .box 16 4 



cherries box 2 



CUeatouta bushel 



Cnrrants t sieve 2 



Black do. 



Figs dozen 8 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse,... lb. S 



Lemuns ^ 100 8 



Melons each 3 



B. d. B. r",* 



Mulberries lb. o OtoO o 



Nectarines dozen 8 18 o 



Oranges %*• 100 8 U 



Peaches dozen 10 21 o 



Pears, kitchen.... dozen o 



dessert dozen 4 



Pine Apples lb. 



Plums i sieve 



Quinces dozen 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts bushel 



ditto ^100 



Artichokes dozen 



Asparagus ^100 



French bundle 



Beans, Kidney... . ^100 



Broad bushel 



Beet, Red dozen 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels Sprouts i sieve 



Cabbaite dozen 



Carrots bunch 



Capaionma T^ 100 



Cauliflower dozen 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 

 Cucumbers each 



pickling dozen 



Endive dozen 



Fennel banch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish .... bundle 



VEaETABLES. 



d. s. d. 

 0to6 

 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce dozen 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress. .punnet 

 onions bushel 



pickUng quart 



Parsley.,., doz. bunches 



ParsnipB ... dozen 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rbubarb buudle 



Salsafy buudle 



Scorzonera bundle 



Seakale basket 



hballots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes dozon 



Turnips. bunch 



Vegetable Marrows. .doz . 



