148 



JOUKNAL OP HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



[ kagaat 12, 1876. 



they are exhibited. Like other breeds slight detects will now 

 and then occur, even when the very best blood is selected for 

 breeding stock. Latterly two classes have been established for 

 birds with " broken caps and pied wings and tail." To these 

 two classes of mis-marked Lizards some opposition was at first 

 offered by fanciers somewhat orthodox in their views, and who 

 disagreed with the introduction of the two new classes on the 

 ground that a premium or prize would thus be given for breed- 

 ing foul-marked birds. But this somewhat narrow view and 

 slight difHcuUy was overcome, and not only were the classes 

 increased and more birds introduced upon the show stages, but 

 an opportunity was afforded to breeders to dispose of their 

 surplus stock, thus recouping them somewhat for their outlay 

 and trouble. Hitherto such surplus stock frequently remained 

 a drug upon Lizard fanciers' hands, in the like way that dark 

 Goldfinch and Canary Mules used so to do prior to the in- 

 troduction of classes for them. Now, each kind of birds have 

 become more valuable, and it is with pleasure I look back to past 

 Crystal Palace exhibitions, and know that I was the instigator 

 of the classes being introduced there. Que important advantage 

 attending the introduction of the extra Lizard classes was, that 

 'it tended to keep exhibitors honest by encouraging them to 

 exhibit their birds without being plucked or trimmed. 



As a very fair example of a Lizard Canary, the illustration 

 given represents a fine specimen exhibited in " Class 1!1, Golden- 

 spangled Lizard " (No. 531), by Mr. T. W. W. Fairbrass of 

 Canterbury. The bird was in splendid condition at the Crystal 

 Palace Exhibition in February last, where it gained the first 

 prize, defeating fourteen other specimens iu the class ; Messrs. 

 Cleminson & Ellerton of Darlington being second, and Mr. 

 Bunting of Derby third. In the same class Mr. Fairbrass also 

 won an equal second prize, and throughout the Lizard classes 

 he was a very successful exhibitor. — Geo. J. Baenesby. 



Birmingham Summer Show— Special Prizes tor Hocdans. 

 — The following subscriptions have been received per Mr. W. 

 Dring :— F. Lake, 10s. 6d. ; G. W. Hibbert, 10s. Gd. ; Christopher 

 Morris, 10s. Od.; G. W. Harrison, 10s. Gd.; Rev. E. Handley, 

 5s.; Mrs. Vallauce, .5s. ; E. R. Fowler, 5s. ; W. 0. Quibell, 5s. ; 

 W. Catlack, jun., 5s.; W. H. Copplestone, 5s.; J. Brent, 5s. ; 

 M. H. Start, 2s. 6d.; W. Dring, £1 5s. Gd. Total, £5 5s. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



BisHoi' AucKLAHD Snow.— "We are iDformed that in Pigeons, «n7 other 

 Tanety, an extra Becond and extra third were awarded to Mr. Ord.'Sands, 

 Durhara (Turbiteen and Frillback). 



■^"a^ Show.—" Your reporter states that I exhihiteH amonir the Pen- 

 cilled Hnrabiirshs two cookerelK instead of a cockerel and a pullet. I most 

 emphatically deny this assertion, and I am corroborated by numerous persons 

 residina here, who both saw and admired the birds. Amonj; the Golden- 

 pencilled Ilainhnrgh adult birds I was hishly commended erjually with the 

 ^°'!- .V- N?»>l'. bnt in your prize list you print S. H. Seur8(there was no such 

 exhibitor) instead o( T. H. Lewis." 



Eeakinc Guinea Chicks (O. fl,).— Ton may rear your Guinea chiols like 

 ordinary chickens, or like Pheasants. There is much difleren.-e in the parents. 

 Some are domesticated, and livo in the farmyard with other poultry ; some 

 are always about the fields or rickyards in a semi-wild state. Those that are 

 in the yard require more feeding than the wild birds, but we much prefer 

 them. They are more easily caught when they are wanted. This is no 

 small advantage. If a couple are wanted for Thursday they should be tilled 

 on the Monday, as they are the better for keepiug. It is no easy task if they 

 are in the fields They cannot, perhaps, be caught till the day before they 

 are wanted, and then they are hard. You may feed tlio chicks on chopped egg, 

 ground oats or barleymeal slaked with milk or water, and mixed with some 

 <:hopped green onion tops, bread crumbs either dry or steeped in milk. They 

 want this for the first three weeks. Then they may have bruised corn, and 

 then whole. It keeps them tame to feed them daily at the same place. 



Silver-Gkey Babbits IT. D. L.).— Messrs. R. Poland & Sons, Queen 

 Victoria btreet, E.C., are the largest dealers in all sorts of furs, and will pro- 

 Dahly buy yours. 



Selling" Podltey IMcm).—Yoa will not have ranch difficulty in disposing 

 of your Golden-pencilled Hamburghs if yon will keep them long enough, but 

 they are not saleable just now. This is the worst time of year to sell any- 

 thing, especially chickens, because they are not yet in hard 'feather or fully 

 grown. The diflloiiHy complained of in selling surplus slock is, those who 

 have It to dispose of want to get rid of it on favourable (not unreasonable) 

 terms whenever it is " de trop " in their yards. The time to sell satisfactorily 

 18 when there is a real demand. At this moment almost everyone who breeds 

 wishes to dispose of surplus stock. The little chickens of March and April 

 are now taking the room of fowls. The young cocks ore beginning to crow, 

 and, like the lads who are home for the holidays, they have large appetites. 

 It IS a question only of cost where there is sufficient room for them to run. 

 Much as they eat, the cost of keeping for two months is not large, and these 

 ■will bo sold the end of October when people return home again. One word 

 more— Do not keep faulty birds. They will never pay for their food, and a 

 Hamburgh chicken is very good roasted, boiled, broiled, or in a pudding. If 

 they must be sold send them to Stevens's, King Street, Coyent Garden, for 

 one of their periodical sales. 



Fecpndation of Beiss' Eoos ( r. E. (5.).— It is a subject not suitablo for 

 ■our pages. 



Iii.jiYinRE Dhones {.Elm Lodge).— The wretched weather we had in June 

 and .July has doubtless so impoverished your bees that not only have they 

 laUed to build or store in your anper, but we think you would find on inspec- 

 tion below that they are actuaUy in a half-starved state; at least they were 

 80 on tne IHth of July. Hence in ejecting their drones they were fain to 

 solace their hunger or to economise their stores by devouring the soft and 

 juicy coctonts of the bodies of the immature dronelings which bees eject 



simultaneously with the drones at the proper time when swarming is given 

 up or when famine stares them in the face. We advise you to feed your 

 bees at once should they require it. 



Bee-keeping Queries {A Young Beriinner). — No. 1. Your bees have 

 ceased working in the glass, strong as they are, for want of materials. They 

 neither can nor will build comb when it is unnecessary. Failure of honey in 

 the flowers this wet summer is the cause of the evil. No. 2. Driving bees 

 has been again and again described in this Journal. It is the simplest of all 

 operations if you know how to set abont it. But we refer you to an article on 

 the subject which will appear in this or next week's Journal by an experienced 

 hand. No. 3. We think it certain that if the show takes place at the Crystal 

 Palace there will also be a repetition of the manipulations so saccessfully 

 carried ouj before the siiectators last year. 



Food for J^k^h {Young Aitiarian). — Beer is not good for bees if it be not 

 perfectly sound, and even after boiling it is apt to get sour. Use water 

 instead; we now never use any other diluent of the sugar. Our plan is to 

 fill a vessel with sugar and pour hot water upon it, stirring it well till the 

 whole is dissolved ; just enough water to make the syrup when cold of the 

 consistency of rather thin honey. If you like to add a little brandy or gin 

 it can do no harm, but we never do so ourselves. 



Apiary Qdery (J. P., jun.). — We hardly advise transferring now. "We 

 should ourselves probably wait till next spring. But why not, if so disposed, 

 make the trial with one of the swarms? Choose that wiiich has the stoutest 

 comb and is least heavy. We would first drive the bees into a common hive 

 temporarily ; then we would carefully adjust each comb to a bar with very 

 narrow strips of wood, and with the smallest tacks. When all was ready and 

 the bar-frame hive in its place, we would bring the driven bees and dash 

 them down bodily over it, the holes at top being fully open. We should thea 

 commence diligent feeding, and at the end of a week or so remove the strips 

 of wood. If this sncceeded you might proceed to manipulate the other 

 swarms. Otherwise feed them well up to the mark before the middle of 

 October, and cover with thick hackles. The best way to feed straw hives in 

 autumn is to arrange a quantity of empty combs with deep cells, drone comb 

 if possible, at the b;jttom of an empty box reversed. Over this place a board 

 with convenient slits close to its sides, and the hive at top of all having its 

 entrance closed. Feed at night and remove in the morning. 



METEOROLOQICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Camden Sqoabe, London. 



Lat. 61° 82' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 Jeet. 



REMARKS. 

 4th. — A very fine pleasant day, but rather cool. 



5th. — Dull early, fine iu the middle of the day, and showery after 3 p.m. 

 Gth. — Fair but dull in morning, fine at noon, cloudy in the afternoon and 



evening. 



7th. — Rather cloudy early, but fine before 11 am.; severe thunderstorm with 



heavy rain about 2 p.m. ; very dark, thick. and stormlike from 5 to 8 P.M. 



8th. — Very close and warm all day, though rather cloudy and hazy. 



9th. — Dull and etormlike in the morniug, fine in the afternoon, but cloudy at 



night. [sunset. 



10th. — Hazy at 8, rain bsfore 9, fine at noon, dull soon after, but a bright 



The temperature very similar to last week, except that the nights have 



been warmer; and the stormlike appearances have indicated that though we 



have had but one storm, other places have been loss favoured.— G.J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKKT.— August 11. 

 OuTDOoa fruit ia making its appearance in large quantitiea; but trade is 

 very duU, and a difliculty is experienced in effecting sales. 



d. 6. 

 6t0l 

 2 

 6 1 

 



Apples 1 sieve o 



Apricots dozen 1 



Cherries lb. 6 



Ohf<BtDnts bUBbel 



Currant b i sieve 2 



Black do. 2 6 8 



FiRH dozen 10 8 



Filberts lb. 6 1 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries quart 4 



Grapea, hothouse.... lb. 1 6 



Lemons ^100 8 12 



Melons each 2 5 



FRUIT. 



d. 



Mulberries lb. 



Neoiarjnes dozen 2 



OranRes ^100 12 



Peaches dozen 8 



Pears, kitchen.... dozen 



dessert dozen 2 



Pine Apples lb. 3 



Plums J sieve 3 



Quintea dozen 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts bushel 8 



ditto ^laa 1 



d. s. a. 



OtoO 

 10 

 20 

 18 

 



Artichokes dozen S Oto6 



Asparagus ^ 100 



French bundle 



Beans, Kidney ^ sieve 2 2 



Broad J sieve 



Beet. Red dozen 2 4 



Broccoli bundle 9 1 



Brussels Sprouts j sieve 



Cabbage dozen 6 



Carrots bunch 6 



Capsicums ^100 



Cauliflower dozen 3 6 



Celery bundle 16 2 



VEGETABLES. 



d. 





 



Coleworts.. doz.buochea 2 Oto4 



Cucumbers each 8 10 



pickling dozen 



Endive dozen 2 



Fennel bunch 8 



Gariio lb, 6 



Herbs bunch 3 



Horseradish bundle 4 



Leeks banoh 4 



Lettuce dozen 6 10 



MuBhrooms pottle 8 8 



Mustard & Cress. .punnet 2 



Onions bushel S C 



