332 



JOURNAJj OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 7 1875. 



fcime, and joined the two together, and carried them home at 

 nine o'clock. 



I then took my bar of honey from my super, and placed it in 

 the top of an empty hive, and tamed the bees to it. I have 

 fed them from an empty box below, and they have built two 

 large combs each side of the bar, and they are doing well. They 

 have had 5 lbs. of sugar and five pints of water up to to-day, 

 the 18th. 



On the 11th I again drove the hive with little trouble. There 

 were over 20 lbs. of honey and some youug brood, so I placed 

 it in an empty hive (with strin^), and drove one more, and 

 joined the two together; and drove one more swarm, and joined 

 the next one to it, and all are doing well. Go the 13th I drove 

 one more, and joined it to the next one, and I have two hives 

 out of three for myself. Both are doing well. — J. M. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Aylesbttrt Show (J. 0.).— There is no error; the award is as you state it 

 should be. 



Poni,TRY Fabminq — " Qallinaculturist"' weald oblige several corre- 

 spondentB by more details of maDagement. 



Weight of Dorkings [Congtant Reader). — You do not give the age of the 

 Dorking cock. It is considered good growth if in an ordinary way a cock pats 

 on 1 lb. per month, bat that is not sofficient to win with. A bird eight 

 months old, good enough to win in November, should woifih 9 or 10 lbs. if the 

 competition is close and the show really a large one. A 9-lb. cock chicken 

 in really good feather, with a bright upright stiff comb, clean white legs, and 

 well-defined five toes is hard to beat. Bat at many showa that dab them- 

 selves "grand," and inform all England they are at liberty to compete, a 

 Dorking cock of 8 lbs. " walks over." The pallet should weigh from 5^ to 

 7 lbs. Here again condition goes a great way. A competent judge should 

 always take a^^e iuto consideration, bat it must be rem'^mbered there is bat 

 one restriction, that the competitors shall be birds of the year, and that, 

 given equal symmetry and condition, the heaviest bird must win. There is no 

 weight a:?reed upon for Call Ducks. It is unnecessary there should be, be- 

 cause the smaller they are the better. Lar^e size would be detrimen'al to 

 saccess, so would be long head or bill, or while plumage, or a white ring round 

 the neck in the Duck. 



ToRKEYS Unhealthy {H. Q.). — Your Turkeys are suffering from the 

 change of weather. Th*"? »"!n be many complaints now bith of fowls and 

 Turkeys; as the \\eather gets colder LLo i::ght3 are longer, the surface of the 

 earth altern, and ,\ields no Inoger the same amount of natural food. The 

 foTls and Tarkeys find the effects of it. It is so with yours. The care is lo 

 change the dietary, and to add somewhat of etimulaot till they are accustomed 

 to the change. Give them soft f<'od; it is more nutiitioua aud cheaper than 

 whole com. Let it be oats and barley in equal qaantities, with one quarter 

 of pea- meal all mixed together, slaked with wattr or mlk. It they have a 

 daily meal of stale bread soaked in ale it will do them good. It is only in- 

 flicting needless suffaring to open the swe'Hog round the eye. It is the result 

 and symptom of dinordered health, and will disappear a^ strength returns. 

 They should he fed three times per day while they are out of condition, and 

 always if they are to do well. They should roost in a dry place. 



Bbahma. Fowl Unhealthy (A Fifteen-years Subscriber). — The bird has 

 been allowed his liberty too soon. Any black discharge must be carefaily 

 removed with a sponge. If there is any gaping of the incision, and if it 

 shows ragged edges, they must be removed with very sharp scissors; the lips 

 must then he bruught together, and the wound and sature completely covered 

 with stiff grease. This must be continued. The bird should be confined 

 where it can have nothing bat that which is given. The food should consist 

 of stiff gruel and ground oats mixed with milk. All food for the present 

 must be liquid. If you have no groond oats give bread crumbs soaked in 

 millE. 



Pigeons (J. R.). — The Rock Pigeon has neorly always enjoyed the 

 prefis of "blue" to its name, but we believe genuine Rocks are often found 

 varjing from blue to blue-chequer, and from red to red-chequer, and mealy ; 

 these latter are rare. Years ago, when the Rock Pigeon was abundant in 

 Lincolnshire and Yorkwhire, many hundreds were sent to Leadeubail, and 

 there were always as many Blue-chequers as Blues. Very few real Blue 

 Rocks are now sen*", to the London markets; the majority of the Pigeons 

 there s"]d as Rocks are foreign. The wild Dove-house Pigeon yiu mention 

 is the Rock of more or less purity of breed. If your Pigeon^i are imported 

 Antwerps, it is mce than likely they have been accustomed to roost out. 

 Many breeders in Belgium make their birds do so. Your distarbing them 

 night after night would make them very shy of the lockers for some time. 



Sick Pigeons f ).— Bathe their eyes with alum aod water night and 



morning, wiping them with an old silk handkerchief. Ctld and damp are the 

 cau-e->. particularly draaahta of air. Pigeons will b'^ar any amount of warmth 

 and like it. but no cold draughts. Often the lofts are over-ventilated. A 

 touch of oil wciuld prevent the eyes from closing at nii^ht. 



Canaries Dying in a GREENHOtrsE (A Suba/'Tiber). — Upon referring to 

 the Journal of September 9th, page 240, you will fii.d remarks coneer'jing 

 Canaries being kept in a greenhouse, therefore it will be unnecessary for us to 

 travel again over the pame ground. Respecting the loss of your two birds, 

 one of which "has died suddenly without any apparent cause," we should 

 attribute the loss of the birds to the seed becoming poisonei with the excre- 

 ment frjm the vermin, fur in your letter you further state, "lam much 

 troubled with mice getting in the seed boxes." This gives very little doubt. 

 From your description of the greenhouse we imaaine it to he proof against 

 rain and cold winds, especially as it is well mofed, and "has walls on all 

 sides but the south." You will have to declare a war of extermination 

 against the fierce-eyed pests, or you will not be successful with your feathered 

 pets. The bird-i being kept in an aviary cage will afford you the opportm-ity 

 of laying traps and poison for the mice during the iiight time, and to better 

 ens ire success each night remove the seed hoses from the cage. We should 

 not advise you to paint the wires — white lead is poisr*nous. Continuous aud 

 eice^nive dampness will do your birds harm. The place will not be too cold 

 for them. 



Canaries Phort of Breath (Stnmford\. — If the nostrils of the birds are 

 affected or clogged they will show outward signs of humour, bat if they ap- 

 pear in a healthy state no outward appUcation will be needed, and there will 



be no necessity to pass a small quill feather through them. The "suffocat- 

 ing" or ghnrtcees of breath proceeds from the air pa'^aages or breathing 

 organs, which have become impaired through cold or intiuenza. Remove 

 them from the other birds into a spacious cage, and place in a dry atmo- 

 sphere a few degrees warmer during illness. Let them have grit sand (so 

 that their gizzards may perform their necessary functions), a bath daily, and 

 let all seed he well sifted before supplied. Mix or sprinkle over the seed before 

 giving it a pinch or two of flowers of sulphur. Once or twice a-week give a 

 drop or two of cod-liver oil, and daily let them have as much of the plantain 

 weed to pull as you can obtain for them. Ir. is plentiful just now. A little 

 watercress is good. No sweets, or you will make the breathing more difficult. 

 A piece of salt to peck at will tend to clear their throats. Biscuit soaked 

 in sherry give twice a-week. Alternate the diet. Keep the birds as quiet 

 as poRsible, and when you require to catch them darken the cage with a cloth, 

 which will prevent much scuffling and excitement. 



Canaries Casting their Feathers (W. M. Grose). — In reply to your 

 questions we give the following:^!, The Canary, Goldfinch, Linnet, Mules, 

 and all other cage birds should cast all and every one of their fea'.hers every 

 year after the first year's moult. 2, They throw their flight feathers annually — 

 every one of them — from the smallest of the tertiaries, which are those next 

 the body of the bird, to the secondaries, which form the middle of the vane, 

 and to the primaries or qniUa which form the flying feathers of the wings. 

 According to the natural order of things birds should bacome possessed with 

 cntue new feathers once a year. If through artificial temperature a bird 

 should have a partial moult oat of its proper season, there is the bare possi- 

 bility that it will not cast the whole of its feathers as free as one which has 

 not been so subjected. There are well-known instances when birds pass over 

 the autumn or proper moulting time without casting their feathers. Such 

 cawprt are exceptional and nunatural. Then it is a Mgn that the system is 

 failing to act properly. The birds are feather-bonnd owing to a defective 

 state of the blood. When this happens the birds should be removed from the 

 position they may have occupied either into a warmer or colder atmosphere 

 for a few weeks; and if this does not bring about a change or looseness of 

 feather, ten to one the birds' health will become so impaired that they will 

 either quickly die or become linf^eriog fuffererjt. When birds are healthy and 

 well th»-y begin to get loose in feather the end of June or in July, especially 

 following intense heat. The first symptom is thefiadingof a flight feather 

 or two on the cage bottom. If you take the bLrds in your hand and examine 

 them, mr)st likely you will find the sixth or seventh primary quills deficient, 

 and perhaps new ones shooting forth. If the birds should be up breeding ii 

 will be useless letting them continue to breed, for the reason that the hen's 

 eegs may become unfertile; and if not, it is unwise breeding from parents 

 when they become sickly. A general looseness of feathers speedily ensnes. 

 The most difficult feathers for birds to cast are the two or three extreme 

 flying feathers. Sometimes it is necessary to draw them. 



Driving Bees (A Constant Header). — Generally ^ipeaking there are a few 

 stragglers left. If the hive with these is so placed at the door of the swarm 

 hive I driven bees), the stragglers will mu to the noise. Sometimes the 

 brimstone is used to remove those that refuse to leave the combs. In cold 

 Weather bees are loth to leave their combs, and therefore diflBcult to drive. 

 In such weather the combs should he sprinkled with syrup about fifteen 

 minutes before driving begins. The syrup thus given makes the bees qnite 

 jolly, and causes them to run as readily up into an empty hive as they do in 

 summer. 



MBTEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Camuen S40ARB, London. 



Lat. 61^ 82' 40" N. ; Long. 0-^ 8' 0" W. ; Altitude. Ill feet. 



KEMARKS. 



29th. — Very fine morning; dull about noon ; fine afternoon and evening. 

 30th.— Brilliant morning; dull about 2 P.M., but fine afterwards. 

 Oct. Ist.— Biioy morning; dull and cloudy with showers all day, but cot 

 heavy showers; rain at midnight. 

 2nd.— Rainy morning; showery all day, but bright at intervals; fine evening 



and night. 

 Srd.— A thiTough rainy day, a constant mizzle rath r than heavy rain. 

 4th.— Very rainy at 8 A.M., but cleared off before 11 ; bright and fine for an 

 hour or so, then cloudy and rainlike ; but fair all the afterDoon and 

 evening. 

 5th. — Cloudy early ; fine about noon, and very bright for an hour or two, bat 

 suddenly becoming very dark and storralike; a short; bat very heavy 

 shower just be'ore 4 p.m., with some hail ; fair after. 

 A dull damp week, very little sun, and rain almost every day. The tempera- 

 ture [generally about 3' below that of last week ; b^it the mean maximum in 

 sun was V lower than last week, and 18° lower than the preceding one.— 



G. J. SVMONS. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— October 6. 

 The present damp weather is sending large quantities of hothou.^o Grapes 

 into the market, which otherwise would have been retarded, keeping prices 

 much the same. We are also well supplied with late Peachts, these being 

 as good as we have known them for years. Pears consist of Mario Louise, 

 t^ansel's Bertiamot, Louise Bonne of Jer.^jey. and Duchesso d'Angouleme ; 

 aud of Apples Ribston, Cox's Orange, and Blenheim Orance Pippins._ A cargo 

 of St. Michael's Hues arrived during the week, but in very bad condition. 



