82 



JOURXAIi OP HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ January 24, 1865. 



Devonshire Bee-keepee," who can attest its strength.- It 

 was hived on the 23rd of May, and had given me 9 lbs. of 

 honey before it left my apiarj'. The fourth swarm has been 

 already alluded to. The queen at the head of this hive (o) 

 in 1864, did not prove very prolific. The hive was supered, 

 and afforded 30 lbs. of very pure honey. 



In conclusion, I may observe that Dzierzon aflirms that 

 the produce of a divided hive will greatly exceed that of one 

 which is not permitted to swarm, and my own experience 

 induces me to concur in this opinion, especially if the 

 swarms ai'e early, so that the progeny of the young queens 

 are able to assist in collecting the honey harvest in the latter 

 part of June, and beginning of July. If a stock is late in 

 swarming, the young bees would for the most part be too 

 late for the harvest, and such a stock mjght give a better 

 result if stoi-ified. I never permit any of my hives to hang 

 out at the entrance for more than one day, as I can always 

 find a more profitable occupation for them. — J. E. B., Wol- 

 verhamplon. 



EEilOVES'G BEES TO A DISTANCE. 



If you will kindly advise me how to transport one of Gale's 

 (of Alton) box-hives, with the bees and honey to a distant 

 county, I shall be much obliged. — C. R. 



[Stop all apertures in the top or sides of the box by means 

 of perforated zinc, then raise it from its floor-board, invert 

 it, and confine the bees by tacking a piece of perforated zinc 

 over the bottom of the hive. Pass a cord round it, and send 

 it, still in an inverted position, in chai'ge of a careful mes- 

 senger, who will not commit it to the tender mercies of 

 railway porters.] 



DIMINTTION OF "WEIGHT IN BEE-HIVES 

 DURING OCTOBER AND NOA^EMBEE. 

 The following is the loss in twenty stocks that were 

 weighed on the last day in each month : — 



Loss 



in Oil 



Jices. 





Loss in 



Ounces. 





No. October. 



Novpmber- 



Total. 



No. October. 



November. 



Total. 



1 ... 30 .. 



. 22 





52 



U ... 38 . 



.. 41 ... 



79 



2 ... 24 



. 32 





S6 



12 ... 35 



.. 50 ... 



71 



S ... 33 



. 3'J 





72 



13 ... 23 



.. 24 ... 



47 



4 ... 31 .. 



. 17 





48 



14 ... 32 . 



.. 43 ... 



75 



S ... 33 .. 



. 27 





60 



15 ... 37 



.. 24 ... 



61 



6 ... 32 



SI 





63 



16 ... 28 



.. 86 ... 



64 



T ... 18 .. 



. 15 





33 



17 ... 33 



.. 24 .. 



67 



8 ... 34 .. 



. 29 





63 



18 ... 40 



.. 39 .. 



79 



9 ... 33 . 



. 27 





80 



19 ... 44 



.. 32 .. 



76 



10 ... 30 . 



. 27 

 ion, or 



loSii 



57 

 of twen 



20 ... 32 



ty stocks 640 



.. 40 .. 

 .. 605 .. 



72 



Total coDsamp 



1245 



Averaging per 



stock 







32-0 



.. 30-25 ... 



62 25 



The mean arerage la*a per stock fur the li-it 

 ten years 40' 76 



25-95 ... 66 71 



This shows that the consumption in October was 8J ounces 

 per stock less than the average of the last ten years ; but in 

 November the loss was about 4| ounces per stock more than 

 the average. My bees were out almost daily in October, and 

 were collecting fi om borage, mignonette, and French poppies. 

 and in November they were out frequently, and I saw them 

 carrying pollen into the hives as late as the 2l8t of Novem- 

 ber. — William Cabb, Newlon Heath, near Manchester. 



LIGURIAN BEES IN AUSTRALIA. 

 The apiarian readers of The Jouiinal of Horticulture 

 will be pleased to learn, on the authority of Mr. Edward 

 Wilson, Prcaident of the Victoria Acclimatisation Society, 

 who has recently revisited this country, that the Italian 

 xtocks exported from my apiary to Australia in 1862, are 

 doing remarkably well, and have multiplied prodigiously in 

 a climate which appears to be most favourable to them. — 

 A Dbvokshibe Bee-kzsper. 



RANCIDITY JN BUTTER. 

 I WOULD saggest to your correspondent "Cochin" to 

 cham each cow's milk separately, by which means he will 

 be able to discover if the rancidity axiscs from any inward 



complaint in either of the animiils, for a cow suffering from 

 such a complaint would cause the butter to be rancid. Dry 

 salt instead of brine wUl cause rancidity sometimes. A hot 

 hand making up the butter vrUl also cause it. Skimming 

 too often, and mixing the cream altogether, is a cause. 

 Meat hung up in a dairy, whether fresh or salt, would also 

 cause it; and lastly, if the dairy is near a stable in which 

 horses are kept, the smell from the ammonia will invariably 

 cause rancidity. 



I hope "Cochin" will succeed in finding a remedy, and 

 make it known in your Journal for the benefit of your readers 

 generally. — Jas. Noon. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



PioEoss FoRSAKiNo THBiR UousE {An Ivinh SubsfTiber).—'V\i\9^ I fear, 

 arises frosi somelhin^ objectionable in the entrance. Are they there dis- 

 turb, d by cati», or does the ivy so cover the roof and al'ghting--board as to 

 make their settling thereon inconvenient? Pigeons do not like resting 

 amonj; leaves not being arboreal in habits; or are the birds of a wild sort, 

 and conbeqaently disapprove of the place as being too public X la that cose 

 you might try a more tame viiriety, and when they are confined let the 

 entrance he so guarded th>it they can go out and see about tbeio, so as to 

 learn by eyesight the exact position of the way in. — B. F. B. 



Ornamkntal Hen-coop.— "F. p." would be obliged by the suggestion of 

 an ornamental hen-coop. If nny drawings which we approve are seut to 

 us in answer to this appeal, we will have ihein engraved. 



Hatching Apparatus (Q. C. .ff.}.— Write to Mr. Melville, 20, GlasUin 

 Road, South Hackney, London- He is Mr. Geyelin's agent. 



ScPKRioa Ego-laying Fowls (C. S. /.)■— Spanish are excellent layers, 

 but not better than the Creve Coeur or La Fleche. They are hardier. The 

 liamburghs are great laycrt;, but none of these hit. As we do not advocate 

 crusse**, and as such roust be the result of roising several breeds toselher, 

 we should advise you to keep Brahma Pootras. Tne advantage will be, that 

 they are not only vast layers, but they are excellent t-ilters and mothers. 

 If you have several places, jou may have several breeds, and ihea we re- 

 commend the three first naojed. 



Size of Poultrv-hovse {Idem). — A wooden hoase is all that is necessary 

 for any poultry. If you keep fowls by hundreds, you should have several 

 houses. There are few places hi the country that are not already provided 

 with them. Old cow-stalls, calf-pens, bams, Ciirt-houses, wood-houses, 

 lean-to'c, anything will do. To roost a hundred and keep them healthy, 

 ygu want 3l> feet by 25, 



PoL'^HD Fowls {Oil Stthscriber). — The Golden and Silver Polands arc 

 the hardiest of the breed, and capital layers. 



Large Supply of Eggs {F. C ).— You will want 70^0 hens, besides cocks, 

 of different ages, in order to insure a succession of 15U0 eggs dailv. They 

 will cost at 'he lowest e-.timate £1JOO. They would require at least eighty 

 acres of land to be kept healthy and profitably. Four men would look after 

 them, but they could only do it by liaeing cverj-thlng necessary brought to 

 their hand*. They muot have noUiing to fetch, or grind, or thrash. All 

 their tine will be occupied in tending and feeding. Any poor land will do, 

 and it will be better in every way for your pursuit than good land. Pens 

 and sheds cannot be too homely, and need not entail any great expense, VVc 

 do not udviie you to take huch a contract without first afsuving yourself of 

 efficient and certain help in the event of your plans fdiling. A much safer 

 and more reasonable agreement would be to undertake to sell all your eggs 

 at a certain price to one person all the year round. In such a contract as 

 you epaak of, inclement weather— fuch us snow, cold easterly winds, or the 

 appearance of an epidemic among your birds would be very serious to you. 



Scurf on Lkgs of Cocuis-China Fovfl {R. J. IT.)-— The scurf is not 

 important if it has not eaten off the feathering. Put only one cock to the 

 two hens, you will have to remove hlin later in the season, Two cocks would 

 be nut only ildiculous but mischievous. 



Bak-ks {F. O. i!.).— Thoy arc also called " Creepers." Tho following 

 is the description given of this breed in the *' Poultry Book for the Many :*' — 

 "They resemble the Dorkings in everything but extreme shortness of legi; 

 these ate only 2 inches long from the hock to the heel ; comb tingle ; body 

 round, plump; tail ample, and in the cocks well sicUled; plumage white, 

 variously marked with black ; eggs average size ; hens good layers and good 

 ^it^er8. Weight of cock averaging CilbB. ; of hen. .04 lbs. They seem 10 be 

 of Scotch ori|i(in, and are described by a good judge as * hardy^ a good 

 variety, and well aiopied for the taole.' " 



LONDON M.iEKETS.— J.iSUAEY 2:}. 

 POTJLTEY. 



Tbti Rupply is Hmall, and tntd? dull. There will bo little alteration till the 

 mr'L-iint; of Parliament. The cnormoua supply ol Pheusdnta has had much 

 to do in deprcciallDB the price of lowla ; and so far as Iheao luxurle.1 ean be 

 considered as public and ordinary food, wo may say they haro thin year been 

 within reach of many who hiive not before ventarod to think of Ihem. 



a. d. >. d. 



Partridges 1 9 „ 2 



Hares i 3 „ 2 G 



Uabbits 1 4 „ 1 6 



wild do n 9 „ 10 



Pigeons 10 „ I 





9. 



3 



d. s. 

 „ 3 

 6 „ 3 

 ., i 

 « ., ' 

 3 „ 2 



d 





2 









1 



n 





7 



R 



Pheasants 



2 



a 



