124 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICtTLTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. [ February ;, 1865. 



censure, as if their instinct was radically at fault. I have 

 always thought, and still believe, that when Xatm-e is left 

 to her own free and unfett-ered course — undisturbed and 

 nnmolested — instinct in the bee is a rudder which will be 

 found almost invariably to guide it in a true and unerring 

 course. — J. Lowi. 



BEES DEAD IN THE CELLS. 



"Whilst unable to look after my bees myself, a hive 

 which required feeding was neglected, and I found all the 

 bees dead. I wish to keep all the combs which are in a 

 fiame-hive, ready for a swarm in the spring, but I find 

 several dozen bees have thrust themselves so far into the 

 cells that it is impossible to remove them without crushing 

 them. "Would it be safe to leave them for the swarm to 

 remove, or would it produce disease amongst the new occu- 

 pants of the hive ? and would not the labour of removing 

 the bees be quite as much as building new combs ? — A Lady 

 Bee-keepeb. 



[We always extract the bees one by one with a pair of 

 tweezers, such as are used b.r watchmakers, and although 

 this is often a long and troublesome operation, we do not 

 grudge our labour. "We doubt if the dead bodies would pro- 

 duce disease, but the bees would be compelled to gnaw off 

 the cells on either side of the comb and construct new ones.] 



SUPEEIOEITT OF LIGUEIAX BEES. 

 "Will you inform me in what the Lignrian bees are 

 snperior to the common bees, excepting being such great 

 breeders ? Are they generally preferred by those who have 

 fairly tried both ? I liave ten stocks of the black bees, five 

 of them are in the "Woodbury bar and fi-ame hives. One 

 was an artificial swarm of May 7th, 1SG4, and gave me a 

 super of 31 lbs. of pure honey on the 31st of July. — A. Bboad- 



CLISTEE. ' 



[Much greater beauty must also be conceded as an addi- 

 tional point in which the Ligurian is superior to the common 

 bee. It must, however, be remembered that superior breed- 

 ing powers argue greater powers of collecting honey, and 

 really include every other good quality that can be named. 

 "We never knew any one who had once fairly established 

 Ligurians in his apiary willingly return to the common honey 

 bee.] 



TOETOISES. 



"Wk have in the garden here two land Tortoises — the 

 one a very old one weighing 7 lbs. 6 ozs., the other a very 

 small one, which I received from a friend as a present about 

 three months since. 



They were both put in the same greenhouse and seemed 

 to be doing quite well until about a fortnight ago, when 

 from some cause or other the smaller one died. I should 

 be obliged if you or any of your correspondents could inform 

 me what was the cause of its death, as it received the same 

 care as the older one has for the last thirty years ; also, as 

 I should like to polish the shell, how I am to get the body 

 out of the shell to do so ? 



I should have stated the weight of it when living was 

 6 ozs. — J. Fkobseb, Longford. 



AVOIDING EANCID BUTTEE. 

 Oks of your correspondents inquires about good butter- 

 making. X have suffered from bail butter for three years, 

 every autumn, and having four fine healthy young cows and 

 a cleanly dairy-maid I thought it ought not to continue to 

 be the case. My butter ia row always good, and I have it up 

 sixty milt-B from the country twice a-week. When the fresii 

 S lb. arrives if there id any left of the 6 lb. which arrived at 

 tht beginning of the week, one is as good as the other. The 

 wholt secret is this : Have two cream pots, and let the dairy- 

 woman oir her cream round the first thing when she enters 

 her dairy, a.tA empty the cream into the clean pot which was 

 emptied and M/vlded the morning before. This mnst be 



done regularly every morning, and good butter will be the 

 result, provided, always provided, the dairy-maid is clean 

 with the dairy things. Mine are all scalded directly they 

 have been used, pans, pails, prints, chum, &c., and placed 

 in the open air, and rinsed with cold water before they are 

 again used. 



I may mention that glass is the best material for a 

 cream-pot. A lump of salt should be kept in the cream-p^ 

 —P. C. 



E.VNCIDITY in butter is caused, in my opinion, by dead 

 leaves eaten by the cows amongst the grass. — A Fabmeb s 

 Wipe. 



[A gentleman informs us that he knows an instance 

 where good butter never is obtained in autumn, and this is 

 attributed to the cows eating the fallen leaves of oak and 

 ash trees which faU on to the pastures from the trees around 

 them. — Eds.1 



OUE LETTER BOX. 



KEXjiiT. AND jKDBUEGn Suows. — A first-cla's pen of Golden-sp^elcd 

 Hiimhu'-Khs exhibitea at the above Shows has been exchanecd In mistaSc 

 or stolen. Tbey were sent direct (or ought to have been) rrom Kendal to 

 Jeiibnreb bv -.he secretaries of the former Show, and a most vrretchei! pair 

 of monfrel-bred Haraburghs were retonied from Jedbargh in '"!" ".' .'°^ 

 above, in a different hamper, bat the proper direction label. Anj- e^hiDitor 

 havine received ihem in mistike >■■ ill much ohlise by writini; at once to ine 

 secretaries, or the exhibitor, Mr. W. Cooper, Helmsley, York. 



Beauma POOTIU.S (B. Leeicorthy).—V/e were obliged bv yoor commum- 

 cationi. and, althongh you think they prove Brahnja Pnotras a nare oreeo, 

 we think thev support onr opinion that they are a vaiicty of the t-«en~- 

 China. Ton think the rea comb and more sunken eye are sufHcien'. to P'"™ 

 a uure breed. We think they are no such proof, o'herwise the Eose-inniDeui 

 Dorking might be considered a breed different from the fif"-''^'""™?™ 

 Howerer, we have in recent Numbers fully stated why we think the branma 

 Pootras a variety of the Cochin-China, and wo refer you la "'"^'',''"'?.°.„!; 

 Our opinion is conBrmed, not changed, by the arguments ana eMoem-e 

 elicited. 



roniTEvCLUB (X iootei--on).-Generannncndoes and fa"»5ms are net 

 fair. If vou have anv soeciflc charges, and (urnish us (not for pucuieation; 

 Willi voul- name, we shall not hesitate at finding space for yon. ih"J°° 

 Club Is a failure, and that a president and secretary re.-ident In Irelana may 

 not ^end to lenovate it. is prob.lblv true, but before we can allow it to ne 

 attacked in our pages we must be made aware of specific delinquencies. 



Kkipixg Bahtams ahd MaiatsostheSameRds (/I. Broadclister).— 

 Y^n m y run them together with impunity. Malays are not much in 

 demand, bat there is sale for good ones. 



Bess Latiso Soft Egos (». T. S.). -As some of your fowls lay hard, 

 and some soft-ehclleJ eegs, it is a proof the run pronde-< all that i= nece^ 

 sarv. The Silver-spangled Hamburgh^ are probably weakly-const itntioj" 

 bTds. Give them castor oil, and pat some preparauoQ of iron in wen 

 water. t a r 



Fowi^s FOE TABtE ASD Eoo-PEODCCINO fD''ta)--So<a>iA^I'Jo'^ 

 bett.r in confinement than Dorkings. Good gtonnd ".■''?:".,!,"", 'S^h 

 thun thinU. Potatoes are not ecg proaucers. The 7''='™J„V'" sicken" 

 on- ; th» fa< is a good help. The grain enclosed is food for >™"f cmckens 

 bnthardlv good enough for adults. It is amusem-nt f""" '''^™ " """ " 

 when it .; scattered about. The cross bttwecn Dorking and Cochin mate 

 a verv us.fnl lowl. If the produce are put ">S-"'>''" '^Tnnlh.rsl mnch 

 the ^cna use of either of the parents m.ko. .he >>'»=<' '"'^'"''L'?"'?^ 

 that way »s oftui to defeat the object sought. The ctoas between Spaniah 

 and Dorking is a bad one. 



CorTAOEES- RrJIfNEEATIOS FOE CniCKE»-IU:AEIVG ( ''"^''f.rf ."X'-^nM 



pay (1, Ur each chicken reared) is not Rood enough. Each old fo^vl would 

 ennsunic $!. per year for food. A very «'°'"'™."r""""'=l";f ' '' '" S* 

 3d. per week for every chicken reared, If they are taken "."^^ "'.* """^ 

 age or at the will of the owner. It muM be boroe >" '" "^ '°^5 »^^ «^ 

 troublesome and more expensive the first few weeks °<'\"^l'l\ ,h„ fowls 

 ar. afterwards. The eotl.ger should have £2 for "' ''"P,"','^"/^™! 

 (one cock and four -hens-Dorkingsi ; and if the chickens ''«"' ""' ^f 

 after eight weeks, and were forty in number, 1j. Cd each for the chickens. 



Laeoe SofELT OF EG08.-F. W. Schrodor, E-q- Frogmore nooM, Kick- 

 m»n. worth, wishes that ■• F. C," to whom we repUed In our Journal of the 

 2nh ult., would communicate with him. 



HiMALATAS Rabbits (A. R. Jl^.).-If yoj send na a letter in s stamped 

 envelope, we wUi direct it, and forward it to '• Uihalata. 



An-ANTncs SiLKwoEi. EoGs (F. e.).-!f yon write »« "^/ "°^*J 

 Ne«ili. Dandstein, Petersfield, Uants, you will be fomiehcd fl'h » e>-PP'y o" 

 reasonable terms. 



LONDON ALiJRKETS.— Febbuabt 6. 

 POTILTKY. 

 We have a good supply and a dull tr-ide. Wo may now look daily for an 

 im|>ruvoment, as the House meets and London fill*, 

 s. d. B. d. 



Large Fowls 3 „ 3 6 



Si,«llerdo 2 „ 2 6 



fMckcns 1 8 ,1 1 9 



0.-.-e 6 „ 6 



Phoa.ant* 3 „ 3 3 



I (julnea Powta 2 3 .. 3 » 



Grouse J 



Partridge* - 



Hares 2 



Kabbita 1 



wild do 



Pigeons 8 



d. 



