300 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. [ April u, 1805. 



this is effeot-ed the old hives may be removed, and their con- 

 tents appropriated by the apiarian ; but the time required 

 to effect the change depends entirely on the season and the 

 strength of the colonies. This appears at first sight an 

 easy mode of transferring bees to new hives, and has been 

 frequently recommended as such. It is, bo\rever, open to 

 the serious objection that they are very liable, under such 

 circumstances, to construct an undue proportion of drone 

 comb, and when this takes place it is fatal to the future 

 prosperity of the stock. Your best plan will be to multiply 

 your colonies and stock your improved hives with artificial 

 Bwarms formed in the manner described and recommended 

 by Mr. Woodbury in No. 161 of our new series.] 



HONEY GATHEEING FROJI CLOVEE. 



" P. M." says he takes one crop oif the clover and then one 

 from the heather, but he can never take one off the clover, 

 for the tongue of the honey bee is too short, and never takes 

 anything from clover. The bumble or humble bee has a 

 long tongue, which can enter the clover. — T.S. 



["P.M." doubtless meant the white clover, although he 

 did not specify it. Although the honey in re,^, clover is not 

 accessible t-o the hive bee, the white vai-iety is well known to 

 be one of the best, if not the very best, of our bee flowers.] 



PAEEOT MANAGEMENT. 



Salt, meat, and brass are all pernicious to Parrots. Meat 

 produces liver complaints ; contact with brass, cancer of the 

 tongue — of this I have seen a miserable victim. It should 

 be avoided in all cages as they will gnaw it. There should 

 be no wu-e grating at the bottom of their cages, but dry, 

 well-sanded or gravelled boards. They like to roost flat-foot 

 at the bottom. Sometimes Pai-rots in a wild state roost in 

 the hollows of trees and rocks, and it is cruel to keep them 

 with their claws alwajs painfully stretched over round and 

 slippery perches. Two perches shouli furnish their cage, 

 one less than the other. This eases the feet, which sooie- 

 times become galled, and the birds can hardly stand, yet 

 by-standers do not comprehend their uneasiness. 



Male birds are subject to fits in the spring, and some to 

 cramp in the stomach, which makes them stagger. Place 

 the bird on a flat bottle of warm water, well wrapped round 

 in flannel not to scorch his feet ; he likes the warmth, and 

 will sooner recover. Parrots eac the stones rather than fruit 

 itself of grapes, cherries, and plums. These last must be 

 cracked for them. They delight in the green buds and young 

 seed of cabbage, and Indian corn when young, and will tear 

 off its many sheaths and devour two or three if they can 

 get them, also vegetable marrow boiled and caravansa 

 white beans, broad beans as well. An occasional nutmeg 

 does the Parrot good. A capital 

 contrivance for a perch is to have 

 a round tabular dish in the 

 middle, and then two perches 

 running under it thus — o~~~> 



The two o o hold water and 

 sop, and the table, screwed to the 

 npright perch, the general food ; 

 the whole must bu kept well 

 scrubbed and clean. Then the 

 bird makes no mess about the room. — OBNiTHOLoaiST. 



LUIIING BIEDS TO A HOME. 



If "Amateur" will procure eggs of the birds she (for 

 " A. J. a." presumes " Amateur" is a lady) wishoH to have, 

 and take the Sparrows' eggs carefully out of the nests and 

 replace them with an equal number of Bullfinch or Ijinnet 

 eggs, the iSparrowB will hatch and rear them if the transfer 

 is done with discretion. The eggs to bo hatched must be 

 taken very gently and carried Irom one nest to the other 

 in cotton or wool in a box ; they must be handled as little as 

 possible, and, of course, put into the Sparrow's nest while 

 the bird is off it, and the nest must not again bo visited, 

 otherwise the bird will forsake it. 



1 am not sure whether a Sparrow would hatch Blackbirds' 



or Thrushes' eggs, but I fancy not ; however, it might be 

 worth trying. 



"A. J. G." has seen Starlings induced to build by having 

 a small packing-case, made to resemble a small dog-kennel, 

 and placed at the top of a pole. On the little platform 

 in front of the house the old birds used to feed their 

 young, a most amusing sight, and the chattering of these 

 birds is very curious. The pole was a common larch pole 

 10 or 12 feet high, the box was about 18 inches long and 

 about 14 inches high, and the little platform was about 

 IS inches square in front of the house, it was a projecting 

 piece from the boards on which the house was fastened. 

 'The birds came back to it year after year. 



Do Brahma Pootras generally lay while they are young ? 

 "A. J. G." has some hatched last April, and they are said 

 not to have laid yet. 



An " Amateur " asks " What can I do to induce Bull- 

 finches to come into my garden, and what sort of meat 

 should I provide ? " I heartily join him in this inquiry in 

 the hope that some one will point out a means by which 

 he may be supplied with Bullfinches, Chaflinches, &c., to 

 the benefit of myself and others who grow pear, plum, 

 cherry, and gooseberry trees, and thus be the means of 

 transferring those troublesome pests to " Amateur." 



We can willingly dispense with them and would recom- 

 mend him to try the plan of growing such trees, of the buds 

 of which they are so fond that I have had some trees not 

 only rendered fruitless, but nearly destroyed by them at this 

 season of the year. The centre of the bud is enclosed and 

 blanched, therefore sweet. It has been said by somo they 

 find grubs inside, if gruh is intended I readily fall into that 

 opinion, but I have repeatedly examined buds and never yet 

 have found (jrubs within any of the buds on their favoui-ite 

 trees. — W. G. 



OuE first Tame Pheasant laid on the 5th of April — 

 a Chinese hen. — J. 



Yesterday (April 5) I heard and saw the Chiff-Chaff, 

 being the first of our summer visitants I have observed this 

 year. — Arthur Spart, St. Alban's. 



OUR LETTEE BOX. 



Crtstal Palace Poultut Show (D. J\').— Apply to the Secretary, 

 Crystal Palace. We do not linow. 



Duck Laying Soft Egos (/. J. 77.).— Your Ducks are over-fed. Give 

 thi:in whole oatH, in a troiit^b, with plenty of gravel, the whole covered with 

 water. Meul and wornin are not the very beet of food. Your Guinea 

 Fo«"1b oupht to lay in a fortnight. 



Hatching PARTitinoE Cocirm Eggs {Partridge Cochin).— ^ye believe 

 their eggs will be good for a month after laying. Some limit the time to a 

 fortnight. 



Cochin Cockkkel's Legs Paiulysed {F. (?.).— Your coclt is suffering 

 from cr.iini), or from weakness, or both ; probably the latter. If he is now 

 nine months old, be would lie an August bird ; before he was out of harm's 

 way lie wap overtaken by the long winter which lias just terminated. He 

 li.is grown in hnglli and lielgbt, but not in btrenglh. It Is at all times a 

 mi-liike lo keep au iiutumn biid lor a breeder, but doubly so after such a 

 trying time. His trciituient will bo c-istor oil every other day for a week, 

 followed by slimuUting loud, as bread and ale, or raw yolks of egg. In our 

 opinion he is not wonii saving. 



CfirCKV.NS Dying L'Ki--oaK CoiirPLETBLY Hatched [Poultry). — Your eggs 

 are too dry; moisten thciii every day for a week before halching. We 

 should think your hens had line. Let' them Imve plenty of dust in their 

 haunts. To bring your llaoiborgli cock into showing condition there is 

 no better food than ground oats mixed with milk. Uoasted fresh meat, 

 clioppetl fine, and cliopped igg^, are also good. 



Iltiir anu Pautuihok Coi'tiiNs in Same ItuN {Percy Cross),— Wo advise 

 you to wait at least a month. Others, and good authorities, will tell you a 

 forinlglit i>* enougli. 



J'AuiioT Management {A Suh.icrihir) —Your Parrots may be fed on 

 bread and milk, sonkird Indian corn, and such fruits as tbey will cat. Lot 

 tlii-io have a aoup plate, or sotiie i.h.iilow vessels of water, to batho in ; but 

 If tliey do not bathe voluutarl.y give them a good shower bith from i. 

 watering-pot during fine weather. Thiir plucking off their feathers may 

 iiriso from irritaiiiiity in the nkin, eauted by imeroper food, as meat, or 

 hoiii iiifeets. If from the latter ciiukc dust some flowers of sulphur among 

 the fealbcrs. The law place may be anointed with unsiUed butter or lard. 

 When the hkln Is more healtliv, new feitliers will grow where those have 

 bei'ii plucked out. If bitten otr, the stumps will be replaced at the moulting 

 tio.e. To teach th'-m totals y- u must inako them t^me and familiar, and 

 eouitantly repeat the words di'slinctly to thorn which you desire them to 

 learn.— B. P. B. 



Beis Dtino (./. Ilryan, Aot/,tfon).-Your bees moi-t probably died of 

 dysentery, brought on by long confinement during the late protracto*! 

 winter. If tliere lie nothing amiss with the combs beyond a slight mouidi- 

 uess, wo ehoultl not be afraid to use the hives as they are. 



