60 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 18, 1878. 
—— 
chickens left under an apple tree affected with cankerworms or 
caterpillars, will reduce the stock and finally exterminate them. 
One of the most successful fruit-growers we are acquainted with 
keeps poultry constantly under his trees. The apples and pears are 
fair, and he has paying crops every year.—(American Agriculturist.) 
—— STILTON CHEESE acquired its name from Stilton in Hunt- 
ingdonshire, where it was first publicly sold; but it is said 
to have been first made at Wymondham, near Melton Mow- 
bray. At the Bell Inn, Stilton, it obtained such celebrity as to 
be sold by the landlord at 2s. 6d. a pound, and was called the 
English Parmesan. The process of making it was long kept as a 
secret. To the morning’s new milk add the skimmed cream of 
the preceding evening’s milking, with a proper quantity of rennet. 
When the curd has come it should not be broken in the usual 
way, but should be taken off carefully, and placed in a sieve to 
drain gradually. As it drains, gently press the cheese till it 
becomes firm and dry, and when taken from the vat keep it till 
quite firm, and repeatedly brush it. Great care is required to 
keep the cheese sweet and good till fit for use; the time of keep- 
ing till quite ripe is from twelve to eighteen months. In order 
to eat a Stilton cheese in perfection you must not only have one 
made of rich milk, but manage it well after itis made. To hasten 
the growth of green mould, several pieces of mouldy or over-ripe 
cheese are inserted into holes made for the purpose by a taster ; 
wine or ale is then poured in. But the best Stiltons do not require 
this, for they are in perfection when the inside is soft and rich, 
like butter, without any appearance of mouldiness. In France, 
when a Stilton has become very dry, dealers wash it several times 
in soft water, and then lay it in a cloth moistened with wine or 
vinegar till it becomes soft and mellow, which it will inevitably 
do if it be a rich cheese. This simple method is generally prac- 
tised in Switzerland, where cheeses are kept stored for many 
years, and if they were not salt and dry they would soon be the 
prey of worms and mites. It is then put into a shape in the 
form of a cylinder, 8 or 9 inches in diameter. When it is sufficiently 
firm a cloth or tape is wound round 1t to prevent its breaking, and 
itis set on a shelf. It is occasionally powdered with flour, and 
plunged in hot water; this hardens the outer coat, and favours 
the internal fermentation, which ripens it—(Cassell’s Household 
Guide.) 
HONEY PROSPECTS. 
THE last paragraph of Mr. Pettigrew’s letter, July 11th, is most 
encouraging, and will, I hope, be verified in many parts of Great 
Britain. Here in West Norfolk we have hitherto had a season of 
swarming rather than honey-gathering, though there was much 
of both at the beginning of June. The latter half of the month 
was on the whole unfavourable. With the “ good time coming ” 
whoih Mr. Pettigrew promises us the much-needed addition to our 
stocks may be of great service next year, and there may eyen be 
a fair amount of run honey. But it is now too late to expect 
much from supers, and those that do get filled will not command 
high prices. 
I have this year taken two supers full but imperfectly sealed, 
and have two fine ones not quite ready ; whereas last year, much 
abused as it was, I had taken several full and well sealed a fort- 
night earlier. Perhaps some of your correspondents who go in 
for early supers will tell us how this year suits them.—E. H. R. 
P.S.—Has anyone observed the rich colour of the early comb 
this year? As a rule the first combs in hive or super are of a 
delicate straw colour, which deepens as the summer advances. 
This year my late combs are the paler of the two. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
BACK DORKINGS (J. S. 7.).—We have often heard of jet black Dorkings, 
but haye never seen them. Some of the largest and best birds of the breed 
were very dark, and appeared black when hatched. Such were the birds 
shown for some years by Lord Berwick. No speckle or spangle on the 
plumage, but a very dark, almost black, feather, relieved by a white shaft. 
Such generally had brown breasts. The cocks showed brown, and sometimes 
white feathers, especially in the tail. There are frequently many changes to 
take place after chickens are eight weeks old, and we have little hesitation in 
saying that if they are black-feathered now they will not remain so. A 
black Dorking is an impossibility. It is the only inadmissible colour. Our 
advice to you is to buy the cocks, to put them with your own, and to choose 
for size and symmetry, shutting your eyes to feather. We have often seen 
these dark cocks birds of great size, and many of those that gained renown 
for Admiral Hornby were very dark. 
CHICKEN FASTING (Ff. C.).—Fourteen days is a long period for a three- 
months-old chicken to have been without food ; but we heard of a hen that 
was rather longer fasting, yet survived and lived for a year after. 
HIVES WITH OLD Comps (Zriceps).—As the combs of your hiyes which 
have not swarmed are old and discoloured we advise you to drive the bees 
out of them into two empty hives and take their honey. If the weather 
become unfavourable for honey-gathering let the bees in the empty hives 
be well fed, and they will become far better stocks for keeping than the old 
ones. Let the bees be driven on an eyening about seven o’clock ; the process 
is simple and easy. 
TIERS OF SUPERS (F. J.).—Theoretically you are right in fancying that 
in placing a tier of supers on a hive the empty one should be next the hive 
or nearest home. Bees naturally store honey at the upmost and outermost 
points of their combs, and fill-up towards the centre. Thus, naturally, the 
finished supers should be above those that are in process of being filled and 
not travelled over by bees carrying honey to empty ones above them. Mr. 
Fox’s supers about 100 tbs. each were filled on his adjusting principle— 
that is, by raising the super stage by stage, and thus keeping the bees at 
work near the crowns of their hives. Mr. Fox said he did not think his 
large supers could have been filled on any other principle. Your idea of 
placing the empty supers beneath the full ones is quite in harmony with 
the laws of Nature and the opinions and practice of Mr. Fox. But those 
who have managed the Stewarton hives for years approve of the empty 
supers being placed uppermost, and it appears they practise this mode of 
action, and as they are honest practical apiarians we are bound to respect 
their opinions, Though they have not given us good reasons, or, perhaps; 
any reasons at all for placing the empty supers above the full ones, doubtless 
they are able to do so. Weshould be thankful if our friends will give us 
their reasons for choosing the course they pursue. The subject is important 
and should be well ventilated and understood. At present we are in fayour 
of full supers being removed from their hives as fast as they are filled and 
finished. 
FOREIGN INSECTS (Z., Dorset).—The insects forwarded are of the species 
commonly known as Anthrenus Muscorum, beetles belonging to the family 
Ptinidz, in which are included several species only too destructive to speci- 
mens preserved in cabinets. The fact that the case appeared to be securely 
closed-up would be no obstacle to the parent beetles ; the eggs being laid in 
some tiny crack in the wood, the young larve would gradually work their 
way in. In such a case the insects must be removed from the infected case 
and exposed to the vapour of benzoline, or they might be placed for a short 
time in an oven ere placed in a new receptacle. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32: 40" N.; Long. 0° 8’ 0" W.3; Altitude, 111 feet. 
9 AM. IN THE Day. 
2 .| Hygrome-| 2= :|Shade Tem-|_ Radiation | & 
Sans ter. Sa perature. |Temperature.| & 
S205 SS |__| & 
July. |S525 Ee In On 
Tas as Max. | Min.} sun. | grass 
Inches deg. deg. In. 
We. 10 | 29.919 N.W. 70.4 119.6 — 
Th, 11 | 29.894 S.W. 69.5 120.0 - 
Fri. 12 | 29.887 N.W. 69.0 105.4 — 
Sat. 13 | 29.951 N.W. 749 124.8 =_— 
Sun.l4 | 30.093 N. 73.0 319.2 _ 
Mo. 15 | 30.202 W. 73.7 120.0 _ 
Tu. 16 | 30.286 W. 78.7 124.5 _ 
Means } 30.032 72.1 | 53.8 | 1192 = 
REMARKS. 
10th.—Fair but overcast ; dull cloudy evening. [evening. 
11th.—Dull but pleasant morning, sunny and bright after 4 P.M.; very fine 
12th.—Fair day but very cloudy, and almost sunless; very slight rain in 
evening ; dark night. 
13th.—Very bright sunny morning, cloudy dull afternoon; fine sunset. 
14th.—Fine throughout; very bright early, but afterwards overcast and 
close; slightly misty in evening. . [fine afternoon and eyening. 
15th.—Another fine day, overcast and stormy-looking from 0 to 1 P.M.; very 
16th.— Bright, sunny, and warm day. 
A yery fine week, but without extreme heat. 
SYMONS. 
No measurable rain.—G. J. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.—JULY 17. 
ALL kinds of soft fruit are now well in, and with fair crops are making 
good prices. The London season being nearly over, there has been a great 
decline in the value of Grapes, Peaches and Nectarines maintaining their 
prices. Pines are a good sale. 
FRUIT. 
s.d. s. d. s. d. & ad 
Apples ssieve 0 O0to0 0 | Melons. each 4 Otold 0 
Apricots dozen 1 0 3 0} Nectarin dozen 4 0 12 0 
Cherries tb 0 6 1 G| Oranges £100 8 0 16 O 
Chestnuts bushel 10 0 20 0) Peaches dozen 4 0 18 0 
Currants Zsieve 3 0 3 6/| Pears, ki dozen 0 0 0 0 
Black dsieve 6 0 6 6 dessert dozen 0 0 0 O 
Figs... dozen 6 0 12 0} Pine Appl Pib. 3 0 60 
Filbert: tb. 0 0 6 0} Piums.... dsieve 0 0 00 
Cobs......-.-. 1b 0 0 0 O| Raspberri eib. 06 10 
Gooseberries .. uart 0 6 O 9) Strawherrie eib. 06 10 
Grapes,hothouse tb 1 0 6 0| Walnuts bushel 5 0 8 0 
Lemons ........ Pp 100 6 0 10 0 ditto.. P1000 00 
VEGETABLES, 
“ S.d. Ss. d.) s.d. sa 
Artichokes dozen 2 0to4 0/|Mushrooms.... pottle 1 6to2 0 
Asparagus bundle 2 0 6 O| Mustard & Cress punnet 0 2 0 4 
Beans,Kid reed #100 0 6 2 0} Onions ........ bushel 2 6 3 0 
Beet, Red dozen 1 6 8 0} pickling...... quart 0 4 0 6 
Broccoli bundle 0 9 1 6 S - doz.bunches 2 0 0 0 
Brussels S 4sieve 0 0 00 i dozen 00 06 
Cabbage dozen 10 2 0 quart 0 9 10 
Carrots bunch 0 6 0 9 bushel 3 6 7 0 
Capsicu: #10016 20 ..._ bushel 5 0 7 0 
Cauliflow dozen 3 0 6 0 . doz.bunches 10 1 6 
Celery ... bundle 1 6 2 0|Rhubarb........ bundle 0 6 0 9 
Coleworts unches 20 4 0 Me a (Y 
Cucumber: each 0 4 1 0 10 00 
Endive dozen 10 2 0 00 00 
Fennel. bunch 038 0 0 03 40 
Garlic Pib. 0 6 00 26 40 
Herbs bunch 0 2 0 O| Turnips 06 09 
Leeks bunch 0 2 0 4/ Veg. Marrows.. each 0 4 0 6 
Lettuce - dozen 10 20 
