480 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
{ December 19, 1878, 
abundance of food for them, such as old blackberries, privet | 
berries, and dock seed ; but they never begin on the privet berries 
as arule until after the frost has touched them. The Aberde- 
vines, or Siskins, have entirely disappeared, the cause being that 
there is no alder seed this year; the birds subsist almost entirely 
on alder seed during their stay here in the winter, and never breed 
in this country nearer than the north of Scotland. 
The Scotch Larks are unusually abundant in England this 
season; they locate themselyes on the clover and grass lands, 
where they are taken by thousands on dull nights with the trammel 
nets. At this time of year they are sold dead indiscriminately, 
both cocks and hens, just as they are caught. By the end of 
January the catchers can find ready purchasers of the live cock 
birds. The price of cock Larks then rises monthly up to the end 
of April. In January they fetch 4s,a dozen, in April there is a 
ready market at 12s. a dozen. 
Woodpigeons are very numerous this winter, and large numbers 
are now in the London market. Just now they are in the very 
finest condition, and are regular “ lumps of meat.” They are very 
good for table when stuffed with sage and onions and roastéd as 
are Ducks. When the severe weather sets in the damage that will 
be done to the farmers by Woodpigeons will be alarming ; they will 
destroy large quantities of Swedes and turnips, spoiling more than 
they eat. These birds peck out the heart of the green part in the 
centre of the turnip; in doing this they make a deep hole, the 
water then gets in, and the turnips are destroyed by the first frost. 
This year there are no beech-nuts ; the Woodpigeons, therefore, 
will more than ever make inroads among the turnips. Wood- 
pigeons also do much damage to the vetches grown for early lamb 
feeding.—(Daily News.) 
VARIETIES. 
WE hear that in spite of some financial failure at the late 
Wolverhampton Shows, the public-spirited Committee have decided 
to hold another Show on January 24th, 25th, and 27th, under the 
rules of the Poultry Club. 
THE report of the Council of the Royal Agricultural 
Society of England states that during the year 1878 the number 
of governors and members had been increased by the election of 
four governors and 451 members, and diminished by the death of 
five governors and 110 members, and the removal of 183 members 
by order of the Council and by resignation. The Society now 
consists of 79 life governors, 73 annual governors, 2377 life mem- 
bers, 4242 annual members, and 26 honorary members, making a 
total of 6797, and showing an increase of 157 members during the 
current year. The funded property of the Society remained the 
same as at the last general meeting—namely, £26,511 11s. 5d. New 
Three per Cents. The balance of the current account in the 
hands of the bankers on the Ist inst. was £942 19s. 10d., and the 
sum of £1000 remains on deposit. 
— THHERE are but few persons, observes an American jour- 
nal, who can help admiring a small flock of Bantams, for their 
proud sprightly ways are sure to gain them admirers, and this 
feeling is shared by age and youth alike. Asa pp eene to a boy 
or girl no better one can be given than a pair of Bantams if they 
have the room to rear them, which need not be large, for a small 
ard will be ample space for them to exercise in, while the amount 
of food they consume is so small that it is not noticed, the scraps 
from the table keeping them abundantly supplied. A house can 
soon be made from a large box, which can be ornamented as best 
suits the taste and convenience of the owner. One desirable 
feature in regard to Bantams is that they are eminently useful 
pets, for they are invariably good layers, no matter what the 
breed, and their small plump bodies are more delicious eating. 
WORKER BEES SETTING EGGS—FERTILE 
WORKERS. 
AT page 420 of this Journal your correspondent “ A RENFREW- 
SHIRE BEE-KEEPER” says, “ Under like fayourable circumstances, 
after many years’ observation, we haye never had the good for- 
tune to see workers setting eggs or yet met with any bee-keeper who 
had. Being so profoundly ignorant of the matter I would be 
delighted to receive information how it is gone about.” Some 
years ago, whilst conducting experiments. with a hive which was 
swarmed artificially, I found that the bees removed a great number 
of eggs from a sheet of worker comb and placed them in another 
large sheet of drone comb from which they reared drones. How 
it is gone about I cannot say. The removal of the eggs took 
place after the removal of the queen from the hive. 
About three years ago fertile workers were very abundant in 
Aberdeenshire ; so much so that I offered a prize of 21s. for the 
best specimen of a fertile worker, to be exhibited in an observatory 
hive. No sooner was the schedule issued than I received many 
letters informing me that there would be a keen competition for 
my prize. One bee-master wrote to say that he had the bee 
wanted, and would of course exhibit her ; “but,” said the writer, 
“if she perish before the day of the exhibition I will obtain one 
from the south, as they are very abundant about Lanarkshire.” 
The day of the exhibition came, but to my great disappointment 
there was not a single exhibit. I asked several of my corre- 
spondents why they did not bring their fertile workers ; the in- 
variable answer was, “she died.” Since then I have not heard of 
any fertile workers in this county.—A. Cocksury, Aberdeenshire. 
SWARMING AND NON-SWARMING. 
Mr. A. Pettigrew is very far wrong on page 160. The clergy- 
man had 445 Ibs. super honey from eight Stewarton stocks, which, 
had he sold at his own door, as I did mine, at 1s. 6d. tb. comes to 
£33 7s. 6d.—equal to a dividend of £4 3s. 5d. from each stock without 
run honey or touching his capital. The thatcher had 64 Ibs. super 
honey from five straw skeps, which at 1s. 6d. lb. comes to £4 16s., or 
a dividend of 19s, 2d. each stock ; but Mr. Pettigrew, like some bank 
directors, to give the appearance of a big dividend melts up the 
entire capital of the five stocks into 350 fbs. run honey at 1s., or 
£17 10s.; this added to the dividend of £416s. makes £22 6s., or 
£4 9s. 2d. each in value, principal and interest, My Stewarton stock 
gave me £5 2s. of interest for capital invested, and, like the 
clergyman’s, remains to work for me another year.—J. R. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32° 40" N.; Long. 0° 80" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 9 AM. IN THE DAY. 
re 2.:| Hygrome-| 85 [Se Shade Tem-!_ Radiation a 
78 nae ter. Sa lea g| perature. Temperature, g 
Dee. a) Seas In | On 
s AS Max.| Min.| sun. | grass 
deg, | deg. deg. deg. | In. 
We. 1 N. 33.6 | 26.0 | 87.0 | 26.0 | 0.015 
Th. 12 W. 29.8 | 2 $2.0 | 249 | — 
Fri. 13 N.. | 89.7 | 23. 29.8 21.0 — 
2 | N.N.E.| 345 | 30.8 | 212 | 9357 | Isa | = 
W. | 34.0 | 349 | 91:7 41.2 19.3 | 0.026 
N.N.W.) 34.0 | 34.7 | 99.2 36.0 | 25.3 | 0.010 
W. | 340 | 328 | 23.2 85.2 | 221 | — 
Means| 29.664 346 | 32.3 | 24.5 | 358 | 22.3 0.051 
REMARKS. 
11th.—Cold with snow until 5 P.M.; moonlight night. Lunar halo 9P.mM. 
12th.—Very cold and thick all day; dark very early in afternoon. 
13th.—Bright and clear in early morning ; sharp frost ; little sunshine in 
morning, overcast and rather foggy after 3 P.M.; starlight night. 
14th.—Clear, bright, and very cold day ; starlight night. 
15th.—Sunshiny morning, a little soft hail fell at 1 P.M.; thick snow fora 
short time afterwards ; overcast evening. 
16th.—Misty morning ; dull and very dark all day, with sleet and snow. 
Partial thaw. 
17th.—Fine and brighter day, but very cold; starlight evening. 
An extremely cold week, more than 10° below the average. The cold, 
however, has been persistent rather than intense, as we have at present had 
no minima at all nearly as low as in 1860 and 1867. ‘The total fall of snow 
is as yet quite insignificant. 
18th (9 A.M.) —Rapid thaw, temperature 37°.—G. J. SYMONS, 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.—DECEMBER 18, 
THERE is little alteration in our Market except among vegetables, the 
recent frosts checking the supplies considerably. 
FRUIT. 
s.d. s.d. 3 ds. a 
Applests.seves vc 4sieve 2 0to5 0} Melons each 0 0to0 O 
Aprico: dozen 0 0 O 0} Nectar dozen 00 00 
Cherries vib 0 0 0 0! Oranges #100 4 0 10 O 
Chestnuts bushel 12 0 16 0| Peaches dozen 09 00 
Currants zsieve 0 0 0 0} Pears, ki dozen 00 § 0 
Black #sieve 0 0 0 0 dessert dozen 3 0 8 0 
Figs .... dozen 0 0 O 0) Pine Appl vib 20 40 
Filberts Pl. 09 10 i S dsieve 00 00 
Cobs ..... fe vib oo 10 tb. 00 00 
Gooseberries.... quart 0 0 0 0) tb. 00 00 
Grapes,hothouse @fb 1°6 6 0} Walnuts bushel 0 0 0 0 
Lemons ........ ~100 4 0 8 0] ditto.. P10 00 9 0 
VEGETABLES. 
sid. sod. : s.d. 3a 
Artichokes...... dozen 2 0to4 0|}Mushrooms.... pottle 1 6to2 4 
Asparagus...... bundle 0 0 0 0} Mustard & Cress punnet 0 2 0 0 
Beans, Kidney.. #100 1 0 1 6] Onions bushel 2 6 8 0 
Beet, Red ...... dozen 16 3 0 ickli quart 0 4 00 
Broccoli ........ bundle 0 9 16 bunches 2 0 0 0 
Brussels Sprouts #sieve 2 0 4 0 dozen 00 00 
Cabbage .....2.. ozen 10 2 0 quart 0 0 00 
Carrots bunch 0 4 0 8 bushel 8 6 4 6 
Capsi #100 16 2 0 Kiduey bushel 40 5 0 
Cauliflower dozen 38 0 6 0} Radishes.. bunches 0 0 0 0 
Celera ence bundle 1 6 2 0} Rhubarb.. bundle 0 0 0 6 
Coleworts..doz.bunches 2 0 4 0| Salsafy bundle 0 9 10 
Cucumbers .... each 0 4 I 0 | Scorzonera bundle 10 0 0 
Endive Zi 1 0 2 0/|Seakale .... basket 2 6 3 6 
Fennel 0 3 O 0/ Shallots .. vib 0s 0 0 
Garlic .. 0 6 O 0} Spinach .. bushel 2 6 4 0 
Herbs .. 0 2 O 0} Lurnips -.iiis: . bunch 0 2 0 6 
Leeks 0 2 O 4 {| Veg.Marrows.. each 00 00 
