86 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 27, 1876. 



honey. His expenses amounted to £15, chiefly for sugar to 

 create a stock to succeed those taken for honey. I reckon 40 lbs. 

 of honey annually per stock hive for a run of seasons a satis- 

 factory and fair return. 



The system of managing bees which we have so often recom- 

 mended and so long followed will be practised till the end — ■ 

 namely, large strong stocks, first swarms from them as early as 

 possible, two harvests of honey in good seasons, *ne first from 

 stock hives three weeks after swarming, and the second from 

 the heavy hives (all beyond 60 lbs. weight) in September. At 

 the first harvest the bees will be driven into empty hives to find 

 for themselves, and in September they will be united to the 

 hives kept for stock, or fed into stocks themselves. Though 

 we like to have second swarms or casts we shall not seek them, 

 for most of our hives go from home during the swarming season 

 and are managed with the least possible attention. 



But whatever system of management my readers may adopt 

 or follow, let it be firmly and intelligently grasped, and diligently 

 carried out and developed, for bee-keeping does and will pay. 

 Amateurs as well as farmers should have a definite system, and 

 be determined not to be unduly influenced by every wind of 

 novelty. — A. Pettigbew, Priory Vineyard. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Mas. Tuppee (J. S.). — Not having inserted any of her communication e we 

 think it needless to copy the warnings of our American contemporaries that 

 the unfortunate lady is not responsible. 



Ornamental GoodLayebs {Whaley Bridge).— Silver-pencilled Hamburghs. 

 Your Btrawberries are over- luxuriant; the soil too rich probably. Continue 

 the mowing-off the leaves. 



Geeen Pabrakeets {Amateur}. — Keep your partly moulted bird free from 

 draught. Nothing will conduce more to bring about good plumage than keep- 

 ing birds in a cleanly condition and supplying them with wholesome food. 

 If the Parrakeet you speak of is one known as a " Bengal " yon may expect 

 the plumage not to be so bright a green as an Australian Parrakeet, although 

 of a more confirmed green colour. You may supply the birds with Canary 

 and hemp seed, with the addition of grass seeds to the bird if a Grass Parra- 

 keet. We will give you a bint or two on exhibiting in our next iBBue. 



Food for Bullfinches— Mutilation of Feathebs (A. B. G ). — Those 

 who keep Bullfinches in London have not thu facility of obtaining berries 

 and budB of various kinds as food equal to those in rural districts, and as 

 your requeBt is for the " beet green food for Bullfinches in London," we ad- 

 vise you to give your birds occasionally watercress, grass seeds, small salad, 

 and a bit of apple in addition to the steeped rape Beed and hemp. Furnish 

 the latter sparingly, as it is so heating and affects Bullfinches more than other 

 kinds of cage birds. Many instances are known of blindness or change in 

 colour of plumage and a general wasting away occurring through a free use 

 of hemp. Exceptions still may be found to the contrary, and much depends 

 upon the bird's constitution and varied and confined temperature. We cer- 

 tainly think birds must possess extraordinary appetites when, as you ask the 

 question, "they begin to eat each other's feathers." Apparently they may 

 appear to be so doing. If a new quill feather Bhould be ruthlessly drawn 

 from a wing or tail Bullfinches and other small cage birds will extract from 

 the .-tump a moisture which one might imagine was a savoury treat to them 

 to judge from the pains they bestow to "chavel " up the quill end. It is a 

 very common occurrence for birds to pluck and destroy each other's feathers 

 in confinement, and the habit once acquired can only be effectually prevented 

 by separating the birds. Many old birds (CanarieB, for instance) will begin 

 to mutilate their young as soon almost as they leave their nests, when the 

 budaing tail quills are fully charged with moisture. Birds also acquire this 

 destructive habit to each other when the plumage is out of order or any of 

 the feathers are disarranged, especially during the moulting sickness. We 

 have ourselves had an instance of feather-mutilation within the paBt few 

 days — that of a Mule (a pied one not to be despised either), having its flight 

 feathers curled with the constant pulling at them with the beak of another 

 Mule as effectually as though done with a hairdresser's curling-iron. Our 

 remedy to straighten such feathers is to dip them in hot water for half a 

 minute and draw them betwixt the thumb and finger, afterwards to let the 

 birds have the benefit of a "fly" cage where they can freely bathe. Birds 

 when limi ted to space are more apt to disfigure each other's feathers. 



Parbot Self- plucked (J. J. P.).— AU the varieties of Parrots are fond of 

 gnawing, and when not able to gratify this natural propensity they bite off 

 their feathers. To prevent your bird destroying its plumage, fasten a piece 

 of wood inside its cage with wire, with which you will find it will amuse 

 itself. Change its food as often as possible by giving it fruit, boiled rice, 

 nuts, &c, and a little magnesia might be occasionally pntjnto itB drinking 

 trough. 



Moving Hives to the Moors (F. D.). — The nearer beea are placed to 

 their pasture the more honey will they gather ; but at half a mile distant 

 from a good field of heather they will collect large stores of it, weather per- 

 mitting. Bees find and work on good pasture a mile distant from their 

 homes. 



Combs Melted (Smallioood). — The fact that the combs of your hive have 

 fallen down, with honey xuDning out and the bees clustering outside of your 

 hive, is proof that it has not been sufficiently protected from the rays of the 

 sun during the late very hot weather. We are sorry you have not had con- 

 fidence and courage enough to pat the bees into a fresh hive and take the 

 honey at the time. In doing it now you will probably find an unsightly mess 

 of smothered bees and broken combs inside. First get a bit of old fustian 

 cloth or old cotton ragB rolled together like a candle, and fire it at one end 

 to Bmoke as much as possible, bat not to blaze, and blow the smoke on the 

 clusters outBide and brush them all into aa empty hive; then blow the 

 smoke into the hive and turn it up. If all the combs are on the board, lift 

 the combs singly and brush the bees into the hive beside tbose that were out- 

 side. Of course you will remove the super before you turn up the hive. 

 With plenty of smoke and a little courage any novice could do this. There 

 will be found much loss in this breakdown, even if the honey has not been 

 taken by other bees in your neighbourhood. The sooner you take what honey 



you can, and eet your bees to work in another hive, the better it will be both 

 for you and them. 



Mabriott's Hive [Triceps). — Your swarm of June 1st in this hive seems 

 to be doing well, and no doubt the bees had killed off their drones before the lat e 

 splendid weather set in. Their being busy and noisy at night indicates pro- 

 sperity. You may give them the wooden hive you speak of, but they will 

 hardly make use of it. We should prefer eking the super. 



Preserving Peas Green (J. Taylor).— Pick them when full grown, shell 

 them, dry them gently but thoroughly, and then store them in canvas bags 

 in a dry place. When required for use soak them in water for a few hours 

 until plumped-up, and then boil them. The following mode has been re- 

 ported to us by a person well qualified to judge of such matters as being very 

 successful : — Carefully shell the peas, then put them in tin canisters, not too 

 large ; put in a small piece of alum, about the Bize of a horsefcean, to a pint 

 of peas. When the canister is full of peas fill up the interstices with water, 

 and solder on the lid pei'fectly air-tight, and boil the canister for about 

 twenty minutes ; then remove them to a cool place, and they will be found 

 in January but little inferior to fresh newly gathered peas. Bottling is not 

 so good — at least, we have not found it so ; the air gets in, the liquid turns 

 sour, and the peas acquire a bad taBte. If any of our readera know of a suc- 

 cessful mode of preserving peas green we shall be obliged by their com- 

 municating it to us. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Camden Square, London. 



Lat. 51° S2' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



Date. 







9 AM. 









In thb Day. 









.» 



Hygrome- 

 ter. 



"•3 



= ^ 



Shade Tem- 



Radiation 



■§ 



1876. 



Baromt 



ter at 3 



and He 



Level. 



1! 



5° 





perature. 



Temperature. 



w 



July. 



Dry. Wet. 



Max. 



Min. 



In 



sun. 



On 



grass 







Inches. 



deg. deg. 





deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



In. 



We. 19 



3). 074 



69.6 



N.W. 



69.0 



80.4 



59.4 



128.9 



532 



— 



Th. 20 



80.209 



7 1. i;s. 



W. 



68.9 



83.2 



59.0 



125.8 



63.2 



— 





30.170 



71. , 64.0 



N.E. 



70.0 



84.2 



57.3 



124.4 



53.2 



— 





30/45 



72.6 54.7 



N.E. 



69.0 



89.1 



67.6 



126 6 



53 2 



— 





•,9911 



62.2 < 59.8 



N.W. 



69.4 



73.2 



62.2 



113.9 



60.5 



0.027 



Mo. 24 



29.981 



6J.8 j 67.7 



N.W. 



67.4 



72.8 



64.5 



117.6 



50.7 



— 



Tn. 25 



30.114 



68.1 59.7 



N.W. 



65.6 



85.0 



54.0 



128.7 



47.8 



— 



Means. 



30.08 i 



67.7 



61.7 





8.5 



81.1 



67.7 



123.7 



531 



0.027 



REMARKS. 

 19th.— Rather dull morning, warm and fine all day; rather more damp than 



it has been lately. 

 20th.— Very fine and hot all day, and starlit night. 



21st.— Misty early, but clearing off before 9 a.m. ; a fine and very warm day. 

 22nd.— A splendid hot bright day : particularly warm in the evening. 

 23rd. — Slight rain between 9 and 10 a.m., then fine till 8.15 p.m., when a 



slight thunderstorm commenced, lasting to 8.50, but it was very slight, 



and very distant to the north-east ; the remainder of the night wag 



very fine. 

 24tb.— A comparatively cool day, with occasional BUnBhine and very bright 



night. 

 25th.— A very fine day, much warmer than yesterday, especially in the 



evening. 

 Slightly cooler than the previous week, but very fine summer weather, with 

 only one trifling shower. Since June 23rd less than a quarter of an inch of 

 rain has fallen.— G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— July 26. 

 Theee is no alteration in the prices to report from last weak. 



Apples jBieve 



Apricots box 



Cherries lb. 



Cnestnuts bushel 



Currants J sieve 



Black do. 



Figa dozen 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse. . . . lb. 



Lemons ^100 



MelonB each 



s. d. 

 5 to 5 

 

 6 

 



Mulberries lb. 



Nectarines dozen 6 



Oranges V 100 6 



PeacheB dozen 6 



Pears, kitchen.... dozen 



dessert dozen 



Pine Apples .lb. 2 



Plums J Beive 



Quinces bushel 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts bushel 



ditto ^100 



OtoO 

 21 



vegetables. 



Artichokes dozen 4 



Asparagus ^103 1 



French bundle 



Beans, Kidney $*-lb. 



Beet, Ked dozen 1 



Broccoli bundle o 



Brussels Sprouts i sieve 



Cabbage dozen 1 



Carrots bunch 



Capsicums ** 100 1 



Cauliflower dozen 1 



Celery bun-ile 1 



Coieworts.. doz. bunches 2 



Cucumbers each 



Endive dozen 1 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs ■ bunch 



Horseradish.... bundle 4 



Lettuce dozen o 



French Cabbage 1 



d. 



oto 



6 

 



a. a. 



11 u 



6 







1 

 3 



1 6 

 



2 

 8 





 

 



Leeks bunch 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress punnet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley.... doz. bunches 



Parsnips dozen 



Peaa quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salaafy bundle 



Scorzonera bundle 



Seakale basket 



ShaUots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes dozen 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows 



B. d. s. 



4to0 



10 2 



2 



2 u 



o 



2 -0 

 n 

 9 

 6 

 

 

 3 

 9 

 

 

 S 

 6 



