August 10, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



133 



loosens and rots the quills, and encourages a continual pecking 

 at and mutilation of the feathers by the birds. 'When meat is 

 supplied (only occasionally) it should be either on the bone of a 

 rabbit or fowl, which said bone should be pretty well polished 

 of the meat before it is given to the Parrot, for the trouble and 

 exercise it would afford Polly in denuding the bone of what little 

 it had on would really do the bird more good than if a free use 

 of meat was otherwise placed before it. 



Those who keep Parrots for their amusement should under- 

 stand that it is their duty to amuse them and make the birds as 

 familiar as possible. Let the word "kindness" be the keeper's 

 watchword in guiding them in their duty, allowing no one to 

 disconcert or harshly treat "poor Polly." One matter which 

 we have often noticed neglected is the placing of a Parrot in a 

 cage with only a bare perch for it to amuse itself with. In a 

 cage where there is much woodwork a Parrot will soon Bhow 

 proof of its wood-carviDg propensity. Indestructible metal 

 cages are preferable, with a swing for the bird. One of the 

 most amusing Parrots we have come across (a tolerable chatty 

 bird too) had suspended from the top part of the cage a couple 

 of chains, each a foot long, with which it was interesting to see 

 the bird climb up and swing by. The chains were first sus- 

 pended inside the cage by chance, owing to them slipping be- 

 twixt the wires when the cage was detached from the ceiling to 

 be cleaned out. They were ever afterwards allowed to hang 

 inside the cage, much to the pleasure of the Parrot. The bird 

 found continual amusement thereby, and was kept in good 

 action by its irregular movements. No doubt this conduced to 

 its general good health. - 



We have not much fault to find as to your general treatment, 

 but we would prefer soaked Indian corn and bread and milk as 

 the staple food, with meat or fruit occasionally for a change. 

 Some use their birds to hemp seed, others to bread and milk, 

 and we have noticed, out of many hundreds we have come 

 across, birdB apparently enjoying good health under various 

 treatment as to diet. We much approve of occasional shower 

 baths for Parrots. By all means discontinue the use of butter ; 

 bread soaked in milk is far preferable. The stomach of your 

 bird is in a weak condition, and butter will increase the vomit- 

 ing which occurs over the disease your bird is suffering from. 

 Give the sufferer two or three drops of castor oil twice a-week, 

 and a shower bath every other day, after which latter administer 

 a little weak brandy and water, and then dry the bird gently 

 before a fire. If the bird will permit you to handle it, all well 

 and good, but if it bites cover your hand with a cloth and lay 

 firm hold of the back part of the bird's neck whilst giving it 

 the castor oil. A little piece of pice apple or other ripe fruit 

 may also be given. — Geo. J. Babnesby.] 



POULTRY AND BEE NEWS AND QUERIES. 



Separating Honey fbom Wax. — Put the honey, comb and all, 

 in a tin pan on a moderately warm stove, adding to each pound 

 of honey a tablespoonful of water. Stir it occasionally with a 

 piece of wire when the contents of the pan are perf eotly liquified. 

 It must not boil. Set it where it can cool undisturbed; then 

 pass a knife carefully around the pan to detach the cake of wax 

 on the top, and rapidly with great care lift off the cake. Don't 

 l«t it drain into the pan an instant, but place it in another 

 utensil. Anyone thus clarifying honey will find, on putting 

 aside the cake of wax, that the impurities that would otherwise 

 have to be strained from the honey will have adhered to the 

 cake of wax, while the honey beneath is clear. If the honey 

 should in time candy, heat it again with a very little water and 

 brown sugar. Keep it in jars tied up in a cool plaoe. Break up 

 the wax cake and wash it in cold water till cleansed of honey; 

 then melt and strain it. To bleach the wax, boil it, after strain- 

 ing for an hour in plenty of water, in which use a few drops of 

 chloride of soda. When quite cold lift off the wax and leave it 

 to dry and whiten in the open air. — {Housekeeper.) 



HONEY HARVEST. 



To commence the season I had four stocks in round wooden 

 hives 16 inches by 12, and five of last year's swarms in home- 

 made bar-frame hives 18 by 16 inches, and 11 inches deep ; and 

 the weather last summer was so bad about here that after Jane 

 weut out the bees could not gather as much as would keep them. 

 Consequently my new hives were not nearly half filled with 

 comb ; but I lost none during the winter, and by feeding this 

 spring till the middle of May I managed to keep them all alive. 

 Bat there was very little done with them till the third week in 

 June, and then they began to work in earnest. The round 

 hives that were already full of comb were quite filled with honey 

 and brood by the end of the month. I put glasses on three old 

 hives the last week in June, and the bees began working in 

 them at once. I had the first swarm on the 3rd of July, and 

 two other old hives about ten days later. 



I have seen it stated in bee books that after the bees have 

 swarmed it is uo use leaving the glasseB on ; but I left mine on, 



and they have filled two of them since. The one that swarmed 

 on the 3rd of July I drove on the 23rd, and as it was the first 

 time I have tried driving I was agreeably surprised to find it 

 such easy work. The contents of the hive weighed 49 lbs., and 

 there was 23 lbs. of splendid honey in the glass, making 72 lbs. 

 for that lot of bees. The same day I took a 10-inch glass off 

 one of the other old hives and put another one on. It was quite 

 filled with beautiful white comb, sealed all over, and weighed 

 18 lbs. nett. I intend driving the beeB from that hive and the 

 other one that has swarmed this week, and they feel quite as 

 heavy as the first one. My bar-frame hives are all quite full, 

 and are very heavy, but only two of them have begun work in 

 the super. When would be the best time to take some honey 

 from them ? And last Sunday I saw that one of the others had 

 cast out some young unhatched drones, and last night I saw 

 some outside another hive. 



Your readers do not need to be at a loss for a pair of good bee 

 gloves. My wife made me a pair in five minutes at a cost of 

 about one penny, and with them I am quite safe from bee stings, 

 and besides can handle and use anything I may require in my 

 operations with the bees. They are simply two strong calico 

 bags made wide enough to spread the fingers inside, and long 

 enough to tie well over the cuff of the coat, with a pad of wadding 

 or any similar material stretched inside to come over the back 

 of the hand. They are not very handsome to look at, but they 

 can be taken off sooner than one can reduce the swelling from 

 bee stings. — G. G., Billinge, near Wigan. 



FRAME HIVES AND THE EXTRACTOR. 



Fbom all parts come the glorious news of an extraordinary 

 glut of honey, one gentleman (of whom probably more anon) 

 writes to me that he has sent away 500 lbs., 200 lbs. just going, 

 and he has twice as much left ! Dp to the middle of June the 

 bees did nothing (except in favoured localities from the fruit 

 blossoms), then all at once with the brilliant summer weather 

 the hiveB and supers filled fast, and until towards the third week 

 of July the busy little workers literally toiled themselves to 

 death. Now with us, where there is no heather, the harvest ie 

 over, and the sooner it is gathered the larger it will be found. 



Now comes the advantage of frame hives and the extractor. 

 Our American friends incline to the opinion that stocks that 

 are wintered on sugar syrup are much more likely to survive 

 till spring than stocks which are allowed their own stores. 

 There is probably reason in this, as much honey is infected 

 with the germs of foul brood, and when extracted and replaced 

 by pure sugar the latter is, of course, likely to be mora whole- 

 some for the bees. Independent of this theory, we know that 

 syrup is acceptable and good food, and as at the present free- 

 trade price of sugar it can be made at less than 3d. per lb., and 

 honey is saleable at three or four times that price, it is true 

 economy to make the exchange. The extractor has been 

 familiar to me in the hands of others for two or three years, but 

 this season for the first time I have owned one, which was 

 exhibited last year at the Crystal Palace by Mr. Cowan, and. 

 right well has it done its work. The combs subjected to its 

 influence have been completely emptied of honey, and with 

 proper care no injury need be done to the brood. Of course, a 

 carelesB workman may turn so faBt that the unlucky brood will 

 come out with the honey, or bo slowly that nothing cornea out ; 

 but there is a rate of speed soon discovered which is sufficient 

 to fling out the heavy liquid and not interfere with the lighter 

 larvfe. My machine having done duty at home is now on its 

 travels to my friends, several of whom have expressed their 

 delight and satisfaction at the abundance of honey it places at 

 their command. 



There is another advantage which is very patent after using 

 the extractor to Btrong stocks. I Bpeak of the impetus it gives 

 to breeding, and I will instance a Btock which had given me a 

 super, on the removal of which I found the combs below full to 

 repletion of brood and honey ; the latter I at once extracted. 

 The now emptied outside combs which had no brood were placed 

 nearer the middle, and alBo a judicious distribution was made 

 of the other combs that had many empty cells. In a few days 

 the queen had taken possession and filled nearly every cell with 

 eggB, so that the hive is now full from end to end of the embryo 

 population for the winter, one of the most essential things for 

 wintering being that the bees Bhall be young and vigorous, for 

 a stock to be made-up of old bees for winter is simply dooming 

 it to destruction. By keeping a hive full of brood in this manner 

 it is easy by exchange of combs from it to asBist a weaker stock, 

 or one where the queen is not sufficiently prolific. 



In regard to many queens I feel convinced their breeding 

 powers are not utilised to the utmost, and that they lay vast 

 numbers of eggs out of the cells, which fall to the ground and 

 are wasted. This is especially the case where empty cells are 

 scarce. I have many times seen a queen hopelessly walking 

 about apparently dazed, and presently an egg would appear and 

 drop from her. I have seen it directed as a means of ascertain- 

 ing if a stock or swarm has a queen, to set it overnight on a black 



