March 24, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAOE GARDENER. 



235 



Spring chickens did not always bear that name. They were once 

 called- — they are now in some places — "Asparagus chickens:" 

 the two came together. They were called, also, " Paper 

 chickens :" little white fat things used to come in small baskets, 

 and each was carefully wrapped in soft paper. In France they 

 are called the poulets a la Meine. 



" What's in a name ?" Asparagus, paper, spring, or a la Seine 

 — few things are so delicious. People have do idea of the extent 

 of the trade carried on by a small portion of Sussex, nor of the 

 amount of money turned. At this time of the year the little 

 delicacies make from 4s. to 5*. each. They seem to be among 

 fowls like dwarfs among human beings — age brings no increase 

 of size. The old form gets dry and wrinkled, but it is no larger. 



It sometimes happens, at the end of a season, that the hen is 

 killed with her progeny, and they all come up together. An 

 unpractised eye would see little difference. They cannot be 

 produced or made anywhere but in some parts of Sussex ; and 

 although they are the most perfect specimens of choice poultry 

 that can be conceived, they have no outward indications of purity 

 of breed, nor have they any distinctive marks or points. They 

 are hatched perfect in shape, and in their onward progress they 

 never arrive at an awkward age ; nor are they ever all legs and 

 wings, or ostrich-like, as many chickens are. Their merits as 

 table poultry are of the first order ; they are small-boned, very 

 compact, full of meat. A paper-knife would carve one well. 

 A joint left on a plate for a time will be found, when cold, to be 

 bedded in its own jelly. He who has not tasted one of these, 

 carefully boiled, and eaten with a little lemon juice and salt, 

 has yet something to try. 



We are speaking of the perfect. We shall appear paradoxical 

 when we say no young fowl will make one of these chickens : 

 one of these chickens will never make a fowl. Many thousands 

 of pounds are returned for these every year from Leadenhall 

 Market ; and Sussex families have lived for many years, from 

 father to son, by breeding and fattening these chickens. 



HOW THEY OBTAIN CHICKENS GEATIS IN 

 AMEEICA. 



One of our peculiar, slab-sided, gaunt Yankees lately emigrated 

 3nd settled down in the West. He was the very picture of a 

 mean man, but as he put himself to work in good earnest to get 

 his house to rights, the neighbours willingly lent him a hand. 

 After he had everything fixed to his notion, a thought struck 

 him that he had no chickens, and he was powerfully fond of 

 sucking raw eggs. He was too honest to steal them, and too 

 mean to buy them. At last a thought struck him — he could 

 borrow. He went to a neighbour and thus accosted him : — 



" Wal, I reckon you hain't got an old hen nor nothin' you'd 

 lend me for a few weeks, have you, neighbour ?" 



" I will lend you one with pleasure," replied the gentleman, 

 picking out the very finest in the coop, one that happened to 

 desire to sit. 



The Yankee took the hen home, and then went to another 

 neighbour and borrowed a dozen eggs. He then sat the hen, 

 and in due course of time she hatched out a dozen chickens. 



The Yankee was again puzzled ; he eould return the hen, but 

 how was he to return the eggs ? Another idea — and who ever 

 saw a live Yankee without one ? — -he would keep the hen until 

 she had laid a dozen eggs. 



This he did, and then returned the hen and eggs to their 

 respective owners, remarking as he did so : — 



"Wal, I reckon I've got as fine a dozen of chickens as ever you 

 laid your eyes on, and they didn't cost me a cent nuther." — 

 (Prairie Farmer.') 



SAFE ABBIYAL OF LIGUEIAN BEES IN 



AUSTRALIA. 

 It will he perceived by the following paragraph, copied from 

 the "Yeoman" of December 20th, that the four stocks of 

 Ligurian bees, whose departure for the antipodes by tho"Alham- 

 bra," on the 26th September last, was duly announced in The 

 JotJEKAi op Hoeticultuee of the 30th of that month, have 

 reached their destination in safety. We certainly entertained 

 hopes that one or two out of the four stocks would survive the 

 Toyage ; but that not one should have failed surpasses our most 

 sanguine expectations, and speaks volumes for the skill displayed 

 by "A Devonshihe Bee-eeepee" in providing for the wants 

 of the little travellers during their voyage. The result cannot 



fail to be highly gratifying to him, as well as to Mr. Edward 

 Wilson, to whose public spirit, we believe, the colony is indebted 

 for this interesting importation, and to Messrs. Neighbour and 

 Sou, through whom the order was given, and who superintended 

 the transmission of the hives from Exeter to Southampton, 

 their place of embarkation. 



At a meeting of the Acclimatisation Society at Melbourne, a 

 report was laid upon the table from the Apiarian Society, upon 

 the state of the four hives of Ligurian bees lately arrived. It 

 was to the effect, that, although a very large proportion of the 

 bees had perished from the confinement, yet, in consequence of 

 all the four queens being alive, the Society confidently anticipate 

 that these will form the nucleus of an important addition to the 

 bee-Btock of the colony. The report stated that, in consequence 

 of the small number of Ligurians left in each hive, it had been 

 found necessary to strengthen the hives by placing with them 

 some oi the common bees to provide the necessary food, and 

 also for tho sake of warmth ; but this proceeding will in no way 

 impair the ultimate purity of the new swarms of bees issuing 

 from these hives. 



BEE-KEEPING AT BATH. 



In the frontispiece of Jardine's Natural History, vol. vi. , 

 " Bees," 1840, is a very pretty drawing of a honey bee on a 

 heathbell. The moral and the execution were so good, that I 

 had it cut on my signet ring, and it has afforded me many a 

 lesson. It was as a word in season. Since then I have wished 

 to become a bee-keeper, but never carried my desire into effect 

 till the spring of 1862, when, stimulated by the discussions as to 

 the respective merits of the common and of the Ligurian bees, I 

 purchased the " Bee-Keeper's Manual," by Henry Taylor. 

 Thinking it desirable to obtain some experience in management 

 before incurring the expense of £5 5s. for a swarm of Ligurians 

 in Mr. Woodbury's hive, I had a bar-hive made in accordance with 

 Taylor's directions, page 56. To be able to compare this with 

 the Woodbury bar-hive, Messrs. Neighbour supplied me with 

 one ready for use. My limited experience has shown me the 

 advantage of this latter shape. The interval between the bars 

 and the top-board permits the bees free access to all parts of the 

 hive, and to ascend by several ways to the super. Moreover, 

 the shape of the Woodbury-bars does not allow the bees so 

 readily to form their combs in any but parallel lines. I have 

 found that though a point of the combs in the fiat-bar hive may 

 be attached square with the side, other combs are built in dif- 

 ferent directions, just as the fancy of the first formation arose: 

 consequently it would not be possible to remove any one 

 bar without destroying much comb. On the other hand, the 

 shape of the Woodbury-bar is so defined, that though the comb 

 may not be made in a strictly straight line, a bar might be re- 

 moved without much disturbance of the neighbouring comb. 

 There can, however, be no doubt that the bees do not like to 

 form a perfectly straight comb, however accurately a piece of 

 guide-comb has been fixed on one or more bars. 



My hive being ready, and the house for two hives ordered, 

 late in the evening of April 26th a large swarm, called hereafter 

 No. 1, was safely housed, unfortunately, in the novelty of the 

 scene and operation, in the super (of Taylor's) hive. On May 

 3rd, another, No. 2, was properly hived in the Woodbury-hive. 

 My garden being quite a third of a mile away, my pets cannot 

 be watched, especially by one who from many occupations 

 cannot see them after breakfast ; nevertheless, as they have the 

 range of very extensive public gardens, abounding in all the 

 growing trees and shrubs that are known to be fit for this 

 climate, besides suburban gardens well stocked with apple, pear, 

 and other fruit trees, as well as miles of pasture land, they thrive 

 very well, and return laden with pollen, which, from the abun- 

 dant bloom of the red chestnut and red hawthorn, is more 

 often red than yellow or white, as is usually the case. 



After a while, hive No. 2 became filled with comb, and the 

 bees began to cluster on the alighting-board, when the super 

 was added. This was quite filled with comb in the course of 

 the summer. No. 1 never did so well — no clustering, no need to 

 add the super. In the autumn I removed the super and found a 

 small quantity of liquid honey, which never solidified. I gave 

 each hive barleysugar. The same difference of vigour cha- 

 racterised my two hives. No. 1 would take none, while No. 2 

 fed freely. In the middle of November the troughs were taken 

 away, the closing-blocks put in their places. 



