July 6, 1871. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTDEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



19 



will do. Set a brick in front of each for the ben to walk to 

 her nest easily. The boxes should be moveable, so that the 

 whole place could be more readily cleaned out. Two perche?, 

 one lower and the other higher, the lower 2 feet from the 

 ground, the higher 3 feet, should be as marked. Take care 

 that the higher one is not so near the back as to touch the 

 cock's tail, and cause a bent tail. Let the perches be straight, 

 slightly rounded, and wide enough for the birds to rest on, not 

 mere sticks. Let the night place be 4 feet fqnare, the door 

 2 feet wide. No window is needed ; the hole into the day part 

 will give light enough, and fowls like to be snug, and not 

 peeped at while laying. I hope you will give them the range 

 of your garden under the conditions I mentioned in my former 

 paper ; they will greatly benefit your garden, and you need not 

 raise your palings until you see whether the birds fly over, then 

 add wire — the widest pattern and cheapest will do, inclining it 

 a little inwards, and the birds will not get over. A little venti- 

 lator high up, covered by a slide, would be an advantage in 

 summer, but eggs and warmth go together in winter. Btiy our 

 " Poultry Book," price 6(7., for other hints and chicken manage- 

 ment. The park palings do not certainly make a warm wall. 

 I should give them a couple of coats of gas tar outside, and a 

 good mortar plastering inside ; remember, a cold roost makes 

 the eggs the fewer. Feed with barley, sometimes barleymeal 

 or Indian corn, giving only jast as much as they eat readily. 

 Most fowls are over-fed, and then comes disease. After the 

 morning's meal, dinner-plate scrapings and remains of vege- 

 tables will do — indeed, with a family, half a dozen Bantams 

 cost next to nothing. When pastry is made, any odd bits are 

 greedily eaten, and anything that in a larger establishment 

 would be kept for the pig, all kinds of house scraps, &c. When 

 your lawn is mown throw part of the grass in, and almost 

 daily give some green food. Dry road dust in a heap will make 

 them a dust-bath, which is an absolute necessity, and the floor 

 of both parts must be dry. 



As to the American nest-box, it must have been invented by 

 some cruel as well as 'cute Yankee, who said, with a grin, 

 " Guess I do that ere hen." Fancy depriving a poor hen of 

 her cackling glory at the sight of her egg. I love to see the 

 new-laid eggs in the neat straw-lined nest, from which some of 

 my little children delight to take Ihem and carry them in to 

 mamma, a pleasure only second to the hen's on seeing the 

 fruit of her care and pains. — Wiltshiee Eecioe.] 



RABBITS AT THE STROUD SHOW. 



In reply to " J. Hume's " remarks, I cannot see that bo has any 

 cause of complaint, for, according to his own admission, lie entered 

 bis Rabbit to compete for the cop under a misapprehension of the 

 conditions according to which it was to be awarded. Surely that was 

 no fault of the Committee. Why should he endeavour to detract from 

 the merits of the cup-winner, by stating it was awarded to Mr. King 

 for a lot of second and third-class Rabbits ? This is a perversion of 

 the facts. Mr. King took two first prizes, two second prizes, and one 

 third. How can it be said that those Rabbits in a show confessedly 

 vei-y superior were second and third-class, being good enough to win 

 from such competitors ? — R. Barkett, Son. Sec, Stroud. 



minutes, a bright idea struck him. Rising from his chair in 

 all the pride of conscious superiority, he announced, 'Ducks 

 am not before de house ; chickens am de question : defore I 

 rule de Ducks out !' and do it he did, to the complete overthrow 

 of his opponents." — (Canadian Poultry Chronicle) 



A Negbo Discussion about Egss. — We are indebted to an 

 exchange for the following : — " In the fairest village of Western 

 New York the ' culled pussons,' in emulation of their white 

 brethren, formed a debating society for the purpose of improv- 

 ing their minds by the discussion of instructive and entertain- 

 ing topics. The deliberations of the society were presided over 

 •by a venerable darkey, who performed the duties with the ut- 

 most dignity peculiar to his colour. The subject for discussion 

 on the occasion of which we write was — ' Which am de mudder 

 of de chicken — de hen wot lay de egg, or de hen wot hatches 

 de chick?' The question was warmly debated, and many 

 reasons pro and con. were urged and combated by the excited 

 disputants. Those in favour of the latter proposition were 

 evidently in the majority, and the president made no attempt 

 to conceal that his sympathies were with the dominant party. 

 At length an intelligent darkey arose from the minority side, 

 .and begged leave to state a proposition to this eiJect : ' Spose,' 

 said he, ' dat you set one dozen Dack'a eggs under a hen, and 

 ■dey hatch, which am de mudder, de Duck or de hen ?' This 

 was a poser, was well put, and nonplussed the other side, even 

 staggering the president, who plainly saw the force of the 

 argument, but had committed himself too far to yield without 

 & struggle ; so, after cogitating, and scratching his wool a few 



FOUL BROOD. 



I FIND a hive of pure Ligurian bees contains no ripe brood, 

 all the sealed brood being in a putrid state. I also find eggs 

 and grubs which look healthy, i fancy it must be a case of 

 foul brood, and it so, would it not be better to destroy it at 

 once — combs, honey, and bees ? I have a very prosperous 

 apiary, consisting of eleven hives, which I am afraid may be- 

 come infected should I let it remain. — J. B. 



[We have no doubt that this is a case of foul brood, and 

 should advise that the bees be at once destroyed, with the 

 exception, perhaps, of the queen, which, being apparently a 

 pure Ligurian, may be worth preserving, and is moreover not 

 likely to convey infection to the stock to which she may be 

 transferred. The combs should be drained and melted down, 

 but kept all the while out of the reach of bees, and the honey 

 may then be used for any purpose other than bee-food. The 

 hive, after being thoroughly cleaned and scraped, should be 

 washed over both inside and out with a saturated solution of 

 chloride of lime, and it will be safer to let it lay by for a couple 

 of seasons before again using it. — A Detonshibe Bee-keepee ] 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Mr. W. Jaceson, Blakedown, KiDDERinssTEn. — " The week before 

 last I saw in year Journal a complaint from Mr. Hall, Cheltenham, that 

 he had sent to Mr. W. Jackson, Blakedown, near Kidderminster, stamps 

 for Spanish eggs, and that ho could not obtain the ecgs or any reply to 

 his letters. Tt wrote you stating that I had been served in just the same 

 way by this Mr. Jackson, the exception beinff, that the eggs I wanted 

 were ' White-crested Black Polish.' You publish Mr. Jackson's reply, 

 that he sent the Spanish eggs to Mr. Hall on the 30th May. Although 

 more than six weeks ago I sent the money, I hai.'e received neither 

 eggs nor ca?h from Mr. Jackson, and numerous letters remained un- 

 answered, until I put the matter in the hands of the Kidderminster 

 Police, when Mr. Jackson wrote to say he would send the money, but he 

 has not done so. He cannot urge the excuse he has in Mr. Hall's case, 

 as ' Brighton ' is quite sufficient to find me. even if he had not my fuU 

 address. The eggs I ordered, mind, were * White-crested Black Polish.' 

 Mr Hall's efjgs and mine I should think are confused, in the letter I have 

 received from the police. I enclose copy, and the date you will observe 

 is (not the 30th of May, when Mr. Jackson says he sent the eggs to Mr. 

 Hall, but) the 24th of June. 



[Copy.] 

 '"County PoUce Station, Wolverlev. near Kidderminster, 

 '^' 26th .Tune, 1871. 



" ' Sir,— The Superintendent of Kidderminster Borough Police handed mo a 

 letter on Saturday last, respecting Mr. Jackson, of Blakedown. and some 

 Spanish egtrs I b'eir to inform you that I called at Mr. Jackson's on Satur- 

 day, the 24th insf., he was not at home, his mother told me that the ejrgs were 

 sent that morning to your addi-ess at Brighton. Please let me know if you 

 have received them.— Yours, i:c., Thomas Mattitew, Wolverley.' " 



" ' Mansel Bayly, Esq,.' " 

 I never ordered any Spanish cgca, nor have any Spanish or any other 

 eggs been sent to me at all, by Mr. Jackson's own admission in stating 

 he would return the money, which un to the present time he has not 

 returned. Query, were the Spanish eggs sent on the 24th June those 

 for Mr. Hall? At any rate I have received neither eggs nor money. — 

 M. Bayly." 



Beahua Crosses (B. T.).— The object of the cross is to make a hardy 

 breed. It is sought to combine the vigour of the Brahma and the quality 

 of the Dorking. As a rule, in a cross tlie produce takes more after the 

 female than the male. The Dorking is deservedly more esteemed than 

 any other fowl for the quality of its meat, and for the quantity of choice 

 over the offil parts. The only charge ever brought against it is that in 

 some climates it is delicate. It is for this cause a remedy is sought in 

 crossing ^ith the Brahma, and that it is effected by putting a cock of that 

 breed with Dorking hens. 



Brahmas Dyin'g {J. i.).— The symptoms you describe are consiitent 

 with those that follow poison, especially the crop fall of water. Internal 

 heat causes inordinate thirat, and the poison causes the heat. It would 

 not show itself in the crop or trachea, but you would find the intestines 

 partially honey-combed, and showing large red blotches. They may 

 easily find something unwholesome in a conservatory. If they do not, 

 it is an unhealthy place for them. Let them live entirely out of doors 

 ■with the hen, the latter under a rip in a dry, sunny place. Feed on 

 ground oais, barleymeal, bread and milk, and chopped scraps, no buck- 

 wheat nor sharps. If you do this we believe the disease will disappear. 

 Your chickens have been killed by kindness. 



WooDERiDGE BiRD Show (TT. Bflr/ies).— Proceed in tho County Court 

 against the Secretary forthwith- 



Partridge Eggs not Hatching iBuho). — " We'll have a starling which 

 shall be taught to speak, and nothing shall it say but 'moisten your 

 eggs.' " Every week we say the same. We fancy it would be well for 

 the world if all people confined themselves to their own business in all 

 things, as they do " in re " poultry queries. The Partridge whose nest 

 was disturbed, left her eggs every morning at early dawn in search of 

 food ; at that time the grass, or corn, or clover reeked with dew, and she 

 returned to her nest with breast feathers dripping wet. This kept the 

 eggs moist, and the young would have had no difliculty in emerging from 



