July 27, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICTJLTUKB AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



79 



Turkeys. — 1, E. Leech, Rochdale. 9, Rev. N. J. Ridley, Newbury. 



Geese (Any variety).— 1, E. Leech, Rochdale. 2, G. F. Thompson, Cleck- 

 heaton. 



I>VCKS.—Aylesbwy.—1, J. Williams, Wath. Rotherham. 2, E. Leach. Mouen. 

 —1, E. Leech. 2, J. White, Wakefield. Amj variety.— \, 0. W. Brierley. 2, W. 

 JBinns, Pudsey. 



PIGEONS. 



Carriers. — 1 and 2, E. Horner. Harcwood. Single Birds. — 1, E. Lee, 

 Birchenley. 2, H. Yardley. Birmingham. 



Tumblers. — 1, F. Moore, Burnley. 2, E. Homer. 



Pouters or Croppf.rs. — 1, E. Horner. 2. H. Yardley. 



Fan-tails.— 1 and 2, J. F. Loversidge, Newark. 



Dragoons. — 1. H. Yardley. 2, F. Graham, Birkenhead. 



Jacobins.— 1, E. Lee. 2, W. Gomerp.all, Littletown. 



Nuns.— 1, H. Yardley. 2, E. Horner. 



Antwerps. — 1, H. Yardley. 2, — Stanhope, Eccleahill. 



Extra Prizes (Any variety). — 1, E. Horner. 2, C. Gravil, jun., Thome. 



Uasbits.— Lop-eared.— I and 2, C. Gravil. jun. Extra Prizes (Any variety). — 

 1, C. Gravil, jun. 2, C. E. Illingworth, Hightown. 



Judges. — Poultry: JMr. James Dixon, Bradford; Mr. Richard 

 Teebay, Fulwood, Preston. 



ANTWERP, VOLANT, OR WHITE EYE 



PIGEONS. 



I SEE what is stated at page 56, but still we do not get at the 

 information sought. There ia but one Antwerp Pigeon which 

 I call the Antwerp proper, and it is the Dove-faced Antwerp, 

 which frequents the loftier buildings of the city of Antwerp, as 

 our Daws and Starlings. do steeples and towers; in short, as 

 ■you see Pigeons in the dome of St. Paul's, London — wild Doves, 

 or the tramps and vagrants of Pigeon society. So is the Dove- 

 faoed Antwerp a wild Dove, in the city of Antwerp, and, pro- 

 i)ably, in the Belgian towns and provinces, such as I describe. 

 I wish to learn if it is not a cross-bred bird between this Dove- 

 faced Antwerp and Dragoon (and Owl, too), that is represented 

 ■as the Antwerp or voyageur Pigeon we all know so well, such 

 as were flown from the Crystal Palace lately; not our toy 

 show Antwerp?, useless on the wing ; in short, if these Voy- 

 ageurs are not Dove-faced Antwerp and Dragoon (Osvl, too) 

 Skinnums ? 



And I would learn, if the White-eye (Volant) is not either 

 Dove-faoed Antwerp and Tumbler crossed — perhaps House Dove 

 crossed — or Dove-faoed Antwerp under domestication — re- 

 claimed Doves, indeed ; for I think the Dove-faced Antwerp is 

 the House Dove, become homeless and partially wild, as Daws 

 and Starlings, and vagrant Pigeons are. 



" Volants " all birds are, more or less, and some insects and 

 reptiles too ; but the Volant Pigeon is so called in demon- 

 'Stration or rather signification of its remarkable flying powers. 

 And Volants are White Eyes ; but whether Dove-faced Ant- 

 werps pure or crossed, as suggested, remains to be told. The 

 "Volant" is indigenous to certain provinces in Belgium only, 

 and a rara avis, generally speaking. Mr. Sutherland, of Combe, 

 1 believe, knows this Pigeon. In Lancashire we want to know 

 what White Eye (Volant) is. — Readeb. 



P.S.— The White-eye Volant I am told is also called " The 

 Cumulet," whatever that signifies. Is it some prolific speciality, 

 or gregarious habit, or has it reference to cloud — cumulus 

 —flights ? 



MiDDLETON PoDLTBT Show. — This Show, whioh of late 

 years has been very successful both as regards the number and 

 ■the quality of the poultry and Pigeons exhibited, is fixed for 

 September 20th and 21at. There are fitty-two classes for 

 poultry, seventeen for Pigeons, and six for Rabbits, in all 

 seventy-five classes, and the prizes include several cups. 



SUCCESSFUL SWARMS— DRIVING. 

 I BOUGHT a stock of bees this spring. A month ago a swarm 

 came oS which I put in a straw hive, but the bees did not 

 seem to settle, and I suspected they were going cff to some 

 place which they had chosen. In about half an hour they began 

 to return to the stock hive again, in a quarter of an hour they 

 had all done so. Is it probable the old queen which would go 

 with this swarm was lost? In fourteen days, the weather 

 being unfavourable all that time, there was another swarm 

 which I secured ; it has been fifteen days in the hive, and this 

 is quite full of comb, and 9 lbs. heavier. I have heard no 

 piping in the old stock, neither do I think it will swarm again. 

 It has sufficient honey to keep its population during the winter 

 and spring, and has on it a glass cap (10 inches by 5 inchep), 

 whioh is full, except a small piece of comb at the side. There 

 is pure honey in all the combs, no bee-bread, and the bees are 

 aow sealing it quickly. 



The white clover, which is the chief honey plant here at 

 present, will last for some time, but haymakers* are robbing 

 the fields of much of our bee food. I purpose sending my 

 bees to the moors in about three weeks' time. Would it answer 

 to drive the old stocks at the expiration of twenty-two days 

 from the date of swarming ? Would they make sufficieLt 

 honey, it the season be favourable, to maintain their popu- 

 lation during the winter ? I would not object to feeding in the 

 spring. In the autumn, when the brimstone fumes are killicg 

 our little favourites, I could drive some bees and add to the 

 old stocks ; in this way I should get an extra hive. If the glass- 

 cap were not all sealed, I would put it on the top of the swarm 

 until all were sealed. Would giving beeswax to the bees be 

 of any advantage to them in making comb ? — T. E. 



[It is very probable that the old queen was lost when the 

 first attempt at swarming was made, and that under the cir- 

 cumstances no second issue will take place. If you now drive 

 the stock you are likely to sacrifice a great quantity of brood, 

 the usual conditions being entirely altered by the too-probable 

 loss of the old queen. The expelled bees may or may not be 

 able to collect sufficient food to last the winter ; all depends 

 upon the character of the remainder of the season, which, ol 

 course, no one can foresee, but a removal to the moors would 

 afford them a better chance. If the driven bees are put into a 

 moveable-comb hive, a few sheets of arlifieial comb given to 

 them two or three days after the operation might possibly be 

 an advantage.] 



PREVENTING SWARMING. 



Theee are several causes which, if put in operation, will 

 tend to prevent swarming ; but to reduce it to a practical science 

 requires considerable tact and attention. One point is to have 

 large hives and plenty of room ; another, to keep none but young 

 queens. This lessens the tendency to swarm. Moveable comb 

 hives are indispensable. We have several apiaries at a distance 

 from home, and do not find it necessary to watch them daily 

 in the swarming season, as was the tedious old-time custom. 

 As above mentioned, we supply each colony with plenty of room 

 and a young queen. During the season when swarms are most 

 likely to issue, a man examines each hive as often as every eight 

 or nine days, and if any queen cells are in process of construc- 

 tion, cuts them oft. They cannot mature any more queens 

 within the next interval before examination, and if any cells 

 are then found they are cut out in the same way, and so on till 

 they cease. 



The wing of the queen is clipped close, so that if any cells 

 should be overlooked, and a swarm should issue, she could not 

 fly, and, being unable to accompany the bees, they would return 

 to the hive. 



There is danger of the queen being lost by dropping to the 

 ground in front of the hive and not finding her way back. This 

 can be avoided by using what is called a " queen yard," being 

 timply a plank in front of the hive 18 or 20 inches square and 

 4 inches high, with a strip of tin 2 inches wide set in all round 

 the top, projecting inwards, parallel with the bottom of the box. 

 The bottom should be tight, with a strip of wire cloth, 3 or 

 4 inches wide, across the side next the hive, to make it cooler. 

 Make an opening in that side corresponding to the entrance of 

 the hive at the bottom, and a passage through which the beea 

 must pass into the queen yard before taking flight. The queen 

 cannot fly, and cannot crawl over the projecting tin, and will 

 readily return to the hive. I know of no possible means of 

 preventing swarms with the box hive, as the queen cells are 

 often inaccessible. — {Moore's Rural New Yorker.) 



APIARIAN GLEANINGS. 

 To Find the Queen. — I know of no metbod of finding the 

 queen, except by looking till you see her. She is generally to 

 be found on one of the brood combs. Handle the combs 

 gently, so as not to alarm the bees, and she will remain much 

 more quiet. The Italian queens being generally highly-coloured, 

 can be distinguished much more easily than the natives, 

 and are much less disposed to run about in fright over the 

 combs. 



To Remove Bees fkom a Fkime of honey or brood, hold it 

 perpendicularly to avoid breaking-out the combs, and give it a 

 sharp, sudden motion downwards, with force enough to dis- 

 lodge most of the bees. The few still adhering can be brushed 

 oft with the feather-end of a stiff quill or a small wing. — 

 i M. QuiNBY.- (Moore's Bural New Yorker.) 



