172 



JOUEl^AL 0? EOSTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Angust 31, 1S71. 



days. It oecnrred to my father that the hees wanted to swarm, 

 but had no queen ready to lead them off, so the following day 

 he placed the queen on the floor-board near the entrance ; the 

 manner of the bees changed at once, and in less than ten 

 minutes a strong swarm came ofi, which has done remarkably 

 well. As I have never heard or read of this being done, I 

 thought I should like to communicate the circumstance. 



Another incident occurred about a fortnight ago, which may 

 not be an uncommon one, but has not hitherto come under 

 my notice. A swarm was driven out of their home into an 

 empty hive for the purpose of taking the honey, and after 

 killing their queen my father placed the bees nest to a hive to 

 which he intended to join them in the evening, but they saved 

 him all further trouble by leaving their empty temporary 

 quarters and peaceably uniting with their neighbours exactly 

 as he desired. — G. G. 



[In the first case mentioned it is probable that the hive from 

 which the bees were clustering out was on the very point of 

 swarming, and the addition of the queen at the entrance sup- 

 plied a little premature excitement just sufficient to cause the 

 bees to rush forth. Sach a practice, however, is not to be re- 

 commended, as in all probability the old queen in the hive 

 would also join the swarm, thus there would be two queens, 

 involving some amount of risk from fighting, or in causing the 

 bees to separate in two clusters more or less apart from each 

 other. The second incident you mention is by no means of 

 uncommon occurrence, though not always attended with Buch 

 peaceable results. — Ens.] 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Warringtoii Poultry Show (S. A, TT.).— As you intend to take legal 

 proceedings, it would not be fair for ns to publish any comment. 



Craven, Perth, and Gainsborough Poultry Shows (R. and Others). — 

 If a committee does not advertise the show in our columns, we conclude 

 it is not of sufficient importance to deserve a report. 



Dorking Hen Beoodt (A. S.).—'Let her sit. You will have some good 

 chickens to eat nest February and March, or if you choose to sell them 

 they will make a good price. The hen has laid well. 



Black Red Bantajiis — Mosses (Hamburgh). — Black Red Bantams may 

 have been bred from IDuckwings, and may have been good enough to 

 take prizes. Duckwings have been helped by all sorts of crosses, and 

 the birds may have thrown back, but it is not a common result, and will 

 scarcely be repeated. In many parts of the north Spangled Hamburghs 

 are called Mosses, but we do not recollect seeing them so called in any 

 prize list. 



Crossing Brahhiab with Spanish [Anziotis Amateur). — We do not 

 think the cross a good one. If we wanted eggs only we should keep pure 

 Spanish, as their eggs are much larger than those of the Brahmas. We 

 are not great admirers of crosses, but if they are made we should be 

 careful to avoid contradictions. We should not, then, put sitters and 

 non-sitt:rs together; such are Brahmas and Spanish. Chickens of the 

 latter hatched in March will lay in the winter. The pullets' eggs come at 

 a certain age, independently of season. We do not approve of heated 

 houses, and do not believe they help in any way to a sausfactory result. 

 All that is necessary is to have a roosting place protected from draught 

 and wet, and where the fowls can, if necessary, in wet and snowy weather 

 find dust for their essential dust-bath. 



Gajme Fowls (C. I».).— It is not at all an important point, nor is it a 

 blemish. 



Cochins with Discharge frou Nostezls (J. W, ilf.).— The symptoms 

 you complain of are very common at this time of year ; they arise from 

 slight cold consequent on the change of the early morning temperature. 

 It is often cured by giving some bread and ale morning and evening. A 

 camphor pill the size of a garden pea is a very good thing. If these fail 

 give them Baily's pills. It is not at all dangerous in Cochins. 



Haiiburgh Bantams [Tctley). — We agree with you. Golden-pencilled 

 Bantams would form a beautiful variety. We are disposed to think a 

 Brown Red Game Bantam cock would be the best bird to put to the 

 small Pencilled hens you name. You should get one with a thoroughly 

 red breast, and you would have little to breed out in the way of colour. 

 Having bred from such a bird and the Pencilled hens, you would from 

 the progeny select the two cocks that favoured the Hamburghs most. 

 You would put them to their mothers, and again choose the birds most 

 like Hamburghs, and put them to the hens again. While these experi- 

 ments are going on you can allow brothers and sisters to run together, 

 and it is quite possible they may produce some good birds that will prove 

 a great help to you. You are sure to succeed, but to do so perfectly is a 

 matter of time and patience. In the materials with which you start you 

 have faults to get rid of. The cock brings you diminutive size, but he 

 offends in colour and comb ; the hens bring plumage, but they offend in 

 size. You must not use the cock in the manufacture after the first 

 batches. You must discard the hens as soon as you can. In choosing 

 chickens to run together, strive to find them faultless. Above all, over- 

 look no capital fault — use no single-comb cock, no yellow-legged or five- 

 toed pullet, no pullet with patchy plumage. You must not put all your 

 eggs in one basket, and therefore you must have several runs, from which 

 you must select the best birds to breed from. We think the white ear 

 and double comb of the Black would be more than counterbalanced by 

 the dark plumage. Sebright-breeders are obliged sometimes to use 

 Black birds to restore and deepen lacing. They can teU you what a 

 tedious process it is to get rid of the black. 



Brahmas' Feathers {W.T.). — We see nothing in yonr description to 

 lead us to suppose there is anything impure in your Brahmas. They are 

 very dark, and many are. Some become lighter as they grow older. The 

 Brahma cocks do not furnish so early as the Cochins. We are always 

 content to wait for late maturity in cocka and pallets. The precocious 



are never large. The feathering of the middle toe is not by any means, 

 an important point. 



GER3IAN AH3> Ueal Ice Pigeoks {A. Z.). — ^We are only familiar with 

 the formtr of these birds. 



WI^-G Disease [L. G.).— If we rightly understand you, your Pigeon has 

 wing disease. Draw out the flight feathers of that wing, and by the time 

 they have grown again the bird will most probably be quite well. 



What Pigeons to Keep [E. S.).— We are at a loss to recommend yon 

 birds, and never name dealers. A prize is not to be won easily by any 

 variety. We do not see how possibly we can say what are best for you to 

 keep. Make your own choice, and purchase of those who advertise in 

 our columns, and most likely you will be well treated. 



Homing Pigeons. — -Far West, and other correspondents, require these. 

 Anyone having these to sell had better advertise them. 



Daee Green Honey— Chloroform (Grassendale). — It is not easy al- 

 ways to account for the variation in colour in honey, as the honey taken 

 from hives closely adjoining in the same garden will frequently be totally 

 different both in quality and appearance. The dark green colour of yoxu-s 

 was, doubtless, caused by the pasturage from which the bees obtained it, 

 and not in consequence of the chloroform. We suppose you have not 

 long been a reader of the Journal, or you would have known that the use 

 of chloroform for depriving bees of their honey has been for many years 

 condemned in the most unqualified manner. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Camden Square, London. 

 Lat. 51° 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8' 0" W. ; Altitude 111 feet. 



Date. 



D A.M. 



Is THE Day. 





1871. 





Hy^ome- 

 ter. 



Direc- 

 tion of 

 Wind. 



Temp, 

 of Soil 

 at 1 ft. 



Shade Tem- 

 perature. 



Radiation 

 Tempera- 

 ture. 



1 



Anffust 







Dry. 



Wet. 



Mai. 



Min. 



In i On 

 sun. grasB 



We. 23 

 Th. 24 

 Fri. 23 

 Sat. 26 

 Sun. 27 

 Mo. 2S 

 Ta. 29 



Inches. 

 29.918 

 29.S53 

 29.893 

 30.123 

 80.429 

 30.431 

 30.240 



deg. 

 65.5 

 61.5 

 65.8 

 61.3 

 61.8 

 65,4 

 64.8 



deg. 

 61.2 

 58.2 

 60.0 

 58 4 

 54.6 

 68.8 

 57.2 



N.W. 

 S.W. 

 N.W. 



N. 

 N.W. 

 N.E. 

 S.E. 



deg. 

 63.5 

 63.0 

 62.4 

 62.0 

 62.2 

 62.4 

 62.8 



deg. 

 76.5 

 6S.0 

 74.3 

 71.2 

 72.0 

 71.8 

 75.5 



deg. 

 54.2 

 55.0 

 54.4 

 50.0 

 48.8 

 47.2 

 51,5 



deg. ! deg. 

 108.0 54.4 

 82.2 53.2 

 123.5 50.8 



115.2 42.6 

 118 43.8 



117.3 43.6 

 116.0 1 48.2 



In. 

 0.02O 

 0.(40 



Means 



30.134 



63.7 



57.6 





62.6 



72.8 



51.6 



111.5 ^ 48.1 



0.060 



REMARKS. 

 23rd. — Dull, with occasional very slight showers; fine at night, though 



quite cool and rather damp. 

 24th. — Rain in morning, cloudy and cold tUl 6 p.m., then windy and wet 



during the evening and the night ; wind at times very strong. 

 25th. — Very fine till i p.ai., then cloudy, sharp but very short shower at 



2 P.ai., afterwards fine, with very beautiful clouds just before sunset. 

 26th, — A most beautiful day, bright, clear, and refreshingly cool. 

 27th. — Rather warmer in the aun than lately, but not at all oppressive. 

 S8th. — Fine clear day, and most splendid moonlight night. 

 29th. — Very fine aU day, with refreshing breezes all day, and beautiful 



night. 

 A most charming week, cooler than the last, though more free from 

 clouds, not any day on which it either looked or felt stormlike or op- 

 pressive.— G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— August SO. 

 We have no alteration worth quoting. Supplies are about equal to the 

 demand, and trade remains steady. Out-door Peaches and Nectarines 

 are not very plentiful this season round London, but promise to be of 

 fair average quality. Our first consignments of Grapes from Spain and 

 Portugal have come to hand, but reahse very low prices. Potatoes are 

 largely supplied both by rail and coastwise. 



a. d. 



Apples..,, ...J sieve 1 to 2 



Apricots doz. 10 3 



Cherries lb. 6 2 



Chestnnta bnshel 



Currants i sieve 



Black do. 



Figs doz. 2 4 



Filberts lb. 6 10 



Coba lb. 



Gooaeberriea qnarl 6 8 



Grapes, Hothouse.,., lb. 2 5 



Lemons ^100 8 12 o 



Melons each 3 5 



FRUTT. 

 d 



Mulberries lb. 



Nectarines doz. 4 



Oranpes V- 100 20 



Peaches doz. 4 



P6ara,kitchen ......doz. 2 



dessert doz. 2 



Pine Apples lb. 3 



Plams k sieve 3 



Quinces doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts bushel 10 



ditto ^100 1 



s. d. 



tol 

 13 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes doz. 2 to 4 



Asparagus ¥^100 



Beans, Kidney .. i sieve 10 8 



Broad bushel 2 3 



Beet.Ked doz. 2 8 



Broccoli bundle 9 10 



BmsBela Sprouts.. i sieve 



Cabbage doz. 10 2 



Capsicums 1^100 



Carrots bunch 6 



Cauliflower doz. SO 6 



Celery bundle 16 2 



Colewort3..doz. bunchea 3 4 



Cucxmibers each 10 



pickHng doz. 2 3 



Endive doz. 3 



Fennel bunch 3 



Garlic lb. 8 



Herbs bunch 8 



Horseradish ,,,. bundle 8 4 



Leeks bunch 



Lettuce doz. 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress . .punnet 

 Gaiona per doz. bunchea 



pickling quart 



Parsley sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Peaa quart 



Potatoes buahel 



Kidney do. 



d. 

 3 too 



Radishes .. doz. bunches 6 



Rhubarb bundle 4 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 6 



Spinach bushel 3 



Tomatoes doz. 3 



Turnips bunch S 



YegetableMairoTr3..doz, 2 



