212 



JOUENAL OF HOETIOULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t September 14, 1871. 



than whole. There is less waste, and it goes farther. Try p-onnd oats 

 or harleymea', supply some ashes and road grit for dusting, and for 

 bath. Give green meat if they have it not, especially lettuces that are 

 going to seed. Give them the scraps and crumbs from the table. Try a 

 little bread and milk. If the chickens have had only that which you 

 name, your poultry- keeping is at best gallinaceous baby-farming. They 

 evidently want a stimulant now, and we, therefore, advise you as soon as 

 you read this to get a quartern loaf, enough strong ale to soak it, and to 

 feed your chickens on that till they begin to rally. Then feed as we 

 have advised. Wheat, barley, and maize for little chickens are as good 

 as bread, cheese, and walnuts would be for an infant. 



White Chinese Geese {T. A. B.).—lt is impossible to say which would 

 be the likelier to take a prize, as they could only go in a class for " Geese 

 of any other variety." The White Chinese Goose is a long taper-necked 

 bird with a yellow face, and having a large yellow knob on the forehead, 

 projecting somewhat over the bill. The legs are yellow. It is a hand- 

 some bird, attains a large weight for the table, but has a most unmusical 

 voice. It is considered inferior to the common Goose for the table. 



Silver-pencilled HAiiiBURGns (C E. M. T.). — When you speak of 

 "red feathers on the wing of Silver-pencilled Hamburghs," of course you 

 mean the cocks, the hens never have it. It has long been a vexed ques- 

 tion ; some maintain it is wrong, and other excellent judges say it is im- 

 material. We believe the best Pencilled birds were always bred from 

 those birds with brown patches on their wings. Pale washed-out colours 

 are great disadvantages, and can never compete euccessf ally with good, 

 rich, bright foundation colour in Golden-pencilled. We quite believe the 

 sun injures the plumage, but it does much for the health of the birds ; 

 it makes good, bright red, well-developed combs, such as are not seen in 

 birds reared as you say, and you must put one against the other. It is 

 not impossible nor very difficult to get both. 



Cost of Fowl-keeping (Bruno). — It is always difficult to answer your 

 question, but as you put it it is impossible. At what age are they sent ? 

 Where are they to be kept ? Are you to have all, or to divide eggs ? Are 

 chickens to be reared ? On hearing these particulars we will answer to 

 the best of our ability. 



Brahmas' Hocks (5. B. 5.).— The feathers at the knee should not pro- 

 ject. It is vulture-hocked. There is not the slightest objection to their 

 being tied at the knee. It would, perhaps be too much to say the vulture 

 hock implies impurity of blood, but it is a grave fault, and fatal to suc- 

 cess. (G. C. A.]. — Curling round the joint is not vulture-hocked. To 

 project an inch from the joint is positively vulture-hocked, and very ob- 

 jectionable. The bird with the stiff feather is a hopeless case. The 

 weights you mention are very heavy. A pound a-month is called good 

 work. 



PotTLTRT Runs (R. E. H.).— Have the ground dug np about 12 or 

 IS inches deep, and the lower earth made the surface. If you have a 

 cartload of freah mould, put it on and scatter it. If you can, procure two 

 or three cartloads of road grit, and make them into two or three heaps. 

 The fowls will scratch for the gi-ass mixed up with the grit, and by these 

 means they wiil spread it. We have all our pens dug once in a week, and 

 raked every day. 



Young Turkeys (Innocent). — Advertise what you wiU sell them for, 

 where you will deliver them, and price prepaid. 



Writing on Pigeons' Wings (R. i.),— Marking ink will do. 



Young Pigeons Dying (Amateur). — Old Pigeons frequently partially 

 feed one of their young ones, the bird geta thinner and weaker, and 

 though it may die with some food in its crop, it is really starved. This 

 has been the case with yours. Oats are unsuitable. Peas alone are not 

 sufficient; add old beans or Indian corn. Wheat they like, and the 

 squeakers easily pick it np, which is an advantage. 



Colour of Antwerp's Eeae (IF. -B.).— Colour in an Antwerp's beak is 

 no point, although shape is a very important one. Vide our article on 

 the Antwerp in number for February 17th, 1870. 



Pigeons' Portraits, &c. (A. C. R.).— Our last Pigeon portraits, those 

 of the Short-faced Beard and Baldhead, were in No. 541, August 10th, 

 1S71. Colour of eyelash immaterial; properly speaking Pigeons have 

 eyelids, not eyelashes. 



Eaton's Pigeons (Alpha). — Write to Mr. D. Wolstenholme, 3, Ehzabeth 

 Cottage, Archway Koad, Highgate. 



Food for Parrots (C. P.). — You will see very full directions in our 

 No. 515, published on the 9th of February. You will see the Cheltenham 

 report to-day ; it arrived too late for publication in our last week's 

 number. 



Feeding Bees (Barton Joyce, Notts). — Your maiden swarm of July 16th, 

 will have required a good deal of continuous feeding ; but if you have 

 already given the bees " a pint bottle every day " for any length of time, 

 they must have had pretty well enough. We should advise you to ex- 

 amine or weigh the hive, and act accordingly. If it has glass windows, 

 and you see any quantity of sealed combs, or if the contents weigh from 

 16 lbs. to 20 lbs., you should stop feeding till the middle of October, and 

 then give two or three pints. Yoor second hive should be treated exactly 

 in the same way. 



Uniting Swarms (C. B. P.). — To join the bees of one stock to another, 

 first drive one stock into an empty hive, and then drive the other stock 

 into the same. Do this towards dusk, wbeu the bees are all quiet at 

 home. The next day, towards evening, you can dash out all the bees on 

 the ground in front of the stock which you wish to keep, and ont of which 

 came one of the driven stocks the evening before. Use a little brown 

 paper or tobacco smoke before you disturb the bees. 



Winter Care of Bees (Idem).— Feed with an inverted pickle-bottle 

 made to rest in a block of wood over a hole at the top of your hives. If 

 yoxir hives are of wood this is easy enouph ; if of straw like the ordinary 

 skep, a little ingenuity is reqtiired to fit the block and bottle neatly on 

 the hive, which must have a 2-inch hole cut out in the top. The block 

 must have a piece of perforated zinc let into the underside, and the 

 month of the bottle must be covered with a piece of leno or muslin so as to 

 prevent the food from running down too quickly. Sugar boiled down in 

 water to the consistency of a not too thin syrup is an excellent food. If 

 you use coarse brown sugar strain it first. Feed in October, or now if 

 your bees are starving. 



A September Swarm (A Bcfjinner). — We fear yonr September swarm 

 (cue of the latest we ever heard of), will be of no use to you. Could yoa 



not join the bees to some weak hive in your garden, if yon have any? It 

 would, of course, be possible to feed them up, but we should not recom- 

 mend you to try it. As to your bottle-feeder failing, it is evident your 

 food was too liquid, or perhaps you failed to cover the mouth of the bottle 

 with leno or muslin of sufficient thickness. Try again, and buy your 

 knowledge in the school of experience. AVe believe you may purchase 

 Payne's hives at Messrs. Njighbours', Holborn, London, See their ad- 

 vertisement in these pages. It is impossible for your bees to find enough 

 food in the fields and gardens at this time of year. The piece of comb 

 which fell down may lie where it is. 

 Vegetable Marrow Jam. — A Novice wishes for a receipt. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



CAJiDBN Square, London. 



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



Date. 



9 A.U. 



In the DAT, 





is-1. 





Hygrome- 

 ter. 



IDirec- 

 tion of 

 Wind. 



Temp. 



Shade Tem- 

 perature. 



Radiation 

 Tempera- 

 ture. 



.3 



Sept. 



Dry. 



Wet. 



at 1 It. 



Max. 



Min. 



In 



sun. 



On 



grass 



We. 6 



Th. 7 

 Fri. 8 

 Sat. 9 

 Sun. 10 

 Mo. 11 

 Ta. 12 



Inclaes. 

 30.050 

 SO.OIO 

 29.919 

 29.665 

 29.922 

 29.951 

 30.124 



deg. 

 61.6 

 62.3 

 69.4 

 56.5 

 64.6 

 65 8 

 64.2 



dec. 

 5S.6 

 57.0 

 67.5 

 56.0 

 57 4 

 63.7 

 60.5 



NE. 

 W. 

 E. 



S.E. 



S.B. 



E. 



deg. 

 02.0 

 62.4 

 61.9 

 61.8 

 60.8 

 61.4 

 62.3 



deg. 

 76.4 

 73.2 

 0S.2 

 67.3 

 72.6 

 80.2 

 77.8 



deg. 

 46.9 

 54.7 

 50.6 

 56,2 

 50.2 

 60.3 

 57.2 



deg. 

 118.0 

 1S0.2 

 69.4 

 116.2 

 115.3 

 121.0 

 122.0 



deg. 

 46.2 

 53.1 

 49.8 

 56.0 

 48.4 

 56.8 

 66.2 



In. 

 0.020 



0.560 

 0.(2() 



Means 



29.949 



62.1 



53.7 





61.8 



73.7 1 53 7 



111.7 1 62.1 



0.603 



REMARKS. 



6th. — Hazy morning, rain at noon, fine afternoon ; lightning at 7.55 p.m., 

 rain in the evening. 



7tb. — Fine bright day throughout. 



Sth. — Dull in early morning, then fine, but rain in afternoon and evening, 

 and heavy rain at night. 



9th. — Wet morning, fair in middle of the day, but stormlike in the evening. 



10th. — Fine in the early part, and, though afterwards cloudy and storm- 

 like, no rain fell. 



11th. — Very fine all day ; the sun very hot, and, as there was but very 

 little wind, it was rather oppressive. 



12th. — Rather dull in early morning. Fine day, rather cloudy towards 

 sunset, but very bright at night. 

 With the exception of the rain on Friday afternoon and night and on 



Saturday morning, a very fine and pleasant week, the mean teninerature 



at 9 A.M. beingl lower than in any week since the beginning uf July. — 



G. J. Symons. 



COTENT GARDEN MARKET.— Septembee 13. 

 Trade continues quiet, but there is a better supply of Peaches, and 

 prices for these are lower. 



FRUIT. 

 B, d. B. d 



Apples..., 4 sieve 1 to 2 6 



Apricota doz. 10 3 



Cherries lb. 6 2 



Chestnuts bushel 



Currants ieieve 



Black do. 



FigB doz, 10 8 



FUberta lb. 6 9 



Cobs lb. 6 10 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, HothouBe.... lb. 1 5 



Lemons ^100 8 12 o 



Melons each 2 5 



Mulberries lb. 



Nectarines doz. 1 



Oranges ^t!^ lOJ 20 



Peaches doz. 3 



Pears, kitchen doz. 2 



dessert doz. 2 



Pine Apples lb. S 



Plums 4 sieve 3 



Qoincea doz. 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts bushel 10 



ditto ^100 1 



d s 

 6 tol 

 8 





 8 



5 

 6 





 

 

 16 



9 C 



VEGETABLES. 



Ai'tichokes doz. 



Asparagus V*' 100 



Beans, Kidney .. i sieve 



Broad bushel 



Beet, Bed doz. 



Broccoli bundle 



BrnsaelB Sprouts.. i sieve 



Cabbage doz. 



Capsicums ¥^100 



Carrots bunch 



Cauhflower doz. 



Celery bundle 



Colewort8..doz. buncbes 

 Cucumbers each 



pickling doz. 



Endive doa. 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbfl bunch 



Horseradish .... bundle 



d. 



Oto 



















9 















Leeks bunch 



Lettuce .doz. 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress . .punnet 

 OqIous per doz. bunches 



pickling quart 



Parsley... sieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes .. doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows . . doz. 



d. s. 



S too 



5 1 

 2 

 2 



6 i 

 

 i 

 9 1 

 6 1 

 6 3 

 5 

 6 1 

 4 

 

 

 6 

 4 



POULTRY MARKET.— September 13. 

 Since our last the Partridge season has begnn. We hardly recollect 

 ever seeing them so scarce, and the old birds are as three to one of the 

 young. The latter are consequently. selling well. Grouse remain very 

 plentiful. 



Large Fowls .... 



s. 

 .... s 

 .... 2 



d. s. 

 to 8 

 2 

 9 2 

 7 

 2 



:o 



a. 



6 

 6 

 

 6 

 S 

 





B 









1 

















e 





.... 2 

 .... 





o 



Pheasants 



ftroQse 



...... 1 



a. 



R. 



a 



9 to 10 



5 



1 



B 



!) 







la 



II 



II 



« 







n 



6 







2 



S 



