60 



JOUENAL OF HORXICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ January 19, 1S71. 



yonr bif da are Bick kill the T7or5t, try to lieal the others ; if you succeed 

 get some early eggs of a ptiro breed, hatch them and rear the chickens. 

 In the Trarni, dry, summer vreather no place is better for them than a 

 copse. 01 coarse your birds have a dry roosting place, and have access 

 to dust and light soil. You must also recolle'it they want Te;y good 

 feeding at this time of year, the earth yields nothing now. If you care 

 only for eggs keep the mongrels, some of them ■will get well ; but if you 

 care for poultry, keep only enough of them to hatch some pure chickens. 



Change of Stock Bibds (BraJima). — If the cock were changed now 

 we think you may safely depend on Ms successor being the father of the 

 chickens. 



TuBKBY FOR Table {Artlicnhe). — Why do you not fatten the bird with 

 the injured eye, and keep the younger for laying? Are you sura it was 

 done by fighting. It may be cold and incipient roup— raiso/i cle 2>^"-3 for 

 killing her. Her state of he?.Uh ofiers no impediment. The yonng one 

 ■will be quite old enough to breed from. She will not lay till the end of 

 March. 



Spanish Cock's Cosie Drooping {Yoini^ Uenwife). — The comb falls 

 from want of condition, or from over-condition, or from hereditary defect. 

 If from the first cause, improved health will perhaps rectify the defect; 

 if from the second, it will not. If from the third, only one treatment is 

 possible— that is, to fasten the comb with silver wire in the position in 

 ■which it is desired to place it. 



Brahata Coceeeei, Tultuee- hocked (C TF.).— We consider a vulture- 

 hocked Brahma worthless as a breeding bird, if anything more than an 

 or-iinnry fowl is required. We kill numbers every year, and sell others 

 at nominal prices only, because they have that fault. A vultuve-hocked 

 Brahma has no pretension to be a prize bird, nor should it be sold as such. 



GA:irE BANTA3I Breeding (S(corra&5).— Few persons breed or k'^ep the 

 Black Game Bantams. They were never numerous, and are, we think, as 

 much kept as ever. Their larger brethren, the Black Game fowls, are very 

 little kept or shown. We do not believe it is well for any birds to breed 

 in-and-in. You ask why ? Because it is neither good for shape nor con- 

 stitution. It is destructive of strength, and produces deformity. Game 

 Bantams should not be short-legged, neither should they be stilty. A 

 short-legged Game fowl is an abooiination, and a long-legged one a lamp- 

 lighter. Choose the happy medium. 



Spanish Cook's Comb Black {Bcrkkampstead Suhscriber).— It is more 

 than probable the Spanish cock's comb is frosted. Rub it night and morn- 

 ing, but especially at night, with strong camphor ointment. The Dorking 

 hen has left off laying because the weather is so cold. We have never 

 been led to believe a Spanish cock is *' difficile " in his choice of " com- 

 pagnes." Powdered chalk is an excellent thing to mis with poultry food. 



EouGHNEss IN Hkns' Legs (A U'D.}.— Eubbing in sulphur ointment 

 often removes it. 



Stewaeton Hives (Id€7n).~ln "Bee-keeping for the Many" is a de- 

 scription and directions for managing. You can have it free by post if 

 you enclose five postage stamps with your direction. 



Various (Apicola). —There seems to be no doubt that your stock has 

 died of foul brood. The remaining honey should be drained and applied 

 to any purpose except feeding bees, the combs melted down, and the hive 

 itself, after its interior, the frames, floor-board, &c., have been well 

 scraped, should bo thoroughly washed both inside and out with a satu- 

 rated solution of chloride of lime, and then left unused for a couple of 

 seasons. If yours is a closed bee house the hives will require no further 

 protection during winter. We cp^nnot tell why the stock in your large 

 hive is weaker tbau that in the smaller one. It may he owing, as you 

 suggest, to the fault of the queen, or it may be due to incipient foul 

 brood or some other cause, which can only be conjectured in the case of 

 a hive with fised combs, or determined with certainty by internal ex- 

 amination if it be a moveable-comb hive. 



Song Thrush and Redwing (T, H. r.).— The speciflc characteristics 

 of the Song Thrush (Tnrdus musicus) are uppsr parts yellowish-brown, 

 the head tinged with red ; secondary coverts and first row of small coverts 

 tipped with reddish yellow ; fore part of neck and breast yellowish, each 

 feather terminated by a triangular brownish-black spot ; liwer wing- 

 coverts reddish-yellow. Those of the Redwing (Tnrdus iliacus) are 

 upper parts deep hair-brown, inclining to olive; a blackish-brown spot 

 before the eye, a large whitish band over it; secondary coverts tipped 

 ■with greyish-white : fore-part of nack and breast white, with loneitudiual 

 streaks of blackish-brown and pale brown ; middle of the sides and lower 

 wing-covei-ts light red. In the third volume of Macgilli Cray's " British 

 Birds ■' there are full descriptions. 



OUR METEOROLOaiCAL REPORT. 



In accorclance with your request I have much pleasure in supplying 

 tiie first of, I hope, a long series of brief weekly reports on the vary- 

 ing characteristics of our climate. In drawing up the table I have 

 been guided by two leading desires — viz., to give those facts (Ij which 

 bear most closely on horticultural and agricultural pursuits, and ('2) 

 which ■will be most usefnl for comparison to my many friends among 

 your readers. 



Perliaps you will allow me to say a few words " for once and for all " 

 Te-iect":iLr the data in the accompanying table; if in any respect I 

 fail to make my meaning clear I will, with your permission, subse- 

 quently reply to any queries. 



It will be seen that the table is divisible into two portions, the first 

 giving absolute data for nine o'clock each morning, and the second 

 giving the extreme temperatures and the total amount of ram. 



The larometrlc readings are, as all published readings should be, 

 corrected for index error, reduced to 32°, and to what they would have 

 been had the barometer been at the level of the sea. The use of baro- 

 metric readings, especially in conjunction with the hygrometer, in 

 indicating coming changes of weather, is too well known to require 

 enforcement, and is of itself ample reason for the insertion of both 

 barometric and hygrometric readings in a horticultural journal. But 

 besides this, the humidity of the air as indicated by the difference 

 between the dry and wet bulb thermometers, the direction of the wind. 



and the temperature of the soil, exert influences on plants ■which, 

 carefully noted, would I am sure lead to useful results. Extremes 

 of temperature are not less important, but shade temperatures alone 

 are not suflacient : hence I have added the highest temperature re- 

 gistered by a vacuum black bulb thermometer, of which the bulb is 

 4 feet above the ground, and fully exposed to the sun ; and also the 

 lowest point reached by a very delicate spirit thermometer, which 

 rests on grass. These two thermometers evidently give an approxima- 

 tion to the temperatures to which, vegetation is exposed. Last, but 

 not least, is the depth of rain collected by a rain gauge whose mouth 

 is 6 inches above the surface of the ground. 



As a good deal of confusion exists as to the date against which 

 certain observations are to be entered, I may, in conclusion, state that, 

 assuming that (as is far the best) observations are made at 9 a.ii., it 

 is obvious that nineteen times out of twenty the maximum tempera- 

 ture then read belongs to the previous day ; it is therefore to be so 

 entered. Again, the coldest time of the day is usually about an hour 

 before sunrise, therefore the minimum read at 9 A.ii. on any given 

 day belongs to that day, and is so entered. Lastly, the rain measured 

 at 9 A.:\i. was the product of the previous twenty-four houi's, of which 

 fifteen belong to the previous day, and only nine to that on which it 

 is measured ; therefore the rain, like the maximum temperatures, are 

 always entered one day back — e.g , 33. S, the maximum temperature 

 of the 11th instant, was the reading of the instrument at 9 a.3i, on 

 the 12th. — G. J. SYlIo^-s, 62, Camden Square, JV. IF. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden, Square, London. 



Lat. 51^ 3-2' 40" N. ; Long. 0^ S' 0" W. ; Altitude 111 feet. 



Date. 





9 A.H 







Ik the Dat. 







4?.- . 











Shade Tern-; Radiation 



. 



1S71. 





Hysrome- 



Direc- 



Temp. 



peratnre. iTemperature 



■3 





ter. 



tion of 







H 





at 1ft 









Dry. 



Wet. 







Max.' Min. 



Son. Grass- 







Inches, 



deg. 



a eg. 





ieg. 



dei?. 



desr. 



depT. 



deg. 



In. 



"We. 11 



29.733 



81.5 



SO.S 



N.E. 



S8.0 



33.8 



29.9 



43.9 



28.0 



0.122 



Th. 12 



30.150 



33.5 



32.5 



N.W. 



S8.2 



35.3 



29.7 



62.2 



25.5 



— 



Pii. 13 



30.235 



•« II 



25.9 



W. 



32.8 



S7.5 



19.7 



40.5 



24.6 



0.035 



Sat. 14 



29.936 



41.1 



40.S 



S. 



32.9 



44.S 



25.9 



69.2 



26.5 





Sim. 15 



29.571 



37 5 



36.2 



S.W. 



33.4 



44.8 



36.5 



69.0 



83.8 



0.1S5 



Mo. 16 



2S.8S8 



43.9 



42 S 



W. 



34.8 



45.0 



35.5 



59.9 



33.8 



0.351 



Ta. 17 



2S.97S 



37.6 



3G.S 



S. 



34.7 



40.6 



35.3 



5S.0 



81.6 

 29.2 



0.S65 



Means 



29.657 



36.0 



S5.1 



•• 



33.5 



40.3 



SJ.S 



57.4 



l.OOS 



rem.\re:s. 



11th. — Overcast in the morning, snow began at 10 A.ar., and from 1 to 

 1.35 P.M. fell heavily, lying 1^ deep at the latter hour. In the evening, 

 about 8 P.M., another heavy fall occurred, making the entire depth 

 nearly 2 inches, but the snow was very light, and hence, as above 

 noted, it only yielded about one-sixteenth its depth of water, 

 instead of one-twelfth, the usual proportion. 



l*2th. — Overcast in morning, fine evening ; barometer 30.229 at 9 p.m. 



13th.— Cold morning, roads very slippery ; about 7 p.m. a slight fall of 

 rain and sleet, with partial thaw. 



14th. — Complete thaw, temperature 14- higher than yesterday at the same 

 hour. ^Yiud began to freshen soon after noon ; squally at night. 



15th.— Fine early, but wet and uncomfortable after 11 a.m , a little snow 

 mixed with the rain at 3 p m. Gale at night 



16th. — Fair in morning, but heavy rain at intervals all day. 



17th.— Heavy rain at 10 a.m., and snow at 11 a m., wild afternoon, starlight 

 in evening. 

 The most noticeable feature of the week is the fall of the barometer 



from 30.229 inch on the 12th, at 9 pm., to 33.876 inch (1.353 inch) at 



8.31 A.M., on the 16th, and its long continuance at very low readings, even 



at 9 P.M. on the 17Eh having only risen to 23.995 inch. — G. J. Si'Moss. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— January 18. 

 Peices remain quite stationary, and business nearly so, the chief 

 operations being confined to rough goods, which are tolerably plentiful 

 considering the severity of the weather daring the last month. Hot- 

 house Grapes are somewhat in excess of the demand, and large luantities 

 of inferior ones can barely find a market. Potato trade steady. 



B, d. s. d 



Apples i sieve 1 to 2 



Chestnuts bushel 10 18 



Filberts lb. 2 



Cobs lb. 2 3 6 



Grape3,Hothouae.... lb. 4 So 



Lemons %'100 6 10 



Melons each 10 40 



Oranges T' 300 6 



Pears, kitchen doz. 1 



dessert doz. 1 



Pine Apples lb. S 



Plums i sieve 1 



Walnuts bushel 10 



do ^100 1 



d. s. 

 tolO 

 2 



VEGETABLES. 



Asparagus i^VtO 7 



Beans, Kidney ....■p' 100 2 



Beet.Red doz. 2 



Broccoli bundle 



BruBsels Sprouts..! sieve 2 



Cabbage doz. 1 



Carrots bunch 



Canhflower doz. 2 



Celery bundle 1 



Colewort3..do2. bunches 3 



Cucumbers each 1 



Endive doz. 3 



Fennel bmich 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish .... bundle 3 



to 10 

 3 

 S 

 1 

 3 

 2 

 

 6 

 3 

 6 

 S 

 

 

 



Locks bunch 



Lettuco doz. 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress.. punnet 



Onions bushel 



Parsley eieve 



Parsnips doz. 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes .. doz. bunches 



Savoys doz. 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz, 



Tomips bunch 



d. I 

 4 to 

 

 



J. d 







2 



6 







